'The Raven Boys' by Maggie Stiefvater

Book details

Series: The Raven Cycle, #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Scholastic Press

ISBN: 9780545424929

Synopsis

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

[From Goodreads]

Review

This is the first time I’ve ever dared to delve into Maggie Steifvater’s world, and I have to say I’m struggling a little to keep my emotions in check. I have a headache. It feels like all my thoughts about this book are spilling out of my ears because my brain is hyperventilating and throwing around furniture.

What a marvelous story. Stiefvater’s writing is magical. There’s really no other way to describe it. Right from the opening line, Stiefvater began weaving this intricate and electrifying spell that made me dizzy. It may have started off slowly, drawing on more and more of my energy as the story built itself up, but ten pages in I was already entranced. By the time I reached the halfway mark, the world around me felt like it was buzzing with electricity, but for the life of me I couldn’t draw my eyes away from the pages. The final few chapters were an explosion – Blue’s world and my own seemed to shatter into a billion pieces, and then it just… ended.

Note to the author: That is not okay. You broke me. You can’t just drop a bomb like that with such nonchalance, and then skip happily on to the acknowledgements.

The only negative point I have to mention about The Raven Boys is with regards to the characters. While charismatic Gansey and eccentric Blue seemed so enchanting and otherworldly in the beginning, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed in them by the end. They seemed to become increasingly two-dimensional as the novel progressed, whereas Adam, Noah and Ronan did the exact opposite. It was a strange scenario, but I’m sure Stiefvater will rectify it in The Dream Thieves.

Overall, though, this was an incredible novel. I love Maggie Stiefvater’s writing style, and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

Rating: 4/5

Recommended to: Everybody. Everybody. Everybody.

The Last Word

The Noah twist:

Well played, Stiefvater.

‘To Hear The Ocean Sigh’ by Bryant A. Loney

Book details

Genre: YA

Publisher: Verona Booksellers

ISBN: 9780692415528

Available via  Amazon (& Kindle), Barnes & Noble (& Nook), IndieBound, Kobo, Google Play.

Synopsis

Jay Murchison believes he is a nobody at his high school in Oklahoma. Coming from a conservative family of affordable luxury, Jay has an overwhelming desire to become something great. After a mysterious girl named Saphnie in North Carolina mistakenly texts him, an unlikely relationship develops that affects Jay’s self-perception and influences the rest of his sophomore year. This correspondence leads him to a group of thrill-seekers who provide a grand departure from the quiet life Jay is familiar with and eye-opening experiences to witness first-hand the truth behind the loose morals his fellow classmates have come to know.

In a story filled with injustice, hope, hatred, love, grief, and understanding, readers will ask themselves what it truly means to hear the ocean sigh and learn of the dire consequences that come with its responsibilities.

[From Goodreads]

Review

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion on the novel or its author.

I was a little bit hesitant to pick up a coming-of-age novel in my final months of high school. To me, coming-of-age has always seemed a little too realistic to be enjoyable, if that makes any sense. When I was fourteen, I didn’t want to read about pimples and popularity paranoia because I was living it. These days, I’m far happier to pretend those dark times never happened – I don’t need a book to stir up all those dark memories I’ve shoved into a bottomless pit in the recesses of my mind.

Nonetheless, I am so glad I decided to read this novel.

Like all coming-of-age novels, To Hear The Ocean Sigh deals with real issues that real teens face. Unlike most coming-of-age novels, it’s genuine. Heartfelt. Loney isn’t necessarily using his novel to uplift teens or warp their struggles into a cringe-worthy comedy – he’s sharing a story that most teens have either witnessed or experienced firsthand, and he does so without romanticizing or undermining his characters’ problems.

I loved most things about this book. It’s an almost perfect representation of real life in high school, from the difficulties of identifying personality disorders, depression and broken backgrounds underneath picture-perfect facades, to the struggle of trying to fit in when you don’t even know who you’re supposed to be, let alone how you should get people to like you. The characters were extremely well developed, and their tendency to irritate the hell out of me was really just a result of them being so similar to actual sixteen-year-olds. Nobody really likes you when you’re sixteen – you’re annoying and whiny and care too much about what other people think about your hair, or whatever. But you’re just beginning to develop your own opinions, which brings about such delicious confusion and conflict that it drives everybody crazy. Jay, Lily, Ethan and Saphne were exactly that: they were real and they were diverse and they were interesting and they were beautiful in their brokenness. And that was perfect.

Loney’s writing style was also stunning. He managed to find the ideal balance between simplicity, accessibility and delicate detail – perfect for a coming-of-age novel.  Although I got a bit restless in the last fifty or so pages on account of the pace slowing down significantly, the ending completely made up for it. The last few pages were heartbreaking, and all of a sudden Loney’s style transformed into this fragile and bittersweet masterpiece. I don’t think I breathed from page 258 until I turned the final page.

A wonderful story as moving as it is unique.

Rating: 4/5

Recommended to: Pretty much all teens in their awkward phase.

The Last Word

Please can more teenagers write coming-of-age novels like this one? I needed more of this when I was drowning in angst at fifteen, not endlessly condescending “these are the best years of your life” novels written by those who've forgotten how confusing it is to be stuck in the in-between phase of old-child. Teens don’t have the benefit of hindsight (or foresight), so it’s helpful to have a novel written from the perspective of somebody who still remembers what it feels like to doubt that life even carries on, let alone gets better. 

~Thank you to Wes Florentine from Verona Booksellers for providing me with the opportunity to review this book.~

'Lumiere' by Jacqueline Garlick

Book details

Series: The Illumination Paradox, #1

Genre: YA Steampunk

Publisher: Amazemo Books

ASIN: B00H9GXS1Q

Synopsis

One determined girl. One resourceful boy. One miracle machine that could destroy everything.

After an unexplained flash shatters her world, seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth sets out to find the Illuminator, her father’s prized invention. With it, she hopes to cure herself of her debilitating seizures before Professor Smrt—her father’s arch nemesis—discovers her secret and locks her away in an asylum.

Pursued by Smrt, Eyelet locates the Illuminator only to see it whisked away. She follows the thief into the world of the unknown, compelled not only by her quest but by the allure of the stranger—Urlick Babbit—who harbors secrets of his own.

Together, they endure deadly Vapours and criminal-infested woods in pursuit of the same prize, only to discover the miracle machine they hoped would solve their problems may in fact be their biggest problem of all.

[From Goodreads]

Review

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion on the novel or its author.

I’ve never really dared to delve into the steampunk genre before. Honestly, the idea of a world partially submerged in history but containing futuristic elements made me feel a little uncomfortable at first. I imagined authors approaching historical fiction with a dystopian attitude and clumsily altering the past until it became a huge mess of puzzle pieces that didn’t fit together.

After finishing Lumiere, I want to read nothing but YA steampunk.

I don’t know if it was Garlick’s hardcore characters or her attention to detail in plotting one of the most intricate stories I’ve ever come across that made my heart seize up at several points in her novel. She doesn’t waste time with convention – her story is unique and confident in its approach, and executed with style and poise.

A particularly powerful aspect of Garlick's novel is the nonchalance with which she allowed her misfit characters to shine. Each person is marked by some or other imperfection that forces them onto the outskirts of society, and yet not once do any of them become slaves to their hardships. Eyelet and Urlick are two of the most powerful protagonists I’ve ever come across: they are highly intelligent, independent, determined and downright brilliant. Nothing can hold them back – not even Eyelet’s seizures or Urlick’s insecurity about his appearance. Furthermore, Garlick’s secondary characters were just as moving as her two protagonists. Iris, especially, dodged every stereotype assigned to a character in her role – she was selfless and loyal, but also stubborn and fierce.

Although the romantic feature of Lumiere wasn’t heart stopping, I found that it neither detracted from nor added much to the novel, which was actually a nice change. Too often, an author will fixate on a romantic relationship, and the story will revolve around the couple’s love for each other. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but there’s a point where one has to wonder how much more meaningful the story would be if the fate of a dystopian world didn’t rely on the destiny of two people. It gets tiresome. Whilst understated, Garlick’s romance was far more realistic. The couple worked together to save the world, but the fate of the world didn’t depend on their love for each other (if that makes any sense at all).

Lumiere is an enthralling novel, and I can’t wait to read Garlick’s next installment.

Rating: 4/5

Recommended to: Lovers of kickass heroines and beautiful storylines.

The Last Word

I fell in love with the cover of this novel, and the storyline lived up to my skyscraper expectations. I’m holding back the last star because I feel that the pacing of the novel wasn’t fantastic – lightning-fast scenes made me dizzy with excitement (in a good way), but then they were interspersed with passages that moved soooo slllooowwwlllyyy that I had to consciously force myself not to fall into the habit of skimming. That was a minor thing, though, and maybe it was just because I was so addicted to the rush I got in Garlick’s climactic scenes that the calmer scenes seemed slower than they actually were.

‘Black Ice’ by Becca Fitzpatrick

Book details

Genre: YA Fiction

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 9781471118166

View on Goodreads.

Synopsis

Britt Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but isn’t prepared when a violent storm leaves her and her best friend Korbie stranded. Seeking shelter in a secluded cabin, they find two handsome rescuers. Or so they think.

In exchange for her life, Britt must set out into the cold and snow to lead the men to safety. But during the harrowing journey in the wilderness, one of the men, Mason, starts to show an interest in Britt that seems more romantic than sinister. Can she really trust him? Her life depends on the answer.

Review

How good is a book, really, if you don’t read it in one sitting?

That was what I did with Black Ice. I know I often say a book was so good I read it in one sitting, but that usually entails at least one or two breaks for tea, a quick Twitter or Instagram session and maybe a sandwich halfway. No, this time I mean I got into my bed at 6pm last night and I did not get out of that bed until I turned the last page at 11pm and started wandering around my house to find my sister and yell at her for putting me through such emotional trauma (it’s her book – she handed it to me wordlessly last night and shook her head before turning away. I should have known).

Becca Fitzpatrick holds a special place in my heart for her Hush, Hush series. It was one of the first series that I ever legitimately fangirled over with my friends (at age fifteen), and spurred off an ongoing obsession with supernatural YA novels that led me to my other favourites. I’ll admit I’ve been waiting a while for her to release something new, but I was a little worried about Black Ice. It looked so different to her other books – what if I was disappointed?

Ha. I’ll bet you Fitzpatrick and her editor laughed for about an hour about how much of a “shock and awe” factor this novel would have.

Black Ice is phenomenal. The storyline was sharp, deadly and expertly plotted. Fitzpatrick’s writing is dark and compelling – evidently the work of a YA master, whose writing takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, but you’ll hardly notice how fast your heart is beating because you’re too stuck in the story. And the characters… exceptional. Fitzpatrick builds a hero out of a stereotypical teenage girl, slowly giving her depth and independence until she breaks herself out of the mold she was confined to by the men surrounding her. It was inspiring to watch (read). Every character was more complex than they first appeared, and the way the author altered them through plot twists and climactic disasters had a mind-blowing effect.

Becca Fitzpatrick, you are amazing. Please write many more books, even if each one I read destroys another fraction of my sanity.

Rating: 4/5

Recommended to: Fans of Hush, Hush, and everyone else.

(Just a note: I agree with other reviews that say Black Ice isn't realistic - that it's way too far-fetched, actually - but I don't think Fitzpatrick's intention is to write about real-life experiences. Sure, it's a dangerous way to go, and I agree that the romance was very problematic. But when I was caught up in the story, it was easy for me to put those things aside and enjoy her writing - although I definitely think I should revisit some aspects with a more critical eye. I stick by my review, but I think it's important to read other opinions before you delve into this novel. It's not for everyone.)

The Last Word

I think it’s important to take another second to appreciate Becca Fitzpatrick’s writing style, because it really is among the best in YA charts at the moment. She writes exceptionally, and I’m not sure that others have truly noticed that, because at first I didn’t. Her story is often so gripping that it’s easy to overlook just how well she’s telling it.

Fitzpatrick’s style is so accessible. I think it’s truly admirable that she always allows her story to shine through her writing (not the other way around) and her novels flourish because of it. She’s not patronizing or condescending; she doesn’t try to confuse her readers with elaborate sentences or flowery descriptive passages, yet it’s clear that she’s an excellent writer. That’s the way YA should be written.