My Not-So-Still Life revolves around an average teenager who is ready to grow up, move out, and do important things. Vanessa always wants to be different and stick out from the crowd. She wants to explore the person she really is, and she does this by dying her hair crazy colors, wearing bold makeup and dressing up like no one else.

Vanessa is at the point of her life where she feels that high school is completely useless. She doesn’t like going and doesn’t see the point of it. She knows she wants to work with art, so she doesn’t understand why she needs all these other things if she never plans on using them in the future.  When she applies to her favorite art store, and gets the job, Vanessa feels like it’s her dream come true, and just one step further into her future.

What could be better than working at your favorite store with cool people? And getting out of the house more often? Nothing!

As Vanessa is working one day, she spots a really cute older guy roaming the aisles and chatting with one of her co-workers. She can’t help but notice just how handsome he really is, even though he is much too old for her. But things quickly turn sour when Vanessa gets herself in a tough situation him, when she realizes she can’t handle a “relationship” with such an older partner. Vanessa finds herself taking half naked photos for his calendar, and completely regretting it by the next day.

As things start to get too hot and heavy for Vanessa, she tries to escape the entire situation. Her mom forces her to quit the job, and instead focus on school. Vanessa quickly learns that being yourself and sticking out, doesn’t mean dying your hair crazy colors, and wearing extremely bold makeup. But being unique can be done in subtle ways too.

My Not-So-Still Life is a short and light read that could be perfect for a sunny day off in the back yard or on the beach. Overall I thought the story was alright. I couldn’t really connect with the character besides her drive to want to do something important; but other than that she and I are completely different. I enjoy going to school and learning things, even if they might have nothing to do with what I’m “planning” for the future.

I probably won’t be re-reading this book, simply because I don’t feel the drive to. But I’m glad I got the opportunity to read it the first time. Have you read My Not-So-Still Life? Let me know what you think!

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl’s journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Hardcover, 342 pages Published January 28th 2014 by Balzer + Bray  0062224735 (ISBN13: 9780062224736)

I was surprised by how dark this story turned out to be. I knew to expect some similarities to the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, but found this book to be so different that it really stood out on its own. Rosamund Hodge brings out the darker side of an already dark story; Nyx is trapped in a never-ending mansion with a demon for a husband. Either one could lose their life at any time, yet they bide their time together, sizing each other up, as well as the situation they are in.

The story focuses on Nyx and Ignifex and their relationship. There are few side characters as the majority of the story takes place in the mansion. Nyx is mostly left alone, especially at night, and wanders through the locked-up house. The doors are locked for good reason, as she finds throughout the story, but with nothing else to spend her time on, that is what becomes her focus when she is alone—discovering the demon’s secrets.

There is, surprisingly, plenty of world building and back story to this book, even though the actual setting is inside one house. There are many twists, and storylines unravel to reveal more depth than what is originally presented. I did not come to love any of the characters as they all had their faults, and this particular story does focus on the darker aspects of their lives. Nyx spends a lot of her time feeling put upon, jealous, and angry, and has a hard time focusing on where to put that anger. So instead of lashing out, she bides her time, finding out more about her peculiar situation, trying to stay alive, and making plans to free her father from his bargain.

As this is the first book in a series, we do not get to see all the characters and plot fully fleshed out yet. What we do get to see is this weird kind of understanding and connection between the two personalities of Ignifex and Nyx. Many secrets are revealed and there is some adventure as we find out what is behind the locked doors.

As the story developed, I started to really enjoy where it was going—the idea of learning about yourself and finding connections to others even in the darkest of circumstances, and a feeling of constantly being on guard, yet developing a sense of comfort and expectations from your surroundings. I am excited to see where the story continues to go and it’s a book I recommend. Those who enjoy reading darker fairy tales that don’t end up with happily ever after should pick this one up!

Shaneyah Galley reviews iZombie, the new offering from Rob Thomas, the creator of Veronica Mars.

iZombie: crime and YA with braaaaaaaaaains

As a comics fan, I feel like I should be tired of all the TV and movie adaptations from the last few years. But watching iZombie, I kind of want more.

iZombie is about a woman named Olivia who has the incredible misfortune of having been at a boat party that turned into a zombie attack. She survived – kind of. Unlike most zombie movies, her ‘turning’ was an isolated incident, and life seems to have continued as normal for the rest of the world. Olivia quit her job, broke up with her fiance, and is now dealing with her new un-life as best she can. The only person who knows she’s a zombie is her boss, medical examiner Ravi. He is utterly fascinated by her and shows interest in finding a cure for her “condition.”

So far, the character diversity is a little disappointing – there is one female character besides the protagonist, and only two of the characters are non-white. There’s a major romance subplot, but there’s more than enough wit and murder to balance it.

iZombie is incredibly thematic. Liv, the main character, changes personality and acquires new skills as a result of the brains she eats. It’s a little like Psych, where she pretends to be a psychic to explain her extra-ordinary knowledge about crimes. Unlike Psych she does have vision;, she just doesn’t get them from spirits.

Liv and her zombie issues are an almost perfect analogy for post-adolesent struggles. Liv has her life all figured out before she gets turned, but after it happens, she removes and isolates herself from her old life in an effort to protect her loved ones. This has her understandably spiralling into depression. She is afraid of infecting her fiance, but can’t turn to her family, as they’re confused by her leaving her blossoming career at the hospital for a dead-end (hurr!) job as a medical examiner at the police morgue. It’s a smart move, since Liv can now eat brains in safety and in secrecy, without killing – but of course, she’s not going to tell her mum that.

If you like wit and mystery with a dash of introspective angst thrown in, you’ll enjoy iZombie.

HOWEVER, if you’re already a fan of the comics, you may want to skip this one. Adapting to screen is always dicey; I accept that. But the adaptation of iZombie has broken several of my cardinal rules:

1. Never change character names. In the comics, the protagonist is named Gwen. In the TV show, she’s Olivia.
2. Don’t remove main characters. iZombie is an ensemble piece, set in a far more paranormal type of universe. Gwen has two besties, one of whom is a werewolf, the other a ghost. So far in the series, Liv has only hung out with her boss and a detective named Clive.
3. Book-Gwen cuts her family out of her life entirely. TV-Liv is still very much enmeshed with hers.
4. Book-Gwen is a grave digger by trade, an excellent option for a zombie. TV-Liv is a morgue attendant.
5. Book-Gwen slowly loses her memories as she consumes more brains – so there are definite costs and balances to her zombie appetite. They may integrate this into the TV show, but they haven’t yet.

Alright, those are almost all of my cardinal adaptation rules, which makes me kind of unhappy.

So in summary: if you’re a comics fan, steer clear of this one and grab the trade. If you’re a fan of fun, crime-y shows and don’t care much for comics, you can enjoy this pretty much guilt-free. Personally, I’m going to have to have a serious think before I sit down for the next episode.

Chris says: P.S. I’ve relaunched my blog. If you’re a fan of www.christophersfashion.com, you’ll adore my new blog, at www.teenonscene.com! It includes more than just fashion, and I’ve become more than just a fashion blogger! I think you’ll enjoy the Dear Chris advice column, the Dress to Impress fashion tab and the Enter{teen}ment entertainment tab.

Hey guys! Before I start, I wanna say all photos in this post are from the House of Holland Eyewear.

Ok, so… If you don’t know of House of Holland, I didn’t before Marianne introduced me. They’re a high fashion brand, that specialize in clothing and accessories. This includes, but is not limited to, eyewear, nails, hats, iPhone cases, and regular day-to-day clothes. Maybe regular shouldn’t be the word I used… Because they’re anything but regular. They’re hip, and haute-couture.

Anyway, Lily Allen is the new face of the eyewear department, and I just wanted to say that I looooove their newest line.

I love Lily Allen in these photos because she’s clearly shied away from her classic long dark hair. Not to mention, she looks amazing! Also, she’s working the glasses, and not letting the glasses consume her.

If you want Lily Allen’s fab look, you can order these and more at House of Holland.

Chris 🙂

It’s 20 years since I was in high school and back then the term ‘bullying’ wasn’t even part of the vernacular. Didn’t mean girls and bad behaviour exist in my day? Of course. They have been around forever.

Rebecca Starford’s memoir Bad Behaviour is an insightful, often confronting read about the year she spent as a 14-year-old at the unique bush campus of a Melbourne boarding school.The book’s blurb quickly introduces us to the school’s rugged approach to education:

‘It was supposed to be a place where teenagers would learn resilience, confidence and    independence, where long hikes and runs in the bush would make their bodies strong and foster a connection with the natural world. Living in bare wooden huts, cut off from the outside world, the students would experience a very different kind of schooling, one  intended to have a strong influence over the adults they would eventually become.’

From here we are thrust into the daily fight for survival of a boarding house where 15 girls are largely left unsupervised. There are the ringleaders; these are mean girls who dictate the state of play. Then there are their targets, selected because of perceived weakness or worse still a will that needs breaking. And finally, we have the inbetweeners who struggle to find a firm place among either. The behaviour of the girls is unfettered, manipulative, and at times very cruel.

Rebecca’s struggle to carve out her own identity in this largely adult-less environment and her attraction to the power players despite herself is something I think many will identify with. I was certainly transported back to moments in my teenage years where conformity overpowered sense.

This book is beautifully written. It cleverly interweaves the story of 14-year-old ‘Bec’ with passages from Rebecca as an adult as she searches for love and self-acceptance.

For me, the structure and workings of the bush campus, known in the book as Silver Creek, felt extraordinary and at times hard to believe (10 kilometre runs most days and a marathon at the end of term; activities every student must complete without exception). The students clearly were not thriving in this tough-love, back-to-basics environment, and it seemed as though the conditions were taking a heavy toll on the teachers too. A quick Google search, however, tells me this innovative year of education is still in practice at the school today.

Rebecca’s relationship with her parents, and in particular, her relationship with her mother, left me with more questions than answers. I desperately wanted insight into why this couple seemed so distant from their daughter and why exactly they saw more merit in her being at the school than at home with them.

Bad Behaviour is an engrossing read. It shines an unfiltered light on just how life-shaping a person’s teenage years have the potential to be.

Sarah Todman is a Brisbane-based fiction writer. You can find her online at sayanythingsare