Book Review: Haunt Me by Liz Kessler

Reading books because they remind me of trashy "reality" tv shows.

Erin wants to face the future. 
Joe is desperate to remember his past.
Olly only ever lives for today.

When love weaves its dangerous magic around their lives, each of them face their own demons.

And as the past catches up with them, it comes down to the ultimate question...

Would you swap Love for Life itself?

I presumed this book was about ghosts, and luckily it was actual ghosts, not the mental ghosts of your past. Well, all the characters are meant to have those as well. This tries to deal with a lot of things including suicide, mental illness and drug abuse, none really that successful. This book feels very old school YA, mostly in the negative ways. It's okay, there was a point that annoyed me enough that I almost quit the book (chapter 10, anyone?) and then I remember that I choose to watch 'A Haunting'

So I should probably just let this stupidity go and I was only reading to fulfil my trashy need for terrible ghost stories, whether people claim they're real or not. My main problem, was that it very passive of the main character and was done to quickly move on the plot without thinking about the meaning or the why. I mean if this had been A Haunting episode then a demon would have suddenly appeared and that would be more entertaining. Do you know how hard it is to find someone to bless your house? Yeah, neither do I, but a day is just so quick.

Erin and Joe are soulmates because they write and have/had no friends. Their poetry is littered through the book, I'm not really a poetry person anymore but I definitely believe that the poems were written by two sixteen-year-olds, and maybe if I was sixteen too I would think they were great.

Erin is "not like other girls" so that's great. In her deference, she does not describe herself as that, but it's still a line in the book. It could be read that the other love interest Olly is just a dimwit who never dated anyone for their personality before. The book is told from the POV of the different angles of the love triangle: Erin the Sad Girl, Joe the Ghost and Olly the Alive Brother. I never felt deeply for anyone or anything, obviously only one of the romances is healthfully viable and even then I felt like it should have been a case where everyone moves on.

Erin had been in car accident in the past that took months of recovery but has no side effects of this and her injuries are never explained other than she had access to painkillers at one time. This would have happened four years ago during the main events of the novel, it's possible that she surfers no long term injuries or they won't effect till she is older but it would have been nice to see physical issues since so few books have physically disabled characters. It's nice that the psychological issues are acknowledged from suffering a traumatic incident like this, except it's very much for plot.

We have Mean Girl Zoe, Zoe that no one likes but is somehow popular. At least Zoe isn't just some flat sociopathic sadist stereotype that targets the main character for no reason and actually has some motivation for what she doing. She also described as being vain, obsessed with social media and image. So she is better than most stereotypical mean girls but she is still flat, plot driven character and still in lines with being a stereotype, just better than the other ones you can find.
Her actions at the end don't really make sense, unless she lied, but why would you want a rumour like that getting out about you.

Bullying and suicide are big theme in this book. I don't think they dealt with well, or terribly. They are used as plot. Erin is introduced immediately as having had a bad time which caused her family to move. Joe is this young guy who didn't seem to have any friends and wrote poems, so suicide did immediately spring to mind. I can't really comment on the impact of bully because I'm always like why do you care what dimwits think about you? I had people call me stupid names but it was very whatever, my nature means that unless it get physical or they get you into trouble it's hard for me to relate to characters that get so obsessed with it. The bit where its used for straight up plot I do take issue with. It's very sudden and lazy.

There is 26 chapters in this book. The POV changes within the chapters and the chapters just seem to end really randomly. Like the chapter will end but we're in the same scene and nothing dramatic will have happen to justify the chapter end. I'm not sure what the logic was behind this choice.

This is almost 400 pages and the plot is slow and steady and then at hyper-spreed twice in the book.
The ending was bit rushed, I feel like Erin would have had more defences up realistically meaning that ending didn't feel earned for me, even with it being established that she had past of doing what she did.

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars for wallpaper. This is a books with tons of popular 00s tropes released in 2016. I wouldn't say it's harmful, but it's not a powerfully story and I doubt it will stay with me for long.

Book Review: Eden Summer by Liz Flanagan

Eden is not a Paradise to spend time with.

IT STARTS like any other day for Jess – get up, draw on eyeliner, cover up tattoos and head to school. But soon it’s clear this is no ordinary day, because Jess’s best friend, Eden, isn’t at school . . . she’s gone missing.

Jess knows she must do everything in her power to find Eden before the unthinkable happens.

So Jess decides to retrace the summer she and Eden have just spent together. But looking back means digging up all their buried secrets, and she starts to question everything she thought Eden’s summer had been about ...

This book takes places over a day, with flash backs to the events leading to Eden's disappearance, in first person, with a flash forward about as well.

 Even with everything Eden is dealing with she still comes across as unlikable, especially with the flash back before the event. She has this perfect life, till the terrible thing happens and just come across as spoiled. I only cared about her being missing because the effect it was having on Jess and other characters. Jess is likable protagonist and I felt for the other characters.

This book deals with a lot of complex things including Hate crimes on sub-cultures and grief. It does a decent job of dealing with the topics.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for Graveyard Snow. It was a quick read with some punch. I would recommend it for a readathon.

Book Review: A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom

Brown Hair, Blue eyes and freckles doesn't make you a mutt. It makes you Scottish...looking.

How can you have a future if you can’t accept your past?
Mel Hannigan doesn’t have it easy. Mourning the death of her firework of a brother, trying to fit back into a school she’s been conspicuously absent from and struggling to deal with the loss of three friendships that used to mean everything. Struggling to deal with a condition that not even her closest friends know about.

So Mel tries to lock away her heart, to numb the highs and lows, to live quietly without hope – but also without pain. Until someone new shows her that it can be worth taking a risk, that opening up to life is what can make it glorious…

And that maybe, Mel can discover a tragic kind of wonderful of her very own.

The main character Mel has Bipolar Disorder and is in her second year of knowing she has it. This book does spend a lot of time going over what Bipolar disorder is and shows several characters with it that vary from Mel. I think a decent effect was made with this.

They were breaks from realities such as Mel going about being a freak for having very normal look aspects. Honestly, it was weird that she thought it was odd to have Blue eyes and pale skin, therefore freckles. Like who told her green eyes had anything to freckles (If reading this, Eric Lindstrom where did you get this)? Then someone else then mentions her appearance in this same detail. I think writers do fall in this trap sometimes.

So this is technically a romance book, but that's not really what I would sell it as and for me that's a good thing. I feel like it there because it has to be (old people set them up) and could have just been friends(I like friends). It fine though and definitely doesn't fall into the trap that 'love' cures all. There's a lot of friendships, there's a sprinkle of nice relationships throughout of the book, but I don't feel like the relationships were as developed as much as they should have been. Many they were too many things going on for the length of this book. There were lot of interesting dynamics, I think they could be in the one book and work, there's just wasn't enough dedication to them. I get why we did have so many characters with strong connections to Mel, I would have just liked more.

The novel is in the point of view of Mel, but I felt distanced to her and the other characters. They wrote well enough. I don't know if that due to the wall Mel has build surround her and the events we flashing back to a lot to, Or it could be I read it in one day because the world was on the bad side.

The title of this book is eye catching but it a bit generic and I don't think it suits the book that well. I have no alternative title suggestions so I'm the worst type of criticism bringer: says something is wrong and then runs away. 

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for beach beer.This book deals with mental illness well and has okay Bi, LBGT stuff floating about. This is a quick book to read, so I would recommend it if you like your light reads to have complex stuff going on. 

I got this book for review off NetGalley and was published by HarperCollins Children’s Books on 1st January 2017.

Short Story: The Short Cut

I witness someone adding salt to salad and it was most the horrifying thing I have ever seen. I hate salt and even with the the knowledge that is a thing, it is terrible. Salt is disgusting.  This story was totally based on this.

The Short Cut

We were twenty minutes into the walk when I realise we couldn't have possible gone the right way. I didn't know how to get where we going, but we had just walked pasted something that only took five minutes to walk to. Yet I didn't say anything, I wasn't that enthusiastic about where we were going so getting hopelessly lost sounded more fun. I finally said something due to Bert wanting to go through a graveyard and it was now dark.

"It's too late now," I protest, as he jumps the wall instead of using the gate. I followed him glumly through the gate. "It was meant to start at five."

"We still have ten minutes," he says rushing forward. I half run to keep up with him. The graveyard is unkempt and full of leaves from the trees that frame it so I'm having to watch where I'm walking.

"Bert, lets just go home."

"That is where we going," he shouts stopping. I stood shocked, trying to grasping  what he was saying.

"They left us," I said finally. He turns around ignoring me.

"We can still make it," he says and starts running through graves.

I run after him, but lose sight of him quickly. Damn his long legs.  I stop and decide to go home. He can go where he ever damn wants.

Home. I can't believe he thinks of them as anything like a home.

I scan around the graveyard, trying to find my way out of there, realising I'm not sure which way we came. Damn Bert, who runs into a graveyard at night? Why the fuck did I follow him?

Family. I had enough of family. I pull my phone, hoping it magically has a signal. Nope. The GPS is too crappy to tell me where I am on a good day. I start walking, we can't have got to far from where we entered.

I'm getting a new phone and a new brother tomorrow. I sigh as neither is possible. Though, I could save up for a new mobile if I really wanted. Brothers on the other hand are something you're stuck with. But I didn't need to speak to him. Nor did I have to speak tor our grandparents. They had proved that in the last twenty years.

He was younger than me. Maybe that's why he was more forgiving. Four years was long time at his age. We still had each other, we didn't need them. I stop walking and look around again. It's getting darker and I can't see the wall yet. I probably shouldn't have left a fifteen year old running into darkness.

I try to follow the disturbed leaves. It's hard to see and I'm probably going the wrong way. I struggle to hear the traffic from the road, but despite it being rush hour, all I can hear is the sounds of birds. The hoot of a owl is a distinct sound. I'm fight my urge to freak out and just to run wildly.

"VEDA!"

I jump at my name being shouted, without thinking run towards it blindly. I run straight into a gravestone flip over it on to my back. I can't breath. The stars tingling in my eyes. I breath in and out breathes gently. I roll on to my stomach and push myself up.

I look around, hoping to see Bert. It's too dark to see farer than the headstone I ran into. I rub my hip that took the blunt of the force.

"Bert," I shout as loud as I can, which is not. I dragged myself in the direction of where I think my name had.

I keep calling Bert's name as I wander through the headstones. There is no way that this is a short cut. We should have just too the damn taxi they offered to pay for. Or better yet just refuse to go.

"BERT" I shout desperately.

"Veda?" Bert says from behind me. I must have got really turned around, to see him standing there. I dragged myself towards him. "What happen?" he meets.

"I ran into a gravestone," I say, trying to down play. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he says looking around. He's lost too.

"Why did you shout my name like that then?" He looks confused.

"I never said your name till I heard you shout mine."

"Now, is not the time to be messing with me," I say angrily.

"I'm not, I thought you left." I look hard at him, he must be lying, but I can't be arsed to fight him on it.

"I was trying to. Do you know the way out of here?"  He nods at first, before shaking his head. I groaned.

"Why did you think this was short cut?"

"They said they were staying at the north-side of the graveyard." I stare at him blankly.

"There's only woods to the north of here." They either confused or messing with us. He looks awkwardly off to the centre.

"Let's just get out of here," I say no longer wanting to get out of this creepy arse place. 

"We're walk straight till we find a wall or a path," I say, feeling a lot calmer, now that I have Bert with me. We don't say anything and just listen to the sounds of the Owls hooting to each other. Bert stops suddenly. 

"What's the matter?" 

"There's a house," he says, looking to the right of us. I squirt my eyes but see nothing. 

"You're weren't meant to bring her," a male voice says from our left. I swing my head around to see, who I recognize as my uncle from old pictures. He's obviously older, but still young looking. A lot like mum before she got ill.

"You never said that," Bert says insolently
.

"You have been raised wrong, so you don't know that girls are useless..."

"Don't fill his head with that nonsense,"I interrupt. Mum had warned me about the family attitudes that one of the major reasons I didn't want to meet them as proud feminist. I grab Bert's hand.  Uncle Win smiles at us.

"You have been raised wrong too." I fill with rage. How dare he insult my dead mother, his sister like that.

"I'm certain I was raised better than you." His parents threw out a fifteen year for being pregnant. I pull Bert along, deciding that I have should have went with the parent role left with me, more than the supportive sister. 

 "He's need to be introduced to his powers," he shouted behind me. I stop and smiled. I turn around slowly and decide to break mum's rules just this one time. I push into myself, feeling my pain vanish, pull out the light I keep hidden most of the time.

"I'm working on it," I say, walking into the direction of the exit. I'm so used to life without my powers than I never even thought to use them to find my way out of here.

I'm just glad that it was just our creepy uncle waiting in the dark and maybe voice of someone too feminine to be either Bert or Uncle Vin. 

"My mother still missed you at the end," I say hoping those words stab him. None of the came with news she was dying and that should have been enough for Bert to stay away. Still, I feel slight resistant from him.

"Next time you can visit us," I say finally.

***

Yeah, that didn't go where I thought it was going. Maybe werewolves. Oh, well, I'm now off to do the writing I should be doing for class.

Book Review: One by Sarah Crossan

Wow, description that's not at all tasteless.

Grace and Tippi are twins – conjoined twins.
And their lives are about to change.
No longer able to afford homeschooling, they must venture into the world – a world of stares, sneers and cruelty. Will they find more than that at school? Can they find real friends? And what about love?

But what neither Grace or Tippi realises is that a heart-wrenching decision lies ahead. A decision that could tear them apart. One that will change their lives even more than they ever imagined…

This is hard book to review because I'm not sure what to say about it.

The book is told by one of the twins, Grace over several months. The writing has a poetic style. 

Sentences are 

separated by paragraphs

like this.

It was slightly jarring at first, I got use it and think it was good addiction to the story.

The characters are okay, but I think I found the concept more emotional than the characters. The exploration of love and different types of relationships were good but the characters feel like placements to me. Though, when reading the book they are fine

Overall, I give this book four out of five books for dragons. I really enjoyed...cried my eyes out reading this book.

I got this book for review off NetGalley and it is being published by Bloomsbury Children's on 27th August 2015.

Book Review: How to Build a Girl: A Novel by Caitlin Moran

I relate to this book on a spiritual level.


What do you do in your teenage years when you realize what your parents taught you wasn't enough? You must go out and find books and poetry and pop songs and bad heroes—and build yourself.

It's 1990. Johanna Morrigan, fourteen, has shamed herself so badly on local TV that she decides that there's no point in being Johanna anymore and reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde—fast-talking, hard-drinking gothic hero and full-time Lady Sex Adventurer. She will save her poverty-stricken Bohemian family by becoming a writer—like Jo in Little Women, or the Brontës—but without the dying-young bit.

By sixteen, she's smoking cigarettes, getting drunk, and working for a music paper. She's writing pornographic letters to rock stars, having all the kinds of sex with all the kinds of men, and eviscerating bands in reviews of 600 words or less.

But what happens when Johanna realizes she's built Dolly with a fatal flaw? Is a box full of records, a wall full of posters, and a head full of paperbacks enough to build a girl after all?

So I have taken up walking as a form of exercise. It gets boring quickly so I thought I would try audio books. It was a success, it made me walk longer but then it got dark outside and I keep listening to it so it was too success in the entertainment side. I listened to the audio book narrated by Louise Brealey, who was really good and brought the character to life.

I could really related to Johanne, I got to say it weird how in Twenty years Britain has went full circle. High Streets empty and dogs being great friends. Wait, that last thing has always been true.

I'm finding it hard to explain to this book with spoiling because I think a lot of it great parts you should come across yourself whilst reading. The relationship within the families are done well 

Overall, I gave this book 5 for 5 stars for entertaining bad decisions. This book dealt with a lot of issues really well whilst still being hilarious. I would highly recommend it to everyone.

P.S. Happy New Year.