Review - Raising Demons by Rachel Hawkins

Published by Simon Pulse
Published 3 March 2011

HEY YOU.....YEAH YOU FOOL WHO ELSE AM I GOING TO BE SHOUTING AT! I want you to close your eyes (well, after reading this part, duh!) and imagine me in my best Gandalf get up, expect with a whole lot more glitter and sparkle and maybe pom poms instead of a staff, shouting the words, YOU SHALL NOT PASS......but only if you've not read Hex Hall because Y'ALL even the synopsis has the spoilers.  If you read past this even when you've not read Hex Hall then you are going to a world full of pain and spoilers, do NOT even try and say I didn't warn you.

Summary - Sophie Mercer's first term at Hex Hall was quite eventful.  First, her evil grandmother's ghost haunted her every move, then her best friend was accused of murder and, finally, Archer Cross (aka The Boy Of Her Dreams) turned out to be an undercover demon hunter; which would have been fine, if Sophie hadn't been the demon he was hunting...

Sphie is hoping for a quieter summer, but as she's spending it with her dad - who just happens to be Head of The Council of Prodigium - at the headquarters of all-things-magical, that's not going to happen.  And, as she struggles with her new demon powers, Sophie finds herself surrounded by dark magic and conspiracies.  The only way things could get more complicated would be if Archer Cross appeared again.  But he wouldn't.....would he?

I do not know what it is about Rachel Hawkins, but she makes me completely loose my shit.  Honestly, I turn into this bumbling, grinning, hysterical girl that can only squeal and grab hold of strangers and make them partake in impromtu dance parties, because oh CRAP she is good at the funny.  Y'all probably know this about me, but the way to my heart is through manical laughter that puts me on the verge of peeing my pants.  Make me laugh and i'm not talking about giggle, I mean the full on Carla Cackle, and I am ALL OVER IT.

So, after the events of Hex Hall and that OMG OH NO SHE DIDN'T ending, we are immersed into the magical world of Ms Sophie Mercer straightaway, with a full on cackle from me by page eight.  Then it was like, WHAT ON EARTH is this woman going to write because I don't think I can handle this much laughter, then BLAM, attacked with a cackle.  LOVE IT.  Okay, so I think I may have enjoyed this book more than Hex Hall (I KNOW RIGHT?! go buy a copy!) because I had more of an interest in the characters because I had all this amazing prior knowledge of them.  Plus, Hawkins really gets down to it with the mythology and Sophie's background and how she came to be a demon.  I also liked that we got to see some familiar faces with the shy but smoldering Cal, the pink fluffy vamp girl Jenna and the hot gonnameltyourpantsrightoff Archer Cross himself. 

Also, the book is set in England, which is only where I live.  HOLLA!!! ten gajillion cool points for the epic change of location to places I actually know and love!! YAY ENGLAND.  Sophie as a character developed a LOT more for me over the course of the book and her snark made me want to invite her to a sleepover, where we could talk about how sucky it must be for her to be a demon and how maybe she could turn like more boy's hair to blond for me, because friends do favours like that.  We would then stand in front of my mirror and she would change my outfit with magic, because I always envied Sabrina for being able to do that, and it would make my childhood dream reality....the ability to change clothes by magic and hair colours to blond.  AHHHH SOPHIE CALL ME!

AHHH, I know what you're waiting for, and here it is......SEXYTIMES GALORE.  Swoonage central let me tell you.  SAHHHHH-WOON.  I had to stop myself from making out with the book the sexytimes scenes were that hot.  Plus, there is some swoonage that also happens to be really really awkward which is only the VERY BEST KIND.  Plus, the storyline was one that I found really easy to immerse myself into, which obvs means it was fun and witty and fast paced and kept me occupied until I turned the last page.  Raising Demons is a fabulous addition to the Hex Hall trilogy, and I've not doubt this isn't the best we've seen of Hawkins, which makes me EXTREMELY excited to see what the final book brings to the table and also VERY suspicious that Hawkins must be magic to make me love a paranormal series so much especially when i'm a contemporary girl at heart.  I loved it.

Review - Love is The Higher Law by David Levithan

Published by Knopf
Published 25 August 2009

Summary - First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . .

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

Before 9/11 I had never even heard of the World Trade Centre, being a young British girl who had never vistited America, they had never once appeared on my radar.  I don't like to talk about 9/11 because it didn't affect me personally, nor anyone I know.  I don't want to presume to know things that happened on that day, because i'm almost certain I would be wrong.  Also, because there is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said.

This is a book about that day, about how the lives of three teens, Claire, Jasper and Peter are irrevocably altered.  I don't want to sound tasteless, but I expected a rather depressing read.  One that would maybe dredge up the horrors of that day.  I thought it would dwell on things that can't be changed.  But it didn't.  This book was about hope.  It's a book about overwhelming hope and lost innocence and how profound and enduring human relationships are.  Being British and having never visted NYC myself, it was almost absurd how I felt love for a place I have never visited, but I loved it because you can tell without a shadow of a doubt how much Levithan loves NYC.

Like with any great story, I took away a lot.  How in the face of such vicious and uncomprehendable tragedy, people still come together and overcome those who stand in their way.  It's the kind of book that drives home an uplifting message in such a subtle and sneaky way that before I knew it the ending had snook up on me and I was left not feeling overwhelming sadness, but overwhelming joy at the kindess and goodness that humanity is capable of in the face of such violence.  

Levithan has shown me that even though the lives of more people than I could ever imagine have changed forever, that the endurance of human relationships even though frail is something that can never be taken from us .  It is ours and ours alone.  

Review - Airhead by Meg Cabot

Published by Macmillian
Published 5 September 2008

Okay, so Meg Cabot is the Queen of YA literature.  I have this image of her in my head sat on a throne of books, all of her own of course, because she has written plenty!! A gaggle of YA authors are sat around her; some feeding her little chocolate cupcakes with raspberry icing, some wafting her with giant bamboo leaves.  Others are just sat around soaking in the glory of her presence, listening to the author who has the best accent regale them with stories the Queen herself has written.  She also has fabulous shiny big hair and a perfect manicure, JUST like Nikki!!  I know, I know, I have a overactive imagination, what of it?!

So, here's the deal.  Em is a fantastically amazing nerd.  Her idea of a fahhhhabulous night in is sitting around either watching documentries with her best friend Christopher, who she is so totes in love with but DAMMIT, why doesn't he realise! or seeing what level she can get to on Journeyquest, which is like, only the best video game EVER!  Frida, her little sister, is turning to the dark side, what with her trying out to be a cheerleader and ACTUALLY knowing what shade of lipgloss suits her.   Throw in the opening of a large gonna close down all the shops in your area megastore owned by the shady Stark Enterprises, which her parents make her take Frida to, because it just really isnt enough that she's turning into a clone all by herself.  Add a pop star with a British accent, a supermodel called Nikki Howard and a giant plasma TV that only falls off the wall ONTO EM when activists protesting against Stark Enterprises take over the show.....and.......BAM!@!!! Em is no longer Emerson Watts, well, she is....BUT she's only stuck in Nikki Howards body.  WHAT THE WHAT RIGHT?!  Then crazy hot highjinks ensue, because she has to actually pretend to be Nikki, because Stark Enterprises are blackmailing her mom and dad with the millions of pounds hospital fees and such.

Basically, any book that can combine feminisim, make up, hot boys and being supermodely gorgeous is a book that I am all over like white on rice.  Plus it has, wait for it, a BRAIN TRANSPLANT.  I know! close your mouth and stop drooling.  I really understood Em's confusion and anger when she woke up in Nikki Howard's body, because even though it would be prettttttty cool to wake up and be super duper gorgeous, I would kind of be annoyed that I had to pretend to actually BE Nikki, because that would be like loosing your own identity and would pretty much blow.  Plus, the fact that Em has to still honour all of Nikki's modelling contracts because Stark paid for the brain transplant, well, I don't even like having to do my own work let alone someone else's so I get why Em was like HELL NO.  But when she come around, I liked that she still had her values and integrity and didn't morph into a mean girl.

Also, if you like sexytimes then oh boy, OH FREAKING BOY DOES SHE BRING IT.  I promise, if teenage me was reading this book I probably would have tried to kiss everything that is male and that moved.  The swoonizzle between Em and Chistopher was sweet and endearing and just FINE thank you very much.  And the hotness between Em in Nikki's body and well, any guy who decided they wanted some was pretty damn off the hotness scale, because even though Em hasn't really kissed anyone before, Nikki's body is like a one woman kissing machine.  Like POW.  

In conclusion, this book made me want to be a supermodel.  HA just kidding.  Well only a little.  Like with the other Cabot books i've read,  this has a verrrrrra special place on my bookshelf.  Because Em, I mean Nikki, is a true literary BFF.  She can console me when I can't find the perfect shade of lip gloss.  She can cry with me when the guy I'm crushing on doesn't even realise because he is stoooopid as most guys are.  And most of all, she can make me laugh with her sarcastic comments and general nerd like behavoiur.  In one word, Love.

HOLLA! to Macmillian for sending me a copy for review.  Also, thank you for sending me the next two books along with it because I like my hair and do not wish to be pulling any out. 

Review - Matched by Ally Condie

Published 2 December 2010
Published by Puffin

Summary - Cassia has always trussed the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe.  So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate……..until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander.  But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

You know when everyone kinda likes this one guy, say for arguments sake the captain of the football team, and they all go crazy for him and write their names entwined with his in their notebooks and all people can talk about is how cute he is and how amazingly fine his abs are.  But really YOU secretly think he's just a jerk and isn't even that hot.  That's pretty much the gist of how this book made me feel. WAY WAY overhyped.  Like OMG YOUR GOING TO LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH YOUR GOING TO TURN INTO A OBJECTUM SEXUAL PERSON AND ACTUALLY MARRY THE BOOK.  Publishers, take note, overhyping books too much has a negative effect if they're not really that good.

Okay, so Condie really immersed me into this strange dystopian world quite quickly considering it always takes me a while to fully comprehend the ins and outs of new worlds.  No, things were described to a point where I could ALMOST visualise this strange world around me.  Everything is laid bare.  Meaning straightaway we are told information about this perceived utopian society.  Like everyone is told what music they can listen too, what movies they can watch, what age they will die, what job they will get and finally what person they will marry.  And SHOCK HORROR, Cassia turns up at her Matching ceremony and holy mother she's only gone and got matched with her best friend Xander.  Awesome right? how lucky! Well, not really since she see's another guys face, a guy named Ky, and she can't let it rest because WHY? WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN!!

I know, it all sounds fabulous right.  So why didn't I love it? Well, to put it simply, I felt no connection to any of the characters.  I couldn't care less who Cassia chose.  I had no investment in her story in the slightest because she was boring.  And the story was a little confusing as it kicked into gear.  Like why do Cassia and her family always seem to break the rules when they go on and on and ON about how strict the Society is.  REALLY? then why do they keep breaking the rules! Surely if they are breaking the rules, then other people must be too? They way they acted just seemed to defy all laws that we are told at the beginning of the story.  You guys, I would love to think that if i was under strict control and was told who I could marry that I too would fight against control, I too would be like OH HELL NO, and breaking rules left right and centre.  BUT, the simple fact is that I probably wouldn't.  But I probably would if every freaking person I knew broke the damn laws.  It just wasn't plausible.  

Plus, all that stuff about not being able to read or listen to anything other than what they were TOLD they could.  WHAT? So, Cassia's family break the rules one time or another but not a single person in this story decides what the crap, i'm going to write me a poem, yeah sure, I'll make my granddad a card but I won't make anything else EVER AGAIN.  are you shitting me? I may be a girl but i am not dense.  Why is she not writing poems or drawing pictures of just DOING something, since she doesn't seem to mind breaking the law??  SEE IT JUST DON'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.  

ALSO, WHAT THE FUCKERY!! So in this fake utopian world no one is gay? NOT A SINGLE PERSON?  So, every girl gets matched with a boy? BUT WHAT IF THEY LIKE GIRLS!!! I don't know why this wasn't explored a little because that's quite a large majority of people that have been completely cut from this world.  So, what about people that ARE gay? do they fight against the Society or do they just have to forget their identify and go along with what they are told.  WHY? I mean diversity and such is a very VERY important part of out past, present AND future, so it stands to reason that this is something that would come up at some point.  I really hope this is explored in the sequel, so will one of you guys let me know? Because I am for sure not reading that when this was so irritatingly blah.

Okay, in conclusion this book was my kryptonite.  It was NO good for me, but HEY you might love it so check out these amazing reviews!!

Wondrous Reads
YA Book Queen


A big thank you to Puffin for sending me a copy to review.  

Review - Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Published by Atom
Published 6 January 2011

Summary - Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

I know.  I KNOW.  The synopsis AND the tagline on the cover.  WHAT THE WHAT right?! When I first saw this cover I was all "oooohhh look at the freaky girl with the weird eyes and that flowing hair and the flower that has blood droplets on it" then I read the tagline and it was a total headdesk moment, then I read the synopsis and all I could think was really? REALLY?!  BUT, let me tell you guys, for a book that has that many strikes against it before even opening the first page, I kinda loved it a little.  SURPRISE!

So, I kind of broke up with the supernatural genre a while ago.  I mean, we did have fun together and it was always interesting and full of sexytimes, but then I just got sick and tired of the same old thing being hashed up again and again, and it was like de ja freaking vu every time we went out, so I dumped their ass for someone better.  And then up swans Nightshade with it's over the top cover and in your face synopsis and I thought it was going to be the same thing all over again but worse and BAM, this book isn't your typical supernatural story, it actually has ORIGINALITY!

The plotlive wasn't as outlandish as most other books in the same genre, it never felt too over the top but I never felt like it fell a little too short, it was just he perfect balance of believeable and unbelievable.  The world Cremer had created was fascinating and always kept me wondering, always kept me wanting to uncover the secrets of Calla's world.  Regardless of the fact that Calla could turn into a wolf, her human issues and feelings always seemed to take the front seat, so I could really see people who hated the supernatural genre to be totally swayed by this book.  Their was plenty of WTF moments, and a lot of supernatural lore to bulk up the story.  And these wolves aren't your normal wolves, their guardians, and they don't hunt to kill, they hunt to protect their secrets.  And it's full of intrigue and mystery, I will admit to seeing most of the plot turns coming but that ending? WOAH, where the frick did that come from?

Okay, so the characters are what glued me to the pages, because I love a good love triangle when it's done well.  Calla is a fascinating character, because we know she has this ginormous weight on her shoulders and we know that she has duty to her pack and her keepers, but DAMN, not once did she complain or whine or moan, or whittle on about how it's SO hard two boy's want me and I don't know which one to choose.  Because when girls start to get like that they make me want to punch them in the face and shout "JUST PICK THEM BOTH, IT'S NOT LIKE THREEWAYS ARE ILLEGAL".  ahem.  Then I start to wonder why this never happens and then realise it probably never will, but somebody should SERIOUSLY write this like last year.  

So, the boys.  Shay was well written, but he kind of fell really flat for me as a romantic lead.  I mean, yeah he does represent freedom and stuff but I don't know, it was like watching something really interesting and hot heat up and then throwing a cold jug of water on it.  There was no spark or fizzle and I did not swoon over him in the slightest.  About as interesting to me as watching paint dry.  He kind of ruined the swoon with his calm nature and innocence.  I could NOT see him ripping off a shirt.  I could see him unbuttoning it slowy then asking if you're okay and do you want to maybe take a break.  See? WET BLANKET.  Ren on the other hand, I could see Ren not even caring and tearing your shirt to shreds and then setting them on fire with the lust in his eyes.  Or something to that nature.  Yeah, Ren brought the steam.  He brought it.  Fabulous start to the story and I will certainly be reading the sequel, which I am hoping features Ren a little more.  Maybe sans shirt.  That would be wonderful.  



HOLLA! to Atom for sending me a lovely shiny copy of this book to review.  I did not receive cash nor promises of more shirtless Ren for this review.

DOING IT - Sex in YA. Yay or Nay.

I have this picture in my head of me in some crisp peach twin set which obvs would be a demure length and my hair is poker straight with a perfect centre parting and i'm leading this tres intense debate, because YOU BET if I was American I would be head of the Debate Team, because I love a good well presented and well reasoned debate.  Which leads me to my topic of choice for today.  SEX.  Yes, I went there.  I said the three little letters that mean so much to so many people.  Now, before I get into this I want to say this is entirely my opinion.  I do not expect ANY of you to agree with me.  I try and stay away from the more serious issues  because this is a hobby y'know and I want it to be FUN, and I seriously despise drama.  I'm not a teenager.  Been there done that and I don't want to wear that t-shirt again thank you very much.  That aside, I want this to be a open forum for discussion regardless of whether you disagree or agree with the information I put forward.  So, let's keep it clean folks.

So, to put it blunt, sex in YA is not something I am opposed to, especially if it is in context to the story and the natural progression of the characters development arc, then I DO feel that it needs to be included.  I wouldn't get out my pitchfork and gather the villagers so we could go burn down the publishing house if they chose to put a sex scene in a book.  Let me say, I'm not a religious person.  I do have certain beliefs but they are beliefs that are mine and mine alone.  I have no personal agenda.  I do not wish to preach that having sex before marriage is immoral, nor do I want to condone certain behaviours, I don't want this to turn into a argument about what is right and wrong.  Life is not black and white.  The grey area's run the show.  So, what I am saying is what I believe.

The reason why I read Young Adult specifically is because of the way it encapsulates that uncertainty I felt when I was a teenager.  The way I questioned every small detail of my life and agonised over inane decisions that I wouldn't even let bother me anymore.  It's the time of falling in and out of love because you can, it's crushing on five boys at once and being scared to do anything about it.  It's about your first kiss and your first time and all the other firsts.  It's making friends you think you'll be friends with for life and then falling out with them in a months time.  It's the time when you discover that the world exists beyond high school.  SO, when sex is a part of personal discovery and growing up, I do feel like it needs to be represented in a genre that can perfectly grasp and represent the feelings people go through to get to that stage.

Young Adult books that DO include sex are handled in such a different way than other genres.  I never feel like sex scenes are added as extra word count or page filler, it always means something.  It is always vital to the story and to the characters themselves.  But when I think about this, do people get mad that it has sexual content or just that the teenagers are choosing to have sex?  When it comes down to it, teenagers have sex.  They do.  To have a relatable character that connects to a reader on some level, they have to act and behave as if they are real, and real teenagers have sex.  Every teenager has questions and doubts and internal dilema's when it comes to sex and everything that involves. Being able to read about sex could make them feel less alone and understand more about the decision they are making, and maybe even convince them to speak to a peer before they chose to take the next step or seek information on safe sex.  

I know a lot of people would disagree with me.  I know a lot of people would say including sex in books targeted to teenagers would possibly be corruptive and plant seeds in their minds that wouldn't have been there previously had they not read about it.  But, I respectfully disagree.  I believe any book that doesn't brush over the more harsher truths of life, a book that deals with every scenario a person in the real world faces is a book that needs to be on bookshelves.  A book that tells the truth, and the truth is that teenagers DO have sex.  I know this because I did it myself.   So when books have sex in them it makes them more realistic.  This is not to say EVERY book must have sex in it, because that wouldn't be true to real life.  I want books to be able to connect with people. I want those words that someone has written to speak to a reader and affirm their decisions or console them over the bad ones.I want people to open pages and see themselves in the pages.So, books that DON'T include sex are still affirming and just as important, because every lifestyle choice and decision should be represented.

WOW I WANT IT

HOW PRETTY IS THIS DRESS

NOT only does she get to play a super pretty ballerina in Black Swan, she ALSO knows how to rock the Alexander McQueen and Cartier.  Can I get a WHAT WHAT.  I think Mila should be my best friend.  We could like, totally discuss how cute Macauley was in Home Alone but not so much now and how amazing her hair looks wavy, and could she please borrow me her dress and diamonds.  THIS HAS TO HAPPEN.