“Rose’s mother and Joshua’s father have disappeared. Police inquiries have gone nowhere and the case, it seems, is closed: Rose and Joshua have been told that the police believe their parents are dead. But Rose and Joshua still hold out hope that they are alive. Joshua is determined to follow up his own inquiries, which includes working out the meaning of the cryptic notebooks – the murder notebooks – they have discovered. Then Rose is distracted by odd, desperate messages she receives from Rachel, a former best friend from her school, followed by the terrible news that Rachel is dead. But perhaps Rachel’s death will provide one more piece of the puzzle about what has happened to Rose and Joshua’s parents . . .” Blurb thanks to goodreds.com

The writing style changed a fair bit between Book 1, Dead Time, and Killing Rachel, book 2, in the Murder Notebooks series. To be perfectly blunt, I preferred Dead Time, but I think that had to do with spending so much time in memory sequences in book 2.

By the time Rose and Joshua began looking into what really happened to Rachel, I was starting to wonder why anyone would bother. Rachel was such an awful character, I just didn’t understand Rose’s loyalty to such a bunch of horrid memories of an even worse person.

I DID like the progress in their search for their parents. This storyline is all that matters in my mind and it is the lifeblood that kept me reading. What the heck went on to make their parents leave the kids unprovided for? Why didn’t they take their kids with them, and who’s after them?

The big unanswered question is what will happen when Rose and Joshua find their respective parental units?

Anne has created a world that both teens and adults can enjoy equally from different points of view.

A great winter read over a nice warm cup of tea.

http://www.annecassidy.com/

Paperback, 336 pages

Published March 14th 2013 by Bloomsbury Childrens

ISBN 1408815516 (ISBN13: 9781408815519)

From acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories.

– A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.
– Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.
– A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).

These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.

But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author’s comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.

So, are you curious now?

Hardcover, 304 pages  Published August 1st 2012 by Lerner Publishing Group

ISBN  0761375279 (ISBN13: 9780761375272)

The Curiosities is not only a collection of some of the short stories that these authors have put together, it also contains drawings, comments and moments of interest that each author finds in the others’ work.

The commentary within the pages of the book are helpful hints as to what works in a story and what doesn’t. The book not only contains stories that are entertaining and interesting but the points of interest for me, lay in these notes between the lines. Readers who are particularly interested in writing may find some of these techniques discussed, useful in their own practices.

With experiments like writing a story with no dialogue, to POV and word length, as well as what qualifies as an ending to a story, each story varies from author to author.Also, there are fun drawings outlining what is important to each of them in a story.

I recommend this book for those readers that not only enjoy the author’s novels, but for those interested in writing as a pastime or profession. The topics are interesting and I found the whole book inspiring. 

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Hardcover, 323 pages  Published April 23rd 2013 by HarperTeen  ISBN  0062059963 (ISBN13: 9780062059963)

Now that the competition is down to just the 6 girls, America is having to fight to keep her spot. As she is the lowest caste member still in the race, she has to fight harder than the rest to show the world she deserves the title of Princess.

As the competition tightens, so does the drama. The girls are now down to the best of the competitors and it’s only slight differences that keep them in the running. America is still torn between the easy life she has always lived and striving to want to do more for her country, her family – and on top of that, she is falling for Maxon. We saw in book one, The Selection that Maxon was willing to give her time to think about what she wanted, to heal from her heartache. But now that the race is coming to an end, he must make a decision and the pressure to choose a wife quickly is causing stress in their relationship.

It is not only the drama that is amped up in this sequel, but the attacks on the castle as well. The raids have become more frequent and dangerous. The politics between countries are in a fragile state. Even as the competition is running, the country must still  be governed.

I am not a big fan of drama, especially the love-triangle kind but this series has more to offer than just the romantic aspect. The complicated life of the castle itself keeps the story intense and suspenseful. But lets face it, the romance and the relationships that Maxon holds with each of the 6 remaining competitors is the main focus of the story. A lot of jealousies and doubts arise in the girls as they all try to figure out how to win. After all, it is a competition. 

For 264 days Juliette has been locked away from the world; forced to glean what little she can of it through the small window in her cold cell. In that time she has seen and spoken to no one. That is about to change. She is to receive a cell-mate.

Adam is terrifying to Juliette. He has not been isolated for 264 days; he is perfectly comfortable talking to people. And he expects her to answer. Juliette’s social skills have dried up more with every day that she has been alone and finding them again feels beyond her capabilities. But Adam has the same eyes as a boy she once knew and she slowly begins to trust him.

Mafi is a brilliant writer. Her descriptions drag you into the story and hold you there. She does drift across into monumental hyperbole, but it suits the story. Juliette has been stuck in a cold, concrete cage with minimum amounts of food for 264 days; everything that happens to her is infinitely larger in her mind than in reality. In isolation, Juliette’s mind and imagination are the only things she has to keep herself sane. The exaggerated description emphasises this mindset perfectly.

The main supporting characters, Adam and Warner, are both written as perfectly as Juliette. In Adam, readers can see all the sweetness that Juliette can see, and the vulnerability that she probably can’t. Warner can’t be faulted. I want him to die, painfully, and that is all that is really needed to count a villain a success. Though it goes further than that. Warner’s existence, the very fact that he is alive, threatens Juliette and, because I like Juliette, it threatens me (or my reading pleasure, which is basically the same thing).

Shatter Me reads like two different novels melded together. The genre, writing style and characters all undergo a shift as the book progresses. What starts out as wonderfully written dystopian sci-fi becomes much more paranormal romance. Both Adam and Juliette change too quickly in pursuing their relationship. Despite the strong characters and engaging plot-line, Mafi does not seem yet have enough confidence in her writing to allow them to stand on their own. Adam and Juliette gravitate toward each other, not needing stereotypically romantic moments to show readers how strong their bond is. Theirs is a sympathetic, believable relationship and would have been stronger had the writing of it been pruned back.

What I do love about Shatter Me, is that it is wholly Juliette’s story. It is told in her voice, the writing steeped in her personality and emotions. Further than this, she is forced to play a part in the action. There isn’t someone waiting in the wings to keep her safe. If she doesn’t act, she and others may die. Though she doesn’t grow drastically in the first book, there is plenty of room for her to progress in later books.

As a young adult dystopian novel, Shatter Me stands out from the crowd. It has found its own voice and pace, trail-blazing a new path rather than following one that already exists. Because of this, the characters and situations feel real and it’s harder to predict where their path is leading. I’m looking forward to continuing the journey with Unravel Me.

Shatter Me – Tahereh Mafi

Allen & Unwin (November 15, 2011)

ISBN: 9781743315248

If you’ve not read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I urge you strongly not to read on until you’ve done so. Spoilers do make a difference to how you may perceive a book.

Book 1 spent so much time on the romance and the world building that book 2, Days of Blood and Starlight, feels like it went off on whole other tangent. It’s still the same gloriously rich world and intelligent character arcs as last time, but the focus falls more on the thought-provoking battle between good and evil. Not to mention the suspense.

Karou survives the dramatics at the end of book 1, and is taken in by Thiago, ‘The Wolf’. And as was hinted at in book 1, the slimy fink is still chasing tail. It is up to her to take over from her predecessor, Brimstone, to build the bodies, to house the souls, of the army who will save the future generations from the wrath of the Angels. However the true measure of an action is its intent. Just what is it that the Wolf intends to do?

I found pacing myself to savour the bitter tang of this instalment suited me better than flying through it. It took a fair bit of will power though, because the plot is certainly meant to be ready quickly. I rarely had to read back over pages and the dialogue is charmingly fresh. Especially when Karou finds her best friend and her boyfriend almost dead on the outskirts of the compound.

Laini almost had me in tears with the threads the next book will tie into. I hold much respect for her skill with twisting the knife on an already heartbreaking situation. How the events at the end of Days of Blood and Starlight will effect Karou will remain to be seen. If she can find it in her heart to allow Akiva back into her life, how will her allies react?

We’ve go plenty of time to stew over the details and reread the tortuously tangled tomes as the third instalment isn’t due out until April 2014. Considering how well the first two books are written I’d rather wait a while and get the best book Laini can write, than get it quickly and be left wanting.

You’ll kick yourself if you get on board with these books too late. Also it looks like a film adaption is in development for Daughter of Smoke and Bone, so be one of the people who read the book first. Methinks perhaps the premier should be in Prague. How about you?

http://www.lainitaylor.com/

http://www.daughterofsmokeandbone.co.uk/

Paperback, UK, 528 pages

Published November 8th 2012 by Hodder & Stoughton (first published November 6th 2012)

ISBN: 1444722689 (ISBN13:9781444722680)