Book review: How To Leave Twitter by Grace Dent

My edition: Paperback, published in 2011 by Faber and Faber, 208 pages.

Description: Three years ago columnist and author Grace Dent joined new social network site Twitter, mainly as a place to dump her surplus jokes, rant about garbage TV and post exclusive j-pegs of her hot new toenail-varnish.

But as every 're-tweet' and 'Follow Friday' saw her audience figures soar by tens of thousands, Dent found herself centre-stage in an all-consuming highly addictive social network revolution. One where the gags, gossip, scandal and backstabbing literally never stop. Here Dent takes a hilarious, acerbic look at what's really going on in Twitterworld; who's actually tweeting, who's really reading your tweets and what's behind the 140 character lies they tell.

She looks at the highs and grotty lows of twitter addiction, the shameless social climbers, the friends you'll make and the ones you can't get bloody rid of, the barefaced bragging, the shameful celeb-stalking, and the truth about 'twanking', twitter cliques, angry 'twitchfork mobs' and dealing with trolls.

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Book review: The Line by Teri Hall

My edition: Paperback, published in 2011 by Speak, 224 pages.

Description: When Rachel and her mother move to Mrs. Moore's house-the one with the greenhouse, right next to the Line-Rachel starts questioning things.

There are so many rumors of horrible things that lie beyond the Line-in a place called Away-but no one dares to talk about it. And it's no use asking questions- especially of Mrs. Moore, who has always lived by the Line, or of her mother, who is just happy to have a place to stay, especially since Rachel's father died in the war.

But then Rachel comes across a recorded message-one that could only have come from Away. And the voice on the recorder is asking for help.

As things start to unravel, the question becomes, how far is Rachel willing to go to cross the Line and do the right thing?

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Book review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

My edition: Paperback, published in 2011 by Voyager, 320 pages.

Description: Obviously, something went terribly wrong.

Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women.

To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate.

Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive.


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Review: Elixir by Hilary Duff

My edition: Paperback, published in 2010 by Simon & Schuster, 327 pages.

Description: Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.

Review:

This book started out very promising: extremely well written (I'm not commenting on by who as I think the quality should be central in a review about the story, not the debate about whether it was ghost written or not) and mysterious from the start with the unexplainable appearances of the image on Clea's photographs.

However as soon as we were getting closer to the truth behind the mystery, the story started making less sense and it seemed more time was spent on building a romantic relationship between two characters that lack chemistry, rather than on developing the plot in a satisfying matter.

About halfway through Elixer dropped from a solid 9 to a hesitant 8 out of 10 and the open ending as well as the unbelievable change of Ben's character towards the final chapters made me reluctantly decide on the final rating. It's a real shame that this novel got dragged into the currently overhyped young adult paranormal genre - focusing on romance rather than plot - as it had a lot of potential.

7/10

Review: Heist Society by Ally Carter

My edition: Paperback, published in 2011 by Hyperion, 287 pages.

Description: When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Review:

This novel is an entertaining teen heist story in the likes of Leverage and Ocean's Eleven with an intriguing ending that makes me want to check out the next installment in the series.

The book wasn't anything groundbreaking, and the characters were all a bit cliche (the protagonist that ends up with two hot guys adoring her even though she sees herself as one of the guys, the gorgeously seductive girl, the clever computer geek, the bored rich kid, the butler, etc.), but the story was interesting and action packed and the main characters were all likeable in their own right.

In short: It was a quick and fun read and I definitely want to see more of Kat and her gang.

7/10

Review: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

My edition: Paperback, published in 2011 by Poppy, 288 pages.

Description: Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "the Duff", she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

Review:

The first half of this book was just terrible. How the main character can possibly turn towards the one guy who keeps hurting her by using the word "DUFF" and have meaningless sex (at that age!) to get rid of all her so-called big problems were beyond me; I really thought it gave a wrong message to young girls.

However, about midway through I actually started to like Bianca and her story developed in such a way that I could finally understand why she felt the way she did. Of course it helped that the "mean" boy predictably turned into a very sweet and considerate guy and in the end all was well for everyone.

The DUFF is not the most extraordinary piece of literature every produced but surely entertaining enough and admirable for the fact that it was written by a 17 year-old.

6.5/10

Review: Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah

My edition: Paperback, published in 2009 by Scholastic, 240 pages.

Description: Thirteen-year-old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, as well as the checkpoints, the curfews, and Hayaat's best friend Samy, who is always a troublemaker.

But luck is on their side. Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel to Jerusalem. However, while their journey is only a few kilometres long, it may take a lifetime to complete.

Review:

Where the Streets Had a Name is a wonderful and unique young adult novel that was an eye-opener to me about the current situation in the Middle East. The subject matter is quite heavy but told in such a way that the book remains easy to digest. And it's surprisingly even funny at times!

A really great novel for teenagers as well as adults as it's fascinating to read a perspective on this situation, with real people you easily fall in love with, that isn't just a factual newspaper article.

8/10

Review: The Demon Collector by Jon Mayhew

My edition: Hardback, published in 2011 by Bloomsbury, 432 pages.

Description: In the time before time, Satan ruled the molten Earth, worshiped by his demons. One demon turned against him and imprisoned Satan deep in the bowels of the earth. When Satan escaped, as punishment, the demon's heart was torn from his chest and his body hidden deep in the polar ice. Only Satan knows where he lies. The heart is hidden elsewhere. If the two are brought together, the demon will be reborn and darkness will reign.

Edgy Taylor sees demons when nobody else can. Edgy thinks he is insane and expects to be carried off any minute. He is a prime collector, wandering the streets of London collecting dog muck for the tannery. The only thing Edgy is good at is setting and solving riddles, and evading his brutal and abusive master.

One night, when his master seems genuinely intent on killing Edgy, Professor Envry Janus intervenes. Envry takes him to the Royal Society of Daemonology where Edgy will now live. It is here, though, that Edgy discovers chance had nothing to do with their meeting, and that he holds the key to a deadly demon prophecy.

Review:

This is a wonderfully original children's book set in a world where demons, arch demons and even Satan are more than just myths and legends.

Edgy Taylor thinks he's just an ordinary boy with a gift of solving riddles until he suddenly finds himself running for his life and ends up at the Society of Daemonology. Once there he discovers the most extraordinary things and tumbles head first into a dangerous world filled with demons (some good, some bad), imps and even a snake of knowledge in the library. For the first time in his life he finds himself surrounded by actual friends, but unfortunately also by enemies and it is sometimes hard to define which is which. However, Edgy has to make up his mind fast and be one step ahead of his enemies as making the wrong move can be not only fatal to himself, but to everyone on earth.

The characters in The Demon Collector are well written, the story is action-packed and fast paced and the book will leave you guessing to the very end about the true evil in this world.

7.5/10

Review: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan

My edition: Paperback, published in 2011 by Sphere, 480 pages.

Description: Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that - Issy can create stunning, mouth-watering and divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe's bakery she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. So when she's made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment and open up her own cafe.

Review:

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe is an absolutely lovely read, filled with (mostly) likeable characters I just wanted to squish by the end of it. Especially Louise and Darny. And Austin, of course.

Not only is this a wonderfully sweet chick-lit, each chapter starts with a mouth-watering recipe which is a fabulous bonus. Unsurprisingly I wanted to start baking my own cupcakes as soon as the book was finished, and even that author Jenny Colgan caters too with a few extra chapters of recipes.

Highly recommended.

10/10

Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

My edition: eBook, published in 2011, 398 pages.

Description: Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Review:

Across the Universe was an absolutely fascinating read about a space ship that sets off from Earth and has been traveling for several centuries to reach a substitute planet to live on. Some people from our time have been frozen and are stored to be awoken on the new planet and use their knowledge to make it habitable. Others are several generations down the line from the original people populating the ship. Cue a girl from our time accidentally waking up and being thrown into an environment that is vastly different than what she is used to.

And despite so many young adult novels at the moment the main focus isn't a Mary Sue main character chasing a perfect boy, instead it's on the differences between the girl Amy, from our time, and the people living on the ship that do not know what Earth really was like. For instance, they have never heard the sound of the ocean and are unfamiliar to diversity of races.

The only reason I did not give Across the Universe a 10 out of 10 is because it gets very predictable, very fast. Most revelations I saw coming a few chapters ahead and the biggest one of them all I figured out straight away. Nonetheless the future it's set in and the political games played are mighty fascinating, making this book definitely worth a read.

8/10