Review: Slated by Teri Terry

In One Line:  Girl gets memory wiped in dark vision of the near future.

Genre: British-dystopian drama

The Gist:

Kyla has been slated. Her memory has been wiped, and she’s just about to meet her brand new adoptive parents for the first time. She doesn’t know much about crossing roads, or washing up, and she has no idea what her own personality is. All she really knows is that she had to have done something pretty bad in her former life to be in the position she’s in now. But as Kyla slowly adjusts to her new world she begins to figure out that her circumstances aren’t as simple as they initially seem. Things are wrong. She is wrong, and as the puzzle pieces come together, Kyla realises that her past can still catch up with her.

The Cover:

Guys, I really like it. And there aren’t many covers that I’d openly declare as liking right now. But the face is right, the styling is right, and you’re under no illusion that what you’re getting is a dystopian thriller. But the close up face also prepares you for the level of intimacy you’ll end up having with the main character. It’s like those green eyes are actually saying ‘go on, read me. You know you want too...’ Isn’t it great when a book does that? Also, bonus points for it being gender-neutral. Any book cover that doesn’t feature a distressed thin girl in a pretty dress wins with me at the moment! 

Why You’ll Love This Book

• It was real emotional intimacy. This slice of science-fiction-lite works because you really feel for the main character, you understand her, and are with her 100% of the way. Terry understands that this is not a story about a near-futuristic society, but a story about a girl. This is why it works, and this is why you are hooked from the very beginning.
• It doesn’t hit you over the head with the dystopia thing... and this is BRILLIANT. Because I hate getting bogged down in exposition. The fact that our main character has had her memory wiped means we learn about her society along with her. 
• Plausibility. This is my favourite buzz-word when it comes to speculative fiction. I have to buy that it might possibly happen in order to buy into the book. I always use Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale as an example of this - it’s definitely dystopian science fiction, but every element of that novel is drawn from stuff that is actually happening in the world today. It’s the plausibility that makes it such a thrilling read. Terry has achieved that here. This is a near-future world that could happen and has ties to current psychiatric practices, the ‘problem’ of youth culture, and the functionality of our government. 
• I kind of want to be Kyla. She’s different from the rest, in a way that makes her sort-of dangerous (we think). She has a super-hero quality to her, even though she doesn’t actually know what makes her special, and I love that. It leaves me expecting big and exciting things from the sequels - no pressure Teri! 
• I love that good vs evil isn’t a black and white thing here. The fact that you have no idea who to trust, no idea if our heroine is actually a goodie or a baddie, makes this book all the more exciting. Just who is Kyla? Is she a terrorist? Is she just a girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Are her doctors the bad guys? The Lorders? Well, no spoilers or anything, but don’t expect to get any answers any time soon. There is great subtlety in the writing, and I love that I have to constantly ask questions not only of the book, but of myself. 
• Levos. The thing on your wrist that moniters your happy levels - what a brilliant, BRILLIANT idea. It made me shudder with ickiness at some points, but I really like it when that happens, as it means the writing is getting under my skin!
• IT’S BRITISH. Mega fist-pump of joy for a book that represents! And it doesn’t try to be American or anything. It’s set in a UK we can all recognise and appreciate, although it’s pretty frustrating to know that the motorway traffic doesn’t get any better in the future. Sucks. 

Why You May Not Love This Book:

• CLIFFHANGER WARNING - ok, so it’s not a Patrick Ness or Lauren Oliver style cliffhanger, which leaves you screaming at the book for ending where it does, but I do feel that it’s fair to let you know that this is the first part of a trilogy, and leaves you wanting more. But apparently it’s impossible in this day and age for a great story to be told in one book. I get a little bit angry about this, but am not going to rant about it here. I just want you to be aware. In case you are angry about this trend in YA publishing too.
• Ben. Oh, Ben. I want to love you. I feel like I probably should love you, but I don’t. Now, admittedly I understand that as a recently Slated lad, Ben’s instincts and urges are going to be a little different from the average teenage boy’s, but still, apparently his idea of a good time is having you sit on his knee for a cuddle. I just didn’t fancy him. Am hoping that the future novels will have a love interest with a bit more of a swoon factor. 
• Running. This is a bit of a personal bad point. Basically I’ve started jogging, and I really enjoy it, but I don’t want to go out when it’s raining. And it’s been rainning a lot lately. So Kyla does an awful lot of running in the book, and she just made me feel really guilty about not going out as often as I should. Also I’m not sure that enough showering happens. 

The Hypersomnia Test:

Passed. Passed Passed. Short chapters keeps the storytelling paced well, and things move along quickly enough to keep me hooked. I wasn’t quite so sure about the last third of the book - this is where the ‘thriller’ element of the story really comes into it’s own. I found myself missing the more imtimate, emotional storytelling of the first parts. 

Final Verdict:

I’m going to get personal here folks. I suffer from depression and have seen psychiatrists for much of my life, and there were moments of this book that I really connected with from my own experience. So much so that I got a chilling curdle in my stomach at some points. Now of course I haven’t been slated, but Kyla’s experience of adjusting to an unsure world, whilst being unsure of yourself, is something I could identify with to a frankly scary degree. Her experience of group therapy and her meetings with Dr Lysander will resonate with anyone who has ever been on the therapist’s couch. But this is why the book works so well. The things Kyla feels and thinks about are spot on, and even though I couldn’t possibly fully comprehend what it’s like to be slated, I do feel that through the storytelling, I can understand it to a pretty thorough degree. That’s what good writing does folks. 

Further Reading:

Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne (read my review HERE!)

Fracture by Megan Miranda

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

To buy Slated please click HERE!!!

Letterbox Love no.3 - 3rd June 2012

So it's been a couple of weeks since I did a Letterbox Love, and that's mostly because the week before last I received one book, so I didn't think it was worth it, but this week I've received LOADS!!! Here's a glance at what I've got to show you...

And now for a bit more info... (basically I just copy out the blurb on the back and tell you when you can buy it!)

Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reid

Hephzi and Rebecca are sixteen-year-old twins. One beautiful. One disfigured.

Their father is terrifying and violent. Their mother is meek, submissive and cold.

The twins dream of a normal life filled with laughter and love. They both just want to be accepted.

But when one pays the ultimate price for breaking the rules,the other is alone for the first time in her life.

Can she escape? And will she ever reveal how her sister really died?

Publishes: OUT NOW from Penguin Razorbill

The Vampire of Highgate by Asa Bailey

Kathy is an innocent - an outsider - who longs to belong somewhere. Anywhere.

When Kathy starts having vivid dreams of her lost sister, Amber, she finds herself called from her New York home to London - Amber's last known whereabouts. Convinced that Amber's disappearance is entwined with the legend of the Highgate Vampire, Kathy begins a deadly search to uncover the truth about her family's past, little realising that she is being drawn in to the final resting place of London's most ancient and powerful vampire...

Publishes: OUT NOW from Hodder Children's Books

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Cas Lowood is no ordinary guy - he hunts dead people.

Dead people like Anna Dressed in Blood, a beautiful, murderous ghost entangled in curses and rage. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Cas knows he must destroy her, but as her tragic past is revealed, he starts to understand why Anna has killed everyone she's ever met. 

Everyone, that is, except Cas...

Publishes: July 2012 from Orchard Books

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to another pirate clan. But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. When Ananna faces him down one night, armed with magic she doesn't really know how to use, she accidentally activates a curse binding them together.

To break the curse, Ananna and the assassin must complete three impossible tasks - all while grappling with evil wizards, floating islands, haughty manticores, runaway nobility, strange magic... and the growing romantic tension between them.

Publishes: October 2012 from Strange Chemistry

Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

Being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be.

When 15 year old Julie Richardson and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection.

After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to an arcane spell. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible - or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.

Publishes: October 2012 from Strange Chemistry

Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just a story for tourists. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people right now, an unlikely pair of 17 year olds may be the only hope of bringing them back. 

Miranda, a misfit girl from the island's most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can't dodge is each other.

Publishes: September 2012 from Strange Chemistry

Shift by Kim Curran

When your average loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he's not so average after all. He's a 'shifter' - he has the power to undo any decision he's ever made.

At first, he thinks the power to Shift is pretty cool. But as his world quickly begins to unravel around him, he realises that each time he uses his power, it results in terrible, unforeseen consequences. In a world where anything can change with a single thought, Scott has to decide exactly where he stands. 

Publishes: September 2012 from Strange Chemistry

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, a seventeen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the Prince in a to-the-death tournament - fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she's about to discover her true destiny. 

But will her assassin's heart be melted?

Publishes: August 2012 from Bloomsbury

So what you you guys think?

Hugs and high fives,

Nicole

x

June Hot List

The Books I'm Most Excited About Reading This Month...

Slated by Teri Terry

Changeling by Philippa Gregory

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Burn Mark by Laura Powell

Fated by Alyson Noel

Dads, Geeks and Blue Haired Freaks by Ellie Phillips

Contempo-May Reading List: Adult Young Adult Reads

These are the most outstanding books about teenagers that you won’t find in the teen section of your local bookstore. Books that writers and publishers don’t want to admit to being YA, or have classed as ‘adult’ in order to get the biggest readership. Some of the greatest writers of our time have written about that most awesome eras of existence, the teenage years, and here are the best. Perfect for YA readers that yearn for MORE or those looking for the Next Step in their reading. 

1. The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis

I remember reading this when I was probably a bit too young to read this. It features an awful lot of sexytimes that I remember being a more gross than titillating. And also thinking that boys were weird. There wasn't enough actual romance to get me hooked when I was a young teen, but looking back now it probably expresses quite deftly the thoughts that teenage boys have. Tell me now if I'm wrong!

2. Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood

This book haunted me a little when I was younger, and I ended up reading anything and everything by Margaret Atwood. I still hold her up as being one of my favourite writers of all time. This was because this book captured perfectly what I was going through in secondary school at the time, being bullied by my best friend. As paradoxical as that sounds, this book got it. And I truly felt that Atwood got me. 

3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

One I'm going to admit I haven't read yet (SHOCK! HORROR!) but it's been on my shelves for ages and ages. And from what I've heard from other people who've actually read it, I have absolutely no idea why it's not a straight-up YA book. Go into a bookshop and you'll find it in the adult section. Mystery. The only reason I can think of is that the publishers got scared that younger people wouldn't be able to pronounce his name. Which is stupid, because I'm in my twenties and I still can't pronounce his name. 

4. The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan

This is one that I'm a bit too scared to read. One, because it's mean to be really sick and twisted, and two, because I think I'll enjoy it. From what I gather, there's a bit of murder, and a bit of incest. But it's still still about teens, the teenage experience and the workings of the teenage mind. So for me that qualifies it as adult YA. 

5. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

We all know that growing up sucks, but it especially sucks if you've been adopted by a crazy religious lady and you think you might be gay. Based on her actual life, this is Jeanette expressing her own personal, teenage experience. 

6. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Ooooh this book gave me chills when I first read it! But it was the point of view that really interested me: first person plural - I remember being, like, woh. A group of boys look back on their teenage years and their obsession with the sisters that lived down the road. Creepy and wonderful. 

7. Submarine by Joe Dunthorne

Another one I haven't read yet, and only became aware of because a film was made recently. But like Perks, I have no idea why this isn't something that belongs in the YA section in shops. If anyone can enlighten me, then please do! Otherwise, it's one that's been on my 'to read' list for ages and ages. Along with a million other titles!

8. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparkes

So I've given you a load of literary gems so far, but we all know what I'm like, and I do like the odd guilty pleasure swoon every now and again. Admittedly, I've seen the film and not read the book, but essentially if it's by Mr Sparkes, it's blatantly going to be a teary romance. This one has a dying girl and a bad boy who sees the light. Can't go wrong really!

9. White Teeth by Zadie Smith

I read this one when I was seventeen and visiting Durham university, where I was eventually going to study. And I know it's had a bit of a bad rap since it exploded on to the scene with ridiculous accolades, but I loved it. I thought it was great. And I thought that here is a writer that understands what it's like to be a young person in a world I knew really well: North West London.

10. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Pretty much essential reading for any young person, although I think I was a bit too old when I read it in the sixth form. I was always a goody-two-shoes (prefect, Head Girl etc) so I never really 'got' Holden Caulfield. But I am pretty much convinced that if this book were published today it would be classed YA in the bookshops. In fact, why the hell has Penguin/Puffin not done a YA edition of this yet? Blatantly missing a trick.

Other Notable Titles

Whilst thinking long and hard about this list, I came across titles that I technically couldn't include because of the rules of 'Contempo-May' (no supernatural, historical or sci-fi elements). But there are some books that I just HAVE to give a mention to, because they are awesome and deserve it. So there. 

• Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
• Carrie by Stephen King
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker

As always, I want your comments and suggestions, so please leave them in the doobree below. Have I missed anything out? 

Hugs and high fives,

Nicole

x

Contempo-May Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

In One Line: Girl loves Banksy, Banksy loves girl, but will he reveal his secret identity?

Genre: Intelligent urban swoon

The Gist:

Lucy is obsessed with a graffiti artist called Shadow whose work she follows around town, and is convinced that he is the one for her. As in THE ONE. She knows this because when she sees his art, she feels like she is seeing into Shadow’s soul. Told in split gender narrative chapter alterations (shall I trademark that term? I feel like I oughta trademark that term.) we also get to see the world through Shadow’s eyes, who is, like, TOTALLY the guy whose nose Lucy broke when they actually dated a while back. But does he really want to reveal his true self to a girl like her? And when she discovers more of Shadow’s murky background, will Lucy still like what she finds?

The Cover:

No. Doesn’t do the book justice. Plain and simple. Plus this is one of those rare books with cross gender appeal, and putting a girl (who isn’t Lucy because I’m sure Lucy is blonde!) on the cover pretty much obliterates a younger male readership. Also, for a book about art, there’s really very little art actually going on here. Where’s the power and the passion? I think I feel so strongly about this cover because of the intensity with which I enjoyed this book. It deserves nothing less than iconic. 

Why You’ll Love This Book

• It’s stunning and swoony and NOT in a guilty pleasure way. This is a book that knows its mind and isn’t afraid to be clever. In fact, at some points the subtle intelligence with which is is written really astounded me. 
• Lucy. I love Lucy. I could be Lucy - if only my hair would stay up if I stuck a couple of paint brushes into it. What I love about her most? The fact that she has turned this messed up artist guy into a superhero, and isn’t ashamed to roll with it. 
• Shadow. He totally IS a superhero. He may not believe it, you may not believe it at first, but give a guy the power of spray-cans and a secret identity and there you have it, an urban superhero. And like every fantastic superhero, take away the shiny facade and you have someone endearingly messed up and much more wonderful. 
• Australia by night. This is a book about living in a city. A city with a lot of crazy people in it doing lots of crazy things, but somehow beautiful under the streetlights. The suburban Australian sprawl could be Edgware in places. It could be New York. It could be anywhere where too many lost souls have been crammed into one place. And yet instead of making it dreary and depressing, like Shadow Cath Crowley has injected art and passion into every abandoned train yard, every litter bin and every streetlight. 
• Art. Yeah this book has some serious art going on. You’ll want to read it with Google images close to hand. And that is SO COOL. Particular shout out of awesome goes to mentions of Dale Chihuly whose centrepiece at the Victoria and Albert Museum I have spent many an hour just gazing at. 

Why You May Not Love This Book:

• There is something about the cadence of the text that makes it hard to get into at first. I had to reread a few of the early pages, just to make sure that I was absorbing the information right. I was seriously confused as to why this was happening, but I think I’ve figured it out: this is an Australian book. I don’t mean that in any derogatory way whatsoever (!!!) but the fact that this book is written in another form of English does make a difference. The speech patterns are different, the syntax is different, and coupled with the fact that Cath Crowley is a very intelligent writer, you just have to give this book a few pages to get used to the fact that you’re reading a very different voice. Think about it in terms of this: how many times have you read a UK book and thought that the style was ‘American’, or just read an American book and ‘just knew’ it was set in America because of the writing style? The same goes for this book. It’s Australian, and I haven’t read many Australian writers before, so you do have to do a sneaky little bit of mental adjusting in order to really get what’s going on. 
• The plot is just a tiny bit improbable - I did at one point go ‘blimey! what are the chances?!’ but it’s not a big deal, because it’s a darned good story. 
• I wanted more poetry from Poet. He gets a bit lost within the book and when we do find snippets of his words, they aren’t enough. 
• Daisy and Dylan. Two minor characters that I just got a bit lost with. Who are they again? Why are they here? What are they doing? Do I care?

The Hypersomnia Test:

The first few chapters didn’t pass. This was because I was confused. I had heard so much hype around this book, and when the language didn’t initially click with me I just ended up wondering what all the fuss was about. But then when everything fell into place, when I realised that the whole book is just one beautiful roller-coaster night, I couldn’t put it down. I even missed my stop on the tube. And I have NEVER done that before. 

Final Verdict:

Contempo-May has thrown many surprises my way so far, but this has been the best. I didn’t expect a book to be so thoroughly subtle, intelligent and beautiful all at once. Sure the plot may be a little convoluted, but that’s the great joy of writing - to be able to tell the stories that you don’t always see in real life. I really enjoyed this book. I was sad when it ended. I felt that there was room for an entire novel in every single character, and I LOVED Lucy. Some of the things she comes out with, I can resonate a lot with a girl like that. Please read this book. 

Further Reading:

You Against Me by Jenny Downham

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

When I Was Joe by Keren David

To buy Graffiti Moon click HERE!!!

Contempo-May Review: What's Up With Jody Barton by Hayley Long

In One Line:  A roller-coaster of teenage lurve in North West London

Genre: Teenage freakquake (yes that is a genre. I just said so, therefore it is true.)

The Gist:

Jody and Jolene Barton are twins, but they are nothing alike, until they both fall for the same River Phoenix look-alike boy. And there is NOTHING worse than a twinny love-triangle, especially when our narrator, Jody, has a big secret. And no, I’m not going to tell you what it is, because I don’t want to spoil it for you and I REALLY want you to read this book. 

The Cover:

It’s a bit in your face, isn’t it?! It’s not to my taste. I think if I saw it on the shelves it wouldn’t be what I’d pick up, but I love the idea that people who are Jacqueline Wilson fans looking for something slightly older will see it and probably go ‘that’s for me!’. I also really like that it matches the latest Judy Blume editions - again, I hope her regular readers find this book!  It’s PERFECT for them. There is more that I could say about this cover, but that would risk revealing the big twist, so I think I’ll just leave it there. 

Why You’ll Love This Book

• It’s set in my manor!!! I don’t quite live in Willesden Green, but I used to. So I know this place. I know the bus routes. I know the stations that the Metropolitan Line trains skip that the Jubilee line trains stop at (in order). I KNOW THE JOY AND WONDER OF BRENT CROSS SHOPPING CENTRE. Ok, so maybe this point should be under the category ‘Why I love this book’ rather than ‘Why you’ll love this book’ but I can assure you that it’s a hilarious and accurate portrayal of a particularly unique part of North West London. 
• This book has great music/film taste. References to Dolly Parton, The Doors and River Phoenix make this book kind of adorable. And also makes me want to watch Stand By Me again. Although I never understood the appeal of Johnny Cash. I always found him a bit creepy-sounding.
• Urban Street Language. In parts it all sounds a little comedy sketch show and corny, but I really really LIKE that. The book is written with so much warmth and humour that you have to absolutely forgive some of the mock-modern street talk. Unless kids today do really talk like that and I am TOTALLY out of touch. Which is a distinct possibility. 
• Our narrator. Can’t say too much about this without giving away an important spoiler, but you will absolutely fall in love with Jody Barton. Jody Barton is amazing. Jody Barton deserves to be loved by each and every one of you. 
• Illustrations! There are these amazing cartoons all the way through the book, and not only that, but the size of the text changes depending on how loud/soft the characters are talking. That’s pretty novel, and pretty cool. 

Why You May Not Love This Book:

• The first half is pretty standard stuff. I was actually getting worried about how I would write this review because I seriously thought it was very mediocre. I mean, the language is fun and it’s an enjoyable read, but it wasn’t blowing me away. Until... until the BAZINGA moment that changed my life and opinion of this book completely. So stick with it, even if you feel like it’s boring and unoriginal, because I can PROMISE you that this book gets really really awesome. 
• I liked the illustrations, but I don’t think I really needed the text-font-size changes that keep going through the book. It makes the book seem a little younger than it actually is. I mean, it’s a nice idea, and it didn’t bother me too much, but to be honest I’m having trouble coming up with negatives for this section of my review, so I thought I’d mention that sometimes the text size changes were a little unnecessary and made scanning the text a bit awkward. 
• It’s on the younger end of the teen scale. By no means a bad thing, just be aware that it reads as ‘younger’ as in 10-11+ rather than the slightly older YA that’s personally more my thing. 
• I’m an Arsenal supporter. 

The Hypersomnia Test:

Passed, but by default because I am trying new medication that is meant to help me sleep better at night, therefore meaning I don’t need to nap during the day! But I like to think that it would have passed even if I was feeling sleepy. The second half of the novel especially. The second half BLEW MY MIND. 

Final Verdict:

A book that has really taken me by surprise, and I’m pretty sure it will do the same for you too. What I particularly like is that the issues it ends up dealing with are quite rare to come across in younger teen fiction. It’s refreshing, it’s excellently handled, and it has opened up my eyes to the talent of Hayley Long! 

Further Reading:

Lottie Biggs is (Not) Mad by Hayley Long

Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Lia’s Guide to Winning the Lottery by Keren David

To Buy What’s Up With Jody Barton click HERE!!!