This story has an innovative twist, using a bird as the glue that holds the storyline together. It works amazingly well.

A Bush-Stone Curlew is injured by a fire that kills the mother of two of our characters, and we see that scene from the bird’s point of view. The bird escapes the blaze and takes up residence in a city park near where our third main character has been replanted from her happy country life.

We then spend the book jumping between the heads of our three main characters: Robin, a self-confessed bird-nerd, Delia, a high-achieving weirdo, and Delia’s brother Seth, a drop-out who is severely affected by the death of his mother.

It’s taken me a while to process this book so that I am able to review it. I did love the book, and I want that to be in the forefront of your mind. I was, however, extremely disturbed by how realistically these teens and adults struggled through this traumatic chapter of their fictional lives.

Christie did a brilliant job of capturing emotions and giving an unflinching look at how different people cope in the face of adversity.

If you’re in the mood for something a little deeper and more serious over the summer break, I’d suggest you seek out As Stars Fall. I’m trying to think of comparisons, and the closest I can think of is the Australiana feel of Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden (minus the war), and the stark, unshrinking nature of Siege by Sarah Mussi.

**Note** This book contains drug use, so be aware that it is better suited to mature readers of YA.

Paperback, 320 pages

Published July 1st 2014 by Pan Australia

ISBN 1743517696 (ISBN13: 9781743517697)

Who’s the real victim here? This tense and gripping exploration of cyberbullying and teen suicide is perfect for fans of Before I Fall and Thirteen Reasons Why.

Late at night Tori receives a random phone call. It’s a wrong number. But the caller seems to want to talk, so she stays on the line. He asks for a single thing—one reason not to kill himself.

The request plunges her into confusion. Because if this random caller actually does what he plans, he’ll be the second person connected to Tori to take his own life. And the first just might land her in jail. After her Facebook page became Exhibit A in a tragic national news story about cyberbullying, Tori can’t help but suspect the caller is a fraud. But what if he’s not? Her words alone may hold the power of life or death. With the clock ticking, Tori has little time to save a stranger—and maybe redeem herself—leading to a startling conclusion that changes everything…

Hardcover, 224 pages  Published August 12th 2014 by Simon Pulse  ISBN  1442499567 (ISBN13: 9781442499560)

I flew through this book in a very short time. Tori, the main character, had me feeling conflicted throughout the whole story. She is facing a day in court for a bullying case and the possibility of some real consequences, but she just does not feel like she is guilty. Her family is upset and solemn and everything around her is off. Her brother is pissed, and Tori is angry. Unexpectedly, on the night before her hearing, she gets a phone call with a request: a random caller wants a reason to not kill himself.

My favourite character in the story is the random caller. He is upfront and sometimes rude, but what does he have to lose? He’s planning to die anyway, and he doesn’t actually think anybody would have a good enough reason to stop him going through with his plan. Coincidentally dialling Tori’s number turns the night into turmoil.

The reason I would recommend this is due to the way that Tori’s realisations come about through the story. We get to see her going back and forth as she deals with what has happened. We see denial and regret, along with anger and emotional breakdowns, as she works her way through her feelings. Sometimes I felt mad at her, and sometimes I agreed with her and empathised with how tough it can be in such a situation. It really was a thought-provoking story that I’m glad I read.

Edited by Julia Rios and Alisa Krasnostein and published by Kaleidoscope

As stated in the introduction to this anthology, YA literature – although young in publishing years – has now fully arrived as a thriving and viable market, and  Speculative Fiction in this age bracket, outstrips all other genres for popularity in Film and TV, as well as publishing. Year’s Best, edited by Krasnostein and Rios, celebrates a tremendous breadth of talent and creativity by YA authors. That they have a devoted and growing audience is, I hope, a sign that YA has dug itself in as an industry of the future.

This anthology comprises twenty-one short stories. While pushing the ‘short story’ boundary to encompass everything from flash fiction to novelette, editors Julia Rios and Alisa Krasnostein have kept a tight ship when it comes to their YA policy. I appreciated their definition (stated as ‘having teen protagonists and relating to teen lives’) given the broad spectrum that the YA classification has come to encompass. Not only does it make perfect sense, it also serves to keep the readership audience close, while still opening doors to different perspectives and experiences appropriate to that age group and mind set.

They have cast a wide net to arrive at this collection, and it’s by no means a cherry-pick from the biggest publishers. Traditional, electronic, and self-published authors are represented and hail from Great Britain, the USA, Europe, Asia, Ireland and Australia. The stories they have written range even further, many taking place in the author’s country of origin. This variety of location adds authenticity to a collection in which diversity of viewpoint is a key theme. The lead characters represent a wide variety of cultures, ethnicities, socio-economic groups, religions, and sexual orientations; and also, because this is Speculative Fiction after all, supernatural, super and quasi-human, and extra-terrestrial.

Although dystopian YA was still the hot ticket in 2013, there is a well-rounded selection of genres and sub-genres here (including a few dystopias, for those of us who are only happy when it rains).

The stories are pitch-perfect as you would expect, given the editors’ guidelines, and you won’t find any cross-over confusion or discomfort. As stated, these are written for teenagers and deal with teen issues and motivations – good, bad, uncomfortable and, most importantly, real. I particularly liked ‘What We Ourselves Are Not’, by Leah Cypess and ‘Persimmon, Teeth, And Boys’, by Steve Berman as examples of this point. Most of the stories contain a subtext relating to, or serving as metaphors for, issues common to this transitional period into adulthood. But these guys do it in style with werewolves, cyborgs, vigilantes, superpowers, and ghosts.

The protagonists take on epic quests, awkward truths, harsh realities, dreams of the future, failed experiments, monstrous desires, and – most confronting of all – their own potential for triumph, failure, good, and evil. These are the modern day folk stories and fairy tales – the monster in the woods, the wolf in granny’s clothing, the dark nature within – complete with morals, cautionary predictions and deft commentaries of human nature. They are thought-provoking, sometimes shocking, and heartfelt. We should give thanks that there are writers who care enough about the adults of the future to craft tales that speak to generations increasingly bereft of guidance.  ‘Mah Song’ by Joanne Anderton was a standout for me as a chilling tale of human nature and the origins of religion and civilisation.

The wealth of themes and mood in these stories – funny, grim, poignant, reflective, and brimming with energy – represent the ever-changing emotions characteristic of the teen years. Some of the stories are so delicate and introspective that they seem to inhabit the moment from one breath to the next. Some burst outwards like the pages of a graphic novel. I think that every reader, though, will find a moment in at least one that will ignite a spark of recognition – a moment of ‘I know exactly how that feels.’

I often caught myself imagining reading this at age fifteen. How would it have changed my view of my own destiny? I imagine having some of these characters to identify with and worlds of possibility opening up to me. This is the beauty of Speculative Fiction stories written for this age group. They grow the imagination like nothing else and lend support to the creation of personal identity.

There is so much to engage, identify with, and entertain in this book that I find it difficult to do it justice in one review. I want to delve into each of the stories and discuss the intricacies, expose the wisdom, and talk at length about the clever use of symbolism and wry humour. But that is for you to discover and appreciate. And I hope that you do.

 PURCHASE YEAR’S BEST from Twelfth Planet Press

Aurimere House has been lost and with it the boy that Kami loves, Jared Lynburn. With Robert Lynburn demanding a human sacrifice for the winter, it’s up to Kami to find a way to stop him before it’s too late.

While the town of Sorry-in-the-Vale cowers in fear, Kami and her friends search for answers from the past. Not knowing enough about sorcerers, sources or the bond between them, Kami hopes that the story of the famous source Matthew Cooper and his sorcerer Anne Lynburn will help. Her trusted friends, Angela, Rusty, Holly and Ash will stand by her; but if they’re to find the information they need, they’re going to have to go back to Aurimere.

Thus starts the final book in the Lynburn Legacy trilogy. Battle-lines are drawn, the town is caught in the middle of what promises to be an epic struggle and through it all the dread question hangs over everyone’s heads – Who will be the sacrifice?

Now, I loved Unspoken in pretty much every way. Brennan isn’t exactly plot-strong, and I’ve yet to see a compelling villain from her, but every other aspect of her writing is so brilliant that it tends to blot out any weaknesses. Untold slipped a little. The characters still sparkled like the gems that they were, the dialogue was still hilarious and snappy but the plot lacked too much. Kami was trying to pull her resources together to fight the big bad, she just wasn’t succeeding. There weren’t even the little successes that we could applaud before a larger failure – on her part at least, different story for Jared.

I figured it was just middle-book syndrome. It happens. There’s even a name for it, so I guess it happens a lot. I was expecting everything to iron itself out when it came to Unmade.

I wish I could say it did. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the worst book in the world, but it felt as though it had been force-written under a looming deadline. The ideas were there, but it was as though the book merely skimmed the surface of the important ones rather than jumping right in. The characters were more like uncut gems than the polished pieces they were in the previous books. Everything was rushed except the romance, and the romance should have been pared back a great deal.

It’s not that I don’t like Kami and Jared’s relationship. The ending of Unspoken destroyed me. I had to wait months for the next book, and to this day I think it was a vile act to treat faithful readers that way. The thing is, with Kami and Jared, less is more. I don’t need them to be spelling out their feelings for each other on every second page. Put one of them in danger and let me see how the other reacts and that’s pretty much worth all of the declarations in the world.

Ultimately Unmade felt rushed. Too much emphasis on certain things, not enough on others, as though Brennan didn’t have the time to edit it as she usually would. There were still moments that sparkled like Unspoken and the potential was there; however, Unmade just didn’t quite meet it. That said, Unspoken is still a novel that I would – and do – recommend to anyone.

Unmade – Sarah Rees Brennan

Simon and Schuster (September 23, 2014)

ISBN: 978857078117

OK, so, for this post I’ve decided that I’m gonna write on Guys Going Grunge. And no, I don’t mean grimey… and no, I don’t mean alternative rock. (Although what I am talking about relates to both of those on some level.) But no, I mean the fashion. Grunge Fashion.

For anyone who doesn’t know what grunge is, it’s basically as stated below:

grunge

noun

A deliberately untidy and uncoordinated fashion style.

Grunge in a nutshell. And, really it was basically fashionable in the 80’s. But, here in 2015 we’ve put our own spin on it. Women have been killin’ grunge the past few years, with clunky boots & knit sweaters, but FINALLY men have caught on, and are being just as’ grunge’ as the ladies.

Some “grunge” celebs include The 1975

Harry Styles

And Evan Peters

Ok, so grunge is nearly always layered: flannel, denim, and leather jackets. Skinny jeans. Bandanas. Cross necklaces, boots, graphic tees and knit sweaters. Sometimes, men even wear rings.

Long hair is always approved of, but never longer than a few inches.

Rip your jeans if ya wanna look really fly. Nobody’s ever gotten in trouble in the fashion world for a pair of torn up skinnies, I’ll promise you that! Interestingly enough, baggy ripped jeans, with tapered ankles are also considered grunge… Just a thought.

Whatever you do,  just don’t wear too many colours. One coloured piece is more than enough when going grunge. Black, browns, and greys are highly admirable; a mute red can pass off too.

Anyone grunge loves faded clothes. Old, torn and faded jackets and layers are too cool when trying to look grunge. It never hurts to tie a plaid shirt around your waist either.

Anyway, I think grunge is super-duper cool. If you don’t wash your hair the day before you’re going grunge, that’s cool too! 🙂 Anyone who dressed grunge daily is certainly the proud owner of at least one tat.

Ok, so what do I think?

I love grunge. It’s very rare that I dress grunge, but when I do, I go all out. A typography tee, a denim jacket and black skinnies. If I owned a killer leather jacket, I’d wear that on my grunge days. But I don’t. If you own one, and wanna go grunge for a day, I recommend that.

I understand, grunge looks a bit greasy, dirty and sketchy, but it’s totally trendy. It’s probably not everyone’s cup of tea. But, it clearly is for some people (including me) because not only was it a trend in the past, but it’s back again. How nice is that?

What are your opinions on grunge? Do you think it’s gross, and unneeded? Innovative and chic? Hot and right on trend? Totally dirtbag-y?

I’d love to hear. Drop me a comment below on whatcha think, and also if you ever do, or ever will dress grunge. How do people react to your grunge-y look? Do they love it? Or tell you to go back upstairs and get changed? (Yes, I’m talking about all the mothers) Until the next post!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris 🙂