After being told what to do, who to hang out with, how to act, and what to wear her entire life, Charlotte’s first real experience as a normal teenager is during her spring break trip with her three REAL best friends … not the ones her mum picked for her. Charlotte’s mother doesn’t know where she’s really at, who she’s really with, or that she’s spent every single night of the week in bed with a boy named Mason.

Charlotte and Mason know that what they have isn’t serious because Charlotte has to go back to her controlled life as the Governor’s daughter. They make the most of their last day together and finally say goodbye, knowing they will probably never see each other again.

Charlotte goes back to being told what to do and Mason continues to try and get over his ex-girlfriend of three years, who cheated on him, and to go to college.

While Charlotte is forced to go on dates with a guy named Donnie, and to parties with people who she has no interest in or anything in common with, Mason is deciding what he wants to do with his future. Making his decision, Mason starts packing up his stuff, getting ready to move across the country and attend a college that has provided a scholarship for his tuition. He’s willing to leave behind everything he has ever known in the hope of a better future and education.

Out on another forced date with Donnie, Charlotte can’t believe her eyes when she sees Mason and his brother, just yards away from her. She can’t wrap her mind around the idea that Mason is here, thousands of miles away from home. When they make eye contact, Charlotte’s heart skips a beat.

Bumping into each other a few more times, Mason is willing to take any chance to ask Charlotte out, but is continuously shut down. Despite knowing that it isn’t the right thing to do, both because of her mother and because it isn’t fair to him, Charlotte FINALLY agrees to date Mason.

Things aren’t perfect; secrets are being kept and Charlotte can’t see Mason whenever she pleases, but things quickly get worse, especially when Charlotte is caught coming home at four a.m. and pictures are leaked to the media of her and Mason together!

But Mason isn’t letting this chance slip between his fingers and we witness just how much these two care for each other and how far they’re willing to go to be with one another.

Starting at the beginning of the book, I was already in love! Why?

Playing Pretend was honestly the perfect insta-love read. I did find myself frustrated multiple times with Charlotte’s mother, and I wasn’t too happy with how long it took Charlotte to stand up to her mother and walk out. Charlotte’s mother walked all over her and didn’t let her say or do anything she wanted to. I guess the way Charlotte told her mum off wasn’t as explosive as I was hoping it would be. I don’t know how Charlotte could keep so calm and keep going with the act, but I’m still really glad she finally did it!

I LOVED Charlotte and Mason together. They were perfect! The story was AHH-mazing, the characters were fantastic, and I just couldn’t force myself to stop reading! I’m excited to pick up more of Juliana Haygert’s books!

Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol’s family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn’t know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside — safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can’t avoid.

She’s different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador’s privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn’t a coincidence. It’s a conspiracy.

Within the Icon’s reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions — which they’ve always thought to be their greatest weaknesses — may actually be their greatest strengths.

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts — in order to save the future.

Hardcover, 428 pages

Published May 7th 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (first published May 1st 2013)    0316205184 (ISBN13: 9780316205184)

An alien force has taken over the world without warning and without stepping foot on land. They maintain control of Earth through their representatives and the threat of death. They have already killed off a huge portion of humans and continue to threaten those that try to fight them with death. The four kids who are the focus of the story are all brought together because they are special. But was bringing them together a worse decision than keeping them apart?

Dol is the main character and the story is told from her perspective. She lost her parents in the initial takeover and now lives in a farm community that feels safe. Then, one day, a warning comes. She is given an illegal book and eventually taken, along with Ro, to a government facility.

At the facility she meets Tima and Lucas. The rest of the novel takes place on and around this facility as they are being tested and carefully watched to find how dangerous they are to the alien beings. During their time there, we get to know each of them better, understand the connections between them, and see a pinch of a romance emerging.

Dol and Lucas have similar characteristics; they are both caring and cautious. Tima and Ro are also similar; they are very determined and courageous, making their opinions clearly known. The four soon discover they all have similar markings and that this may be the key to why they were taken.

It was interesting to read a book in which the enemy doesn’t show their face. The aliens are a constant threat, but the main focus for these four is the current circumstances of being taken and locked up. The whole story revolves around their inquiries into why they were taken, if they are safe, and what will happen to them next.

There are moments of action, travelling, and adventure. But it’s only with the help of a computer and an outsider that the answers can be found. They have to rise up against the authority and force change. My favourite characters were Ro and Tima; they add rebel attitude to the story and Lucas and Dol add caring and rationality to the story. I wish I had waited until the sequel was about to released before I read Icons. It ends with a bang, right when things get really good. 

I would recommend this book to Margaret Stohl fans and those who like detective stories with some action.

The sorcerers in Sorry-in-the-Vale are banding together, determined to take the town back to its bloody past. Kami Glass is equally determined to stop them. It’s not going to be an easy task, considering that she doesn’t even know which of the town’s residents are the sorcerers intent on reclaiming it.

By pooling her resources and people, and researching the very past that she wants to avoid, she hopes that she’ll be able to give the town’s non-magical residents a fighting chance.

What she hadn’t anticipated was Lillian Lynburn turning her aid down and deciding that the battle for the town is best confined to the sorcerers themselves.

Untold, the second book in the Lynburn Legacy trilogy, picks up where the first left off. Jared and Kami no longer have their psychic link, and Kami’s powers have gone too. Jared isn’t talking to Kami and, with the link she had once relied upon gone, she’s struggling to adapt to her new independence. This is done remarkably well. Kami doesn’t fall to pieces, nor does she hold together entirely. She remains true to her original character, finding ways to adapt to her new situation while trying to save the day.

We’re shown a lot more of the minor characters in this novel. This is mostly positive and Rusty and Angela are two of my favourites. They’re funny and have the similarities that siblings often do while also being quite different in other ways. Holly, however, falls flat. The more her character is revealed, the less sense she seems to make.

Jared and Kami’s relationship unfolds wonderfully here. It’s true that there were many misunderstandings that could have been cleared up if either were prepared to talk– or listen. That kind of thing gets tedious, but as far as how they hold up without the other and how they now relate to each other without their link, it works. It works so well that I can’t quite decide whether the whole thing is terrible or wonderful.

Unfortunately, the plot of Untold suffers the fate of all too many second books in trilogies. After all is said and done, the ending could have served just as well as the ending for the first book. The stakes don’t seem any higher than they did at the end of Unspoken, and the positions of power have not altered much. Fortunately, the personal journeys in Untold still make it a wonderful read.

I didn’t love Untold in the same delirious way that I loved Unspoken. Some aspects, like the further insight into Angela and Rusty, were far better, but it didn’t pull together for me quite as well. It certainly didn’t mess with my emotions as much. It was always going to be difficult for the second to live up to the first, given the nature of Unspoken. Either way, having read Untold, I’m still dying for the final book. The way it’s geared up, I think it will do great things.

Untold – Sarah Rees Brennan

Simon and Schuster (September 24, 2013)

ISBN: 9780857078094

A book with a mint green cover, a couple of cutesy cartoons, and pink script was what I found when I opened the Pan Macmillan post bag that came in the mail. It had me intrigued.

More cartoons are on the inside of the cover and I jumped straight in with the images of the characters right there, just waiting for me to turn back and take a peek at them. 

Blurb from Goodreads:

“Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they’re off to university and Wren’s decided she doesn’t want to be one half of a pair any more – she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose.. It’s not so easy for Cath. She’s horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she’s experienced in real life. Without Wren Cath is completely on her own and totally outside her comfort zone. She’s got a surly room-mate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words …And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. Now Cath has to decide whether she’s ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she’s realizing that there’s more to learn about love than she ever thought possible …”

I finished this book and thank GOODNESS it wasn’t the stereotypical girl-running-with-the-wrong-crowd-and-has-a-fall-from-grace-before-she-realises-who-her-true-friends-are story.

This felt far more real to me, as Cath, through her inner dialogue, struggles with her place in the world. She deals with issues about her Dad—who is struggling with mental health issues—her sister—who is, thank heavens, not the narrator of this book—and her ability as an author, weighing up the validity of fanfiction versus original content.

The love story that is woven through the story is a sweet touch and smooths over some of the more twitch-inducing elements.

Each character is fleshed out and has you wanting them to succeed.  When they make their decisions, be they right or wrong, you’re right there to feel it from Cath’s point of view. If you’re already emotionally raw, this may be a little too much.

If you need a break from the fantasy, science fiction, and teen angst (for no good reason) themes of so many of the books on the shelves at the moment, allow yourself to step into Cath’s world. She’ll convince you that there is something to be achieved by stepping outside your comfort zone.

http://rainbowrowell.com/blog/

http://www.panmacmillan.com/book/rainbowrowell/fangirl

Paperback, 459 pages

Published January 30th 2014 by Pan Macmillan (first published September 10th 2013)

original title Fangirl

ISBN 1447263227 (ISBN13: 9781447263227)

This is book two in a trilogy. The first book, A Corner of White, laid the foundations for this impressive work of fiction and while I didn’t enjoy the foundation process, The Cracks in the Kingdom swept me away with imagination and emotions.

*Contains spoilers*

Blurb from Goodreads:

“Time slides around the world so strangely …

It’s not easy being Princess Ko.

Her family is missing, taken to the World through cracks in the Kingdom, which were then sealed tightly behind them.

Now Princess Ko is running the Kingdom, and war is looming.

To help her find her family, she gathers a special group of teens, including Elliot Baranski of the Farms. He’s been writing secret letters to a Girl-in-the World named Madeleine Tully – and now the Kingdom needs her help.

Madeleine and Elliot must locate the missing royals, convince them of their true identities, and figure out how to unlock the dangerous cracks between the Kingdom and the World.

All before their enemies can stop them.”

There are concepts in this series that stretch my mind to the point of breaking. Luckily, thanks to Jaclyn’s ability to bring a scene to life, you can sort of make out what she’s saying before you lose interest. My favourite concept would have to be the Colours: way out there, but very imaginative.

The series is told from multiple points of view and, depending on how you relate to some characters, you may or may not be looking to skip certain chapters. I suggest you stick to them regardless, as there are important plot points within each view.

I flew through 500 or so pages in a couple of days, so the pacing is enjoyably steady. 

If you loved A Corner of White, then you’ll be over the moon for The Cracks in the Kingdom.

http://www.jaclynmoriarty.com/ 

Paperback, 544 pages

Published February 27th 2014 by Pan Macmillan Australia

ISBN 1742612873 (ISBN13: 9781742612874)