Review: The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan

Synopsis: From Amazon
Mae Crawford always thought she was in control. Now she's learned that her little brother Jamie is a magician and Nick, the boy she'd set her heart on, has an even darker secret. Mae's whole world has spun out of control, and it's only going to get worse. When she realises that Jamie has been meeting secretly with the new leader of the Obsidian Circle and that Gerald wants him to join the magicians, she's not sure how to stop Jamie doing just that. Calling in Nick and Alan as reinforcements only leads to a more desperate conflict because Gerald has a plan to bring Nick down - by using Alan to spring a deadly trap. With those around her torn between divided loyalties and Mae herself torn between her feelings for two very different boys, she sees a chance to save them all - but it means approaching the mysterious and dangerous Goblin Market alone...

Review:
Wow, I have to say although I enjoyed The Demons Lexicon (click link for review) the sequel takes it one step further and really, really ups the game.

Whereas The Demons Lexicon developed the action, set the stage for the plot with some terrific twist and turns. The Demons Covenant concentrates on developing the characters while continuing the action. Focalised this time from Mae's point of view we pick up the story a few weeks after the surprise ending of The Demons Lexicon.

Mae tries to resume a 'normal' life after witnessing the existence of magic, demons and a whole other subculture existing at the fringes of everyday life. Mae soon realises that she cannot forget what she has learned of the magical world, nor does she want to. Irresistibly draw to the Goblin Market and the life of a dancer. That I feel is her magic, the way in which she dances. Following the pursuit of her brother, Jamie, by the Obsidian Circle, Nick and Alan are reintroduced to the story. However, things are not as we left them between the brothers.

The introduction of Daniel Ryves diary with its first person narrative added depth and substance to the back story along with the insight into the bond shared by Alan and Nick. Allowing a deeper understanding of both their characters and interactions. As with The Demons Lexicon appearances can be deceptive, who is the real monster someone who intentionally deceives people or someone who is true to his friends and never lies. I have to say I like literary bad boys, Nick's demonic charm has won me over.

I adored how both Mae and Jamie seemed to gain a inner strength from their trials and tribulations. A personal epiphany of sorts. I had never really considered Jamie's sexuality previously it was just a part of his personality. His campness is a shield he uses to protect himself from attack for his homosexuality, yet he is completely comfortable with who he is, good to the core you could say and this endears people to him. His polar opposite, Seb, denies who he is, bullying Jamie as a release for his own frustration as he battles with his own sexuality. The use of relationships and how they can be manipulated gave a greater perception into the interactions of all the characters, giving the plot multi-layers. 

There were some really surprising twists and turns within the plot that had me whisking through the pages on a quest for fulfillment. I was not disappointed.

In conclusion, this sequel is AWESOME, taking the story to another level. Adding to it, making better, the characters more rounded and easy to relate to; a realistic and an action packed paging turning plot. In other words Sarah Rees Brennan you have gained another fangirl : D

Review: An Abundance of Katherine's by John Green

Synopsis: From Goodreads
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.
On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherine's. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.
Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself by Printz medalist John Green, acclaimed author of Looking for Alaska.

Review:
I was absolutely baffled as to why I did not enjoy this book as much as Paper Towns and have been struggling with this review for a while now. I have even been dreaming about it, so yes you can expect the story to be a good one. John Green's writing style is pure genius it draws you in, makes you immerse yourself into the lives of the characters, giving you the complete package. So why did I not enjoy it as much as Paper Towns you ask yourself, after experiencing a bit of an epiphany I realised that it was due to the fact that I found Colin, the male protagonist, extremely irritating. So much so that if I could I would have physically shaken him. Powerful writing indeed. Plus the irony of Colin's surname makes me giggle.

The story centres around Colin's obsessive compulsion to date girls by the name of Katherine (which must be spelt with a K). It is almost as if he has blinkers on to the rest of the female population, making this point one of my irritation with Colin. A child prodigy he feels like he is not living up to his early academic promise and pushes himself extremely hard with all types of academic goals. He has a schedule he likes to keep, is very goal orientated probably as a result of his parents constantly driving him from a young age. Yet I did not really get the feeling of Colin being naturally gifted, it felt as if he was just a product of his hard work, the second point of irritation. Colin feels insecure about almost everything in his life, he is exceptionally needy, constantly looking for reassurances from other people (from this point I am sure you can see why he has been dumped 19 times). Yet he does not relate to people well, he doesn't seem to consider other people's feelings only his own.

His best friend, Hassan, is Colin's polar opposite. Chubby, a slacker with a penchant for junk food and a sarcastic wit. I can see how they became friends due to both being outsiders and how they probably compliment each other. Hassan helps Colin relate to people and appreciate humour.  However, I did find his reverse racism rather uncomfortable, with the amount of political correctness that is in today's society it is unacceptable to make any form of racist comment even as a joke, yet reverse racism is seen as acceptable. This bothers me on a multitude of levels, which I will not bore you with at this point, lets just say that I believe all people are equal so should be treated the same.

Following Colin's latest break up, Hassan convinces him to go on a road-trip. although the road-trip doesn't take them that far in miles but their inner journey gives their lives a whole new meaning.

I adored the whole Gutshot scenario, the people were so down-to-earth, approachable and easy to relate to. The whole ideal of caring for others in your community was at the forefront, a lovely ideal of a by gone era in most places.

The relationships and interactions of all the characters was so well developed the movie in my imagination was three dimensional. Via these interactions Colin achieves his own epiphany and tries to capture the nature of his break-ups in a mathematical formula, which would predict when and how a couple would break-up. The maths aspect within the story was phenomenal, even J was impressed  (he is the resident math geek) and you can certainly see how math can be developed to workout almost any situation, This did remind me of the program Numbers where a math genius works with the FBI and writes a book on how to use math to predict relationships.

Although the book is written in 3rd person narrative it is mainly focalised from Colin's point of view. The narrator is a background speaker that really comes to witty life with the footnotes. I actually imaged John Green's voice reading them to me.

I absolutely loved the moral given at the ending of this story, I am not going to tell you what it is but it was very poignant.

So overall I really enjoyed the story, loved the writing style but found Colin supremely irritating. Yeah, I know its just me : D

Trailer Tuesday: An Abundance of Katherine's

I have to keep abreast of current pop culture and YA movie/television news and basically any other media that relates to books to enable me to be a 'cool' librarian in September : D I have already approached the local cinema for posters and possibly movie tickets for competitions in the library so fingers crossed for that. I thought I would pick trailers every Tuesday to go along with current books I am reading or YA movies that are due for release.

I read An Abundance of Katherine's by John Green a while ago and have been struggling to get the review done. Hopefully this will inspire me to finish it : D

I couldn't find an official trailer but this one is really good and inspiring : D I have also included a trailer of the man himself, John Green, making a rather big announcement ;)

In My Mailbox #12

Hosted by the amazing Story Siren : D

What I thought was going to be a very quiet book week turned out rather differently *happy dances*

Won from the wonderful Jenny at Wondrous Reads

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Sending it off on the UK Book Tours so I can keep it when it returns to me (sharing the book love)

I had to show you this amazing gift from Mundie Moms for 'my' library

Signed poster of The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Putting this one in a clip frame so it doesn't get damaged in the library *so excited*

Received for review from @Waterstones - thank you guys : D

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Another that I am sending 1st to my book buddy Clover and then onto UK Book Tours so that when it returns I can share the awesomeness in 'my' library : D

A huge thank you to Keris Stainton for sending this copy for 'my' library

Della Says OMG! by Keris Stainton Review here : D

From the very awesome people at Random House Children's Books. Along with a huge pile of bookmarks & posters for the library : D Now I have tools in which to bribe the library users : D

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne

Trash by Andy Mulligan

Fallen by Lauren Kate - Review here : D I am on pins for Torment!!!!

Lastly swaps & bought : D

She's so Money by Cherry Cheva

Loose Girl by Kerry Cohen

I am so excited to be starting work in September, it makes me want to snigger every time I say my library.

Thank you all for your generosity : D

Saturday Spotlight: Homosexuality in YA Literature

When I start work in September I have been informed that the PSE topic for the Autumn/Winter term is Homophobia. My homework for the Summer holidays is to create a list of YA books that deal with the issue of homosexuality.

I know of a few:

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

Sugar Rush by Julie Burchill

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Plus Wikipedia have a huge list of both male and female gay-themed books. (Anyone else dislike the use of the word gay but for want of a better one it will have to suffice).

Instead of listing them all I will just put the link to the Wikipedia page.

List of gay male teen novels

List of gay female teen novels

I would be extremely grateful if any of you have read and reviewed any of these books, or know of any more, would you please leave a link in the comments for me to look at the reviews. Also your thoughts on how homosexuality is approached within teen literature would be invaluable : D

Thank you for all your help it is much appreciated : D

Review: My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Synopsis: From Amazon
Daniel tells me that he’s always loved me. That I feel the same. That I always have.
Not just in this life, but in my last life, and all my lives before.
But I don’t remember him.
He says he is always searching for me. Always hoping that one day I will remember. But it is only he that carries the memory of our love.
I know that finding true love is never easy. Perhaps you have fought for it. Perhaps, like Daniel, you have endured the pain of it being unrequited.
But I hope your quest ends happily.

I hope you never have to face the heartbreak that inevitably awaits us.

This is our extraordinary, unforgettable story.

Review:
As well as having a gorgeous cover I was captivated by the synopsis. The whole idea of reincarnation and soul-mates really appeals to me. I knew I had to read this one and thanks to the awesome Keris Stainton for sending me a copy, my wish was granted.

Unbelievably complex writing technique brings 1st and 3rd person narration with interweaving chapters of the past and present settings give a incredibly detailed insight into the characters/interactions within the book.

Daniel is such a wonderful character to create in your imagination. The whole past lives aspect is fully developed with detailed chapters written in first person narrative, starting at his earliest memories of life up until he present day. You can fully understand is complexity, his reluctance to get close to people and his inability to interact on personal level. Yet, he never fails to search for his soul mate, tortured by the memories of his past life with her many incarnations. Daniels happiness is directly linked to his ability to find this missing piece of himself in every life.

I have heard the saying 'this one is an old soul' a lot especially after having my children. The term takes on a more significant meaning after reading this book.

Hypnosis and Regression therapy are touched upon within the plot. It made me wonder what it would be like to access memories from a previous life. Would I be left wishing to be back in that time if it was better than the life I had now or would I be weighed down with guilt for some past wrongdoing.  Looking at the plot from this angle helps build empathy for Daniel and even Lucy. Has anyone else said to themselves when things go wrong in their lives; "I must have done something really wrong in a previous life to have to pay for it now". The whole ideal of karma and reincarnation blending together so you have to atone for mistakes made in a previous lifetime is flawlessly incorporated into the narrative.

The 3rd person narration for the rest of the book is very subtle, the narrator does not have a strong individual voice, instead the narrative is focalised  from either Daniel or Lucy's perspective giving it the feel first person narration.

Lucy is the current incarnation of Daniel's soul-mate. He is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. He is not subtle about the information he reveals to her. Completely shocking and bewildering her, at first she is incredulous. Yet, as we get to know Lucy we see her strength of spirit and her capacity to see below the surface of people (for want of a better explanation I hope it makes sense). Circumstances lead her to believe not only Daniels past lives but also her own.

Elements of the supernatural are incorporated into the storyline adding an extra dimension to the plot.

I adored this book - right up until the ending - when I could have quite cheerfully pitched the book across the room. I am hoping, praying and may even resort to begging for a sequel. I have too many unresolved issues outstanding with this one to leave it like that. Please someone tell me there is a sequel. Then if you know someone that can send it to me immediately.

I adored the characters and the theme, just about everything so *yes I will beg* please don't leave me hanging like this.

Monster Monday: In My Monsters Mailbox #2

The girls have gone book bananas the past few weeks with The Summer Reading Challenge and just their own book love *I wonder who they follow* : D

asastars pile of The Magic Ballerina by Darcey Bussell from the library

asacheekymonkey's pile of Astrosaurs by Steve Cole from the library

asacuties pile of first reads from the library

a few other random books that the girlies picked up at the library

Puddle The Naughtiest Puppy - Ballet Show Mischief by Hayley Daze

The Mum Detective by Gwyneth Rees

The Cupid Company - Heart to Heart by Amber Aitken

The Return of The Killer Cat by Anne Fine

The Killer Cat Strikes Back by Anne Fine

A huge thank you to Jenny from the awesome Wondrous Reads for sending the big girl these. She is really rocking the graphic novels - tying her down to do the reviews is another matter :( She opens the envelope lets the books go for 5 seconds for me to take the photo and then scoots off to her room to read/hide them. I think she has already read 2 of them, lol.

The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow

The Dork Diaries: Party Time by Rachel Renee Russell

New Brighton Archaeological - The Castle of Galomar by Mark Andrew Smith/Matthew Weldon 

So they have had rather a major book haul : D