Review - After / Sue Lawson

Summary - CJ has been banished to the country to live with his grandparents.
His attempt to fade into the background at his new school is thwarted when Luke Bennett, a boy suffering from a brain injury, befriends him.
Here he learns that no matter how hard you try to run from the past it is always right there in front of you, waiting.

Review - After depicts an Australian country town in all their glory and idiosyncrasies. Following city boy, Callum’s introduction into the unwelcoming arms of his alien grandparents and townspeople who are generally unreceptive, Callum’s environment matches the turmoil that swirls within him. He’s a conflicted character that welcomes that rejection, feeling he deserves it. His self worth is so damaged that he even turns against those willing to befriend him. Callum’s past, largely unknown to him, slowly unravels propelling him towards the inevitable – coming to terms with who he is and what he’s done.

Callum’s hostile, wounded and undeniably fractured by events in his past. It’s with his interactions with his grandfather and the recently disabled, Luke Bennett, that his walls begin to dismantle. Luke is a particularly strong character, made so by Lawson’s sensitivity and generosity with this character that makes Callum’s evolution genuinely effective and authentic. Also interesting is the contrast between Callum and the novel’s antagonist, Jack Frewer. In Jack, Callum is presented a mirror into his previous life and the bad choices he made. Most curious is Callum’s inability to comprehend that he’s no longer that guy anymore.

After is a powerful telling of redemption under the glaring spotlight of a rural community. The characters are wonderfully familiar and yet surprising, the relationships continually evolving and the plot developments unexpected. Lawson has written a moving novel that speaks to the Australian teen experience. After draws the reader into a place of great history, tradition and familial expectation. Familiar and intriguing while running the gamut of intrigue, Lawson has created a tale that will move every reader.

Published: August 2009
Format: Paperback, 288 pages
Publisher: black dog books
Origin: Australia
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www.suelawson.com.au

Call me Judge Snark...seriously!

I have been sitting on a secret for a while now. It has nearly killed me but I have managed to keep mum.

A month from today the 2009 Inky Awards will be launched online and guess what...I will be on the judging panel!

Yay.

This is the beginning of the end people, I shall henceforth insist on being referred to as Judge Snark and will become so self-involved that Lady Gaga will have no choice but to worship me (and perhaps lend me her Kermit Coat).

So ...what are the Inkys?
"The Inkys are international awards for teenage literature, voted for online by the readers of insideadog.com.au. There are three awards: the Golden Inky for an Australian book, the Silver Inky for an international book, and the Creative Reading Prize, won by a young person for a creative response to a book they love, in any format they choose. "

Who's Involved?
Well there's moi plus the fabulously witty Australian author (and 2008 Golden Inky recipient) James Roy. You might have heard of another judge, a teen dynamo with an amazing blog - Steph Bowe from Hey, Teenager of the Year. Together (plus another three teen judges ) we will read twenty YA titles (10 Aussie, 10 International) and create a shortlist of three titles in each category to be announced later in the year.

How I am feeling?
Pretty darned awesome. It's an amazing honour to have been asked and I know that I will be reading some phenomenal YA titles.

Online launch
As reported on Read Alert - the launch will be held at 1.15pm (Australian EST) Thursday, 20 August via the online conferencing tool Elluminate. If you'd like to join us please follow this link. You will be able to hear James, Steph, Andrew (the awesome Librarian Idol and 2008 Inky Judge) and myself.

Excuse me while I jump up and down like an idiot in celebration of finally being able to spill the beans!

Waiting on Wednesday - Friday Night Lights

My favourite television show in the entire world is Friday Night Lights. It's not the standard WoW bookish fare but I am finding myself getting more and more excited for season 4 of this wonderful show...that no one watches. No one, apparently, except for a handful of awesome YA authors, Jordyn, the awesome YA British blogging girls and me.

Season 4 does not begin until early 2010 but I wanted to introduce the show for some of you who are probably unfamiliar. If you like quality (aka non-cliched) characterisation, the depiction of a real, small American town and brilliant writing - this is your show. It's like the perfect YA book that keeps going. People have been scared off as it's supposedly a football show, it has some football but it's hardly the most important element of the show. It's perfection.

If that isn't enough to convince you and neither are Meg Cabot, Sarah Dessen or Heidi Kling's endorsements (and serious Riggins love)...then try this on for size.

The Taylors - the most realistic portrayal of a married couple on TV. Tami is hot, fiery and a fierce supporter of her family and Coach, well he's cantankerous and in possession of the wildest head of hair in the US. YOU WILL LOVE THEM.
Matt Saracen...he will make your heart melt. Seriously.

Or maybe a slice of the baddest, hottest guy alive...Tim Riggins. He doesn't wash his hair, he's monosyllabic and he will love and leave you but YOU WILL LOVE HIM.
Maybe consider hurrying over the Hulu and watch a few episodes this summer!

Teaser Tuesday - Beautiful Creatures

A tasty morsel of a title soon to come.

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Authors: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little, Brown

Release Date: December 01, 2009

"Harlon James was lying on the kitchen floor, looking traumatised but nowhere close to death. His back leg was tucked up underneath him, and it dragged behind him when he tried to get up."

Proof that Southern Gothic paranormal YA fiction can have a funny bone. And no, I am not going to expand on that previous sentence, I prefer to be vague. Cue evil laugh.

Review - The Demon's Lexicon / Sarah Rees Brennan

Summary - Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.
Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is des-perate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.
Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

Review - The Demon's Lexicon has been handed a double-edged sword in the masses of YA blogger excitement that it has received. Hype can be a dangerous thing and in this case it left me feeling a little disappointed. Not because the novel was bad, on contrary is a great read but I was expecting more.

That being said, Brennan did a whole lot of things right in this debut effort. Nick is a singularly interesting character. He's prickly, selfish, judgemental and filled with a rage that won't ever been quenched. I wholeheartedly loved this character from word go. He's dark, complex and can quite capably rationalise any decision he makes with a bark that is in no way as bad as his bite. He is quite simply a deliciously intriguing, relatable and smoking hot.

My issue is largely with the other characters. I simply didn't care. Brennan did such a great job in rooting the narrative from Nick's perceptive, that I fully bought into the other's uselessness. Even Alan, undoubtedly Nick's only care in the world, left me a little ambivalent. Mae and Jamie frustrated me because they frustrated Nick. The superior crafting of Nick left the others distinctly inferior in my eyes. That being said, the humour that was infused in the randomness of their predicament is great as it the portrayal of each character's motivations. It's just that Nick is such a dominant creation that the others are mere spectres.

The novel sets a cracking pace with event after event of situations that make the brothers situation all the more dire. The reader gets caught up in the intrigue, the danger and the mysticism that dominates the story. Like many reviews have pointed out, it takes some time to get riled up but the story unleashes like no other.

The Demon's Lexicon is a novel that I enjoyed reading. Brennan's concept is great with a deep mythos attached and a meaty twist that I didn't predict. Her characterisation is great, though more use of Olivia would have been fabulous. The author's got a detailed eye that makes Nick's journey a whirlwind of awesomeness. I will be hanging out for the sequel.

Published: August 2009
Format: Paperback, 336 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
Origin: UK
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http://sarahreesbrennan.com/

In My Mailbox - 19 July

Proudly brought to you by Alea & Kristi

It seems that paranormal is the way to go this week. Everything is dark and somewhat bloodstrained. Should be some interesting reading. I am back at school tomorrow so I will be reading less and marking more (oh joy). Realy excited to introduce my student's the their text this term though.

Review Copies

The Eternal Kiss

There’s an allure to vampire tales that have seduced readers for generations. From Bram Stoker to Stephanie Meyer and beyond, vampire stories are here to stay. For those fresh-blooded fans of paranormal romance or for those whose hunt and hunger never dies, these stories have what readers want! This collection of original tales comes from some of the hottest, most popular, and best-selling YA writers, including: Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tithe) Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty) Melissa De La Cruz (Blue Blood) Cassandra Clare (City of Bones) Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires) Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie (Wicked) Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof, Queen of Cool) Kelley Armstrong (Women of Otherworld) Maria V. Snyder Sarah Rees Brennan Lili St. Crow Karen Mahoney Dina James They will make everyone a sucker for eternal kisses.

Very freaking exciting to have this as I am very much looking forward to what these lovely ladies have some up with. Short stories a-plenty with a vampire theme. What's even better? There's a great mix of estbalished and up-and-coming authors in the mix.

Big Fat Manifesto - Susan Vaught
Jamie is a senior in high school and, like so many kids in that year, doing too much—including trying to change the world—and fighting for her rights as a very fat girl. And not quietly: she's writing a column every week in the paper with her thoughts and fears and gripes. As her column raises all kinds of questions, so too, must she find her own private way in her world, with love popping up in an unexpected place, and satisfaction in her size losing ground to real frustration.

This sounds like a book that I will throw myself into. I love the title and the cover is pretty simplistic but involving.

The Parliament of Blood - Justin Richards
George Archer, Liz Oldfield and Eddie Hopkins have made a rather unfortunate discovery: vampires actually exist, and they really do feed on human blood. Using an underground labyrinth of tunnels beneath Victorian London, these sinister creatures intend on destroying the human race, and they’ll start by taking over the most powerful place in London: the House of Parliament.
Through their research on ancient mysteries and a secret London Gentlemen’s Club, George, Liz and Eddie come up with a plan to beat the vampires at their own game. And they better do it soon, before they become the vampires’ next meal . . .

Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Happy dance. Can't wait to read this but am waiting for a time where I can read it in one hit. And this baby is gigantic so it might be a few days :) Thanks to Sarah for sending me it!

Ghostgirl - Tonya Hurley
Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal.

The Demon's Lexicon - Sarah Rees Brennan
Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.
Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is des-perate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.
Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

I have read this much hyped new release and my review will be up sometime in the next 24 hours.

The Devil You Know - Leonie Norrington (Aust.)
Damien can't bear the thought of 88 coming back to live with him and Mum; memories of past violence are too strong. But there's glamour in having a father who rides a Harley Davidson and it leads Damien to run with the in-crowd at school and abandon his real friends.

I have not heard of this one beforebut it's got an interesting cover.

Vulture's Gate - Kirsty Murray (Aust.)
One girl - could she be the last girl alive? One boy, pursued by reckless men who have kidnapped him from his fathers.Bo and Callum go in search of a safe haven, a place to call home. But where can they turn and who can they trust? When every stranger is a threat, does their only hope lie in reaching Vulture's Gate?Following a journey that takes them across barren deserts and lost valleys, Bo and Callum must discover how to survive alongside runaway boys and crazed religious terrorists, in a world with an uncertain future.And what is the disturbing secret at the ruined city's core?

To find review, following link.

Happy reading folks!