"The Awakening" is the second book in "The Darkest Power" series and it basically picks up from where the last book left off. Armstrong's writing is, yet again, fluent and, through the use of twists and turns within the plot, simplistically addictive.
Chloe Saunders is a self-conscious teenager in need of social confirmation at all turns; which can at some points gets rather irritating, but at others the reader realises that Chloe is in fact an influential protagonist within the story, providing the need for many stunts within the book that otherwise would have seemed boring, if not for Chloe's input as the "damsel in distress". Simon attracts Chloe in many ways, but serves more of a friendly person within the storyline. Whereas, although Derek should be the antagonist of the group, there is an almost unspoken (at this point in the story) attraction between them both; and although, at various points in the story, the "ditzy" Chloe views Derek as somebody that would rather be rid of her than make it out of the situation safely: as the story progresses the couple get closer and closer. The antagonist of the group is almost certainly Tori as, although she has been looked after and cared for by (most) of the group, still seems to vent her anger at Chloe and the others; even though her real problem lies with her Mother's underlying rejection throughout her life.
The story begins with both Chloe, Rae and Tori being held (unassumingly) prisoners by Davidoff and the other member of the Edison Group; including her long-term guardian; Aunt Lauren. As Chloe and the others fight for freedom, Chloe begins to question whether or not she can trust her newly formed friends. When Chloe and Tori escape from their "prison" they soon meet up with Simon and Derek and consequently all four of them end up "on the run" from their previous captors. With many action scenes and some "edge-of-the-seat" action throughout this book, at first glance, seems to be just the average teen book. However, after delving deeper into the plot you begin to realise that, underneath the relentless action, there is in fact quite a complex plot that leaves you begging for more.
Although I do not like ending on bad notes, I have to admit that not only Chloe, but also the other characters do seem extremely immature and un-thought-provoking at best. The characters, even when in a serious situation, seem to act in an exceptionally child-like manner that I ended up finding irritating as opposed to intriguing.
Rating:3.5/5
Monday 11 November 2013
Wednesday 6 November 2013
The Dark Beneath (Alan Gibbons)
This is the second book that I have reviewed by Alan Gibbons and let me start by saying that I was not in the least bit disappointed. "The Dark Beneath", in effect, picks up from the previous book: not in the storyline; but in the moral dilemmas within it. It seems to me that Gibbons is a man on a mission to create awareness for many forms of discrimination and make us see that there are two sides to every story.
Imogen is a sixteen-year-old just looking for a bit of fun in a lazy summer; whereas the ghostly pale Anthony, is looking forward to a summer full of Imogen. Brought up to fight for what is right she ends up meeting three refugees, who are seeking asylum in England yet who are going to be sent back to their countries to face whatever hells they have run from. Farid is a secretive, un- communicative man; that Imogen can't help but perceive as a mystery to be solved. Throughout the book, Gibbons leads to us to a conclusion that we cannot help but believe to be concrete. Yet, with a twist halfway through, when the reader believes s/he has solved the "mystery"; we are all proven wrong. This then furthermore ignites interest within the reader and subsequently paralyses them in a sense of anticipation; s/he is unable to put the book down and is permanently held in the same position of the afore-mentioned anticipation for the duration of the book.
Gibbons has yet again created a book that will, most likely, ignite a mental epiphany within the reader; that then forces him/her to question, not only the beliefs they have been brought up to follow, but also the beliefs that we are fed from the Government. Yet again, Gibbons creates a sense of paranoia at its fiercest.
Rating: 4.3/5
Imogen is a sixteen-year-old just looking for a bit of fun in a lazy summer; whereas the ghostly pale Anthony, is looking forward to a summer full of Imogen. Brought up to fight for what is right she ends up meeting three refugees, who are seeking asylum in England yet who are going to be sent back to their countries to face whatever hells they have run from. Farid is a secretive, un- communicative man; that Imogen can't help but perceive as a mystery to be solved. Throughout the book, Gibbons leads to us to a conclusion that we cannot help but believe to be concrete. Yet, with a twist halfway through, when the reader believes s/he has solved the "mystery"; we are all proven wrong. This then furthermore ignites interest within the reader and subsequently paralyses them in a sense of anticipation; s/he is unable to put the book down and is permanently held in the same position of the afore-mentioned anticipation for the duration of the book.
Gibbons has yet again created a book that will, most likely, ignite a mental epiphany within the reader; that then forces him/her to question, not only the beliefs they have been brought up to follow, but also the beliefs that we are fed from the Government. Yet again, Gibbons creates a sense of paranoia at its fiercest.
Rating: 4.3/5
Tuesday 29 October 2013
The Forest of Hands & Teeth (Carrie Ryan)
"The Forest of Hands & Teeth" tells a story that we can all relate to; in a setting that we cannot.
Mary is certain that there is more to life than what she is witnessing; can there really be nothing but forest left in the world. Her mother tells her stories of endless expanses of water, and an endless land that spans millions of miles across. Yet, she is the only one to believe them. With the Sisterhood preaching God's words and earning the trust of the village, and then proceeding to inform them that there is nothing outside of the forest; they are all that's left. As Mary struggles to believe her Mother's long-winded fairy-tales, she attempts to conquer her need for adventure; without hurting those she loves.
Ryan creates an incredibly intricate story, that when posed as a potential futuristic scenario, gives food for thought as to whether or not our lives will continue as they are for the, not only the distant future, but also the near future. Looking at it from a "paranoid sci-fi" point-of-view, this is in fact a perfectly plausible phenomenon that would in no doubt be linked with the works of the almighty. Ryan creates a very tense atmosphere throughout and although the storyline is somewhat predictable given the scenario; consequent to telling it from Mary's point-of-view we realise that many of these events were predicted by the characters themselves; and this gives us a unique view-point on the events, subsequent to the fact that we are in the knowledge, and on the same page, as the characters in the story. In many stories the character is given omniscience so as to spark interest in the storyline; however, Ryan uses this lack of omniscience to create a unique story that (without trying to), in a way sparks more interest for the reader through the lack of knowledge. It is, in effect, a mystery novel within a teen-horror-action book.
Rating: 4/5
Mary is certain that there is more to life than what she is witnessing; can there really be nothing but forest left in the world. Her mother tells her stories of endless expanses of water, and an endless land that spans millions of miles across. Yet, she is the only one to believe them. With the Sisterhood preaching God's words and earning the trust of the village, and then proceeding to inform them that there is nothing outside of the forest; they are all that's left. As Mary struggles to believe her Mother's long-winded fairy-tales, she attempts to conquer her need for adventure; without hurting those she loves.
Ryan creates an incredibly intricate story, that when posed as a potential futuristic scenario, gives food for thought as to whether or not our lives will continue as they are for the, not only the distant future, but also the near future. Looking at it from a "paranoid sci-fi" point-of-view, this is in fact a perfectly plausible phenomenon that would in no doubt be linked with the works of the almighty. Ryan creates a very tense atmosphere throughout and although the storyline is somewhat predictable given the scenario; consequent to telling it from Mary's point-of-view we realise that many of these events were predicted by the characters themselves; and this gives us a unique view-point on the events, subsequent to the fact that we are in the knowledge, and on the same page, as the characters in the story. In many stories the character is given omniscience so as to spark interest in the storyline; however, Ryan uses this lack of omniscience to create a unique story that (without trying to), in a way sparks more interest for the reader through the lack of knowledge. It is, in effect, a mystery novel within a teen-horror-action book.
Rating: 4/5
Friday 25 October 2013
Kill All Enemies (Melvin Burgess)
"Kill All Enemies" is the second Melvin Burgess book that I have read and, much like the first, I was not in any way disappointed.
The story line follows three very different characters. We follow the lives of: Billie; the aggressive teenager attempting to regain control of herself after being subjected to neglect from her alcoholic mother for over ten years, Rob; the boy that gets constantly bullied at school, just for the way he is, yet cannot get enough courage to tell his mother that his step-dad not only bullies him but also abuses him, Chris; the ambitious entrepreneur that is reluctant to actually do any work in life, yet still believes himself to be the next Lord Alan Sugar and Hannah; the social worker that cannot help but get attached to the children that she helps.
But when their lives collide, the reader begins to question which story is the lie? Are these three mischievous no-hopers; or are they secretly battling for their lives. Bullying, abuse and prostitution are all present within this story; however, do the characters even know what's happening to them; or are they victims of blind acceptance of the fact of what their lives have become.
Within this book we begin to question all of the bullies that we have ever experienced; all of the children being bullied in the playground; and all of the people, dirty and asleep on a park bench. What secrets are behind their situation? How did they become what they are now? Burgess forces us to look deeper into the lives of people that we turn our noses up at, or just dismiss at sight; are these things that these people do actually cries for help?
Using real stories and real knowledge, with a fictional twist, Burgess has created an incredible book that asks the reader to re-evaluate first impressions and makes us realise that we are witnesses to many misconceptions of life.
Rating: 4.2/5
The story line follows three very different characters. We follow the lives of: Billie; the aggressive teenager attempting to regain control of herself after being subjected to neglect from her alcoholic mother for over ten years, Rob; the boy that gets constantly bullied at school, just for the way he is, yet cannot get enough courage to tell his mother that his step-dad not only bullies him but also abuses him, Chris; the ambitious entrepreneur that is reluctant to actually do any work in life, yet still believes himself to be the next Lord Alan Sugar and Hannah; the social worker that cannot help but get attached to the children that she helps.
But when their lives collide, the reader begins to question which story is the lie? Are these three mischievous no-hopers; or are they secretly battling for their lives. Bullying, abuse and prostitution are all present within this story; however, do the characters even know what's happening to them; or are they victims of blind acceptance of the fact of what their lives have become.
Within this book we begin to question all of the bullies that we have ever experienced; all of the children being bullied in the playground; and all of the people, dirty and asleep on a park bench. What secrets are behind their situation? How did they become what they are now? Burgess forces us to look deeper into the lives of people that we turn our noses up at, or just dismiss at sight; are these things that these people do actually cries for help?
Using real stories and real knowledge, with a fictional twist, Burgess has created an incredible book that asks the reader to re-evaluate first impressions and makes us realise that we are witnesses to many misconceptions of life.
Rating: 4.2/5
Saturday 19 October 2013
Rage Within (Jeyn Roberts)
This is the sequel to the first book (Dark Inside), despite the fact that I have not reviewed the first one (due to the fact that I read it quite a while ago), I would highly recommend it.
This book continues on from a couple of months after that of the first one; however it gives us a prequel if you will, towards the start of the book, and explains what happened a couple of weeks before the events of "Dark Inside".
We discover that the "baggers" have implemented their control over not only Vancouver, but also the majority of the world. With white vans patrolling the streets tricking people into believing that there was a sanctuary across the city, and "baggers" still doing regular searches of houses; life begins to steadily get more difficult for Aries and her "crew". We witness the main characters begin to rebuild their lives; only to be ripped apart when the "baggers" attack two main safe-houses near their location. They now face a fight for their lives. Told from the perspective of Clementine (continuing the search for her brother Heath, and then for Michael in the latter stages of the book); Aries (the leader of the group and deeply in love with the odd Daniel, who never stays around for long; "Nothing" (who is in fact a "bagger" but with a sense of humanity and a conscience left) and Mason (in love with Aries, he battles with the "dark" within him, yet reassures himself that he will never give into it), we get a birds eye view of the whereabouts of the character and can begin to piece together the story and finally begin to make sense of the events in "Dark Inside".
However, this momentary "knowledge" of the meaning of some of the hints dropped by the writer, is ripped apart towards the end when the characters begin to question if they themselves have become victim to the unfounded rage found within the "baggers".
Jeyn Roberts cleverly makes us question if we can in fact trust others; and if we can't trust others than how can we trust ourselves? The answer is that we can't. We can only hope that the goodness within us outweighs the bad. Nobody is perfect; and the morals and philosophical, theoretical questions that Roberts poses us, makes this book all the more special to read.
When a writer can, after reading their fictional book, make us question ourselves; they know that they have got inside the reader's head. And if they have got inside the mind of the reader, then they not only have an award-winning, best-selling book on their hands; but they can also rest in the knowledge that they have created an effective, psychological book, that undoubtedly prevents the reader from looking at things from the same perspective and leaves a lasting impression for weeks to come; and in my book, that is the definitive meaning of success.
Rating: 4.2/5
This book continues on from a couple of months after that of the first one; however it gives us a prequel if you will, towards the start of the book, and explains what happened a couple of weeks before the events of "Dark Inside".
We discover that the "baggers" have implemented their control over not only Vancouver, but also the majority of the world. With white vans patrolling the streets tricking people into believing that there was a sanctuary across the city, and "baggers" still doing regular searches of houses; life begins to steadily get more difficult for Aries and her "crew". We witness the main characters begin to rebuild their lives; only to be ripped apart when the "baggers" attack two main safe-houses near their location. They now face a fight for their lives. Told from the perspective of Clementine (continuing the search for her brother Heath, and then for Michael in the latter stages of the book); Aries (the leader of the group and deeply in love with the odd Daniel, who never stays around for long; "Nothing" (who is in fact a "bagger" but with a sense of humanity and a conscience left) and Mason (in love with Aries, he battles with the "dark" within him, yet reassures himself that he will never give into it), we get a birds eye view of the whereabouts of the character and can begin to piece together the story and finally begin to make sense of the events in "Dark Inside".
However, this momentary "knowledge" of the meaning of some of the hints dropped by the writer, is ripped apart towards the end when the characters begin to question if they themselves have become victim to the unfounded rage found within the "baggers".
Jeyn Roberts cleverly makes us question if we can in fact trust others; and if we can't trust others than how can we trust ourselves? The answer is that we can't. We can only hope that the goodness within us outweighs the bad. Nobody is perfect; and the morals and philosophical, theoretical questions that Roberts poses us, makes this book all the more special to read.
When a writer can, after reading their fictional book, make us question ourselves; they know that they have got inside the reader's head. And if they have got inside the mind of the reader, then they not only have an award-winning, best-selling book on their hands; but they can also rest in the knowledge that they have created an effective, psychological book, that undoubtedly prevents the reader from looking at things from the same perspective and leaves a lasting impression for weeks to come; and in my book, that is the definitive meaning of success.
Rating: 4.2/5
The Summoning (Kelley Armstrong)
I finally received this book after having reserved it, from the library, roughly two weeks ago. The reason for it taking so long to get to me, was simply the fact that the demand for it was so large, that it was being passed between library after library and person after person, and therefore took a while to get to me.
The story starts off with an average teenager (Chloe) who, as a child, saw quite a few imaginary friends. However, her imaginary friends were not there to keep her company, they terrorised her. It is only when she sees people that no-one else can see does she begin to question if it was just her lonely childish mind thinking up some (rather sick and twisted) "friends" for her. She began to wonder if she was in fact mental, this thought was then strengthened further, when she was admitted to Lyle House, a house for "disturbed" teenagers. However after discovering that others in the house had "special abilities" she begins to question the purpose for her being there.
I will not give anything more away than that; as I really do think that this book is quite a thrilling read. It has a myriad of different characters with a myriad of different personalities. In the home there is Tori (an obnoxious teenager who at one point kidnaps Chloe); Derek (who has "problems" with his strength and seems, just a tad, irritating, unfriendly and unsmiling); Simon (who actually makes Chloe feel at home in the house, and is one of the central protagonists); Rae (Chloe's best friend throughout her stay) and a few domineering controlling nurses that keep a disturbingly close eye on the residents.
This book acts as an emotional journey, that shows the reader that although people may see you as a bit odd, you may be an outcast; but there will always be something that you have in common with others.
Ending on a cliff-hanger, this book entices the reader into reading further, and I myself cannot wait to receive the next one in this trilogy.
Although this book is very good throughout, I must admit (due to the fact that the website does in fact have the word "Critic" in it) that there is a certain spark of something missing. Also, despite the fact that I had to read it in a grand total of three-four days because it was wanted back by the library to give to yet another reader, it is missing something that sets it apart from the rest of the teenage books. Although, it does have an interesting, unique storyline, it still lacks some sort of technical flourish that would make it an incredible read.
Rating:3.5/5
The story starts off with an average teenager (Chloe) who, as a child, saw quite a few imaginary friends. However, her imaginary friends were not there to keep her company, they terrorised her. It is only when she sees people that no-one else can see does she begin to question if it was just her lonely childish mind thinking up some (rather sick and twisted) "friends" for her. She began to wonder if she was in fact mental, this thought was then strengthened further, when she was admitted to Lyle House, a house for "disturbed" teenagers. However after discovering that others in the house had "special abilities" she begins to question the purpose for her being there.
I will not give anything more away than that; as I really do think that this book is quite a thrilling read. It has a myriad of different characters with a myriad of different personalities. In the home there is Tori (an obnoxious teenager who at one point kidnaps Chloe); Derek (who has "problems" with his strength and seems, just a tad, irritating, unfriendly and unsmiling); Simon (who actually makes Chloe feel at home in the house, and is one of the central protagonists); Rae (Chloe's best friend throughout her stay) and a few domineering controlling nurses that keep a disturbingly close eye on the residents.
This book acts as an emotional journey, that shows the reader that although people may see you as a bit odd, you may be an outcast; but there will always be something that you have in common with others.
Ending on a cliff-hanger, this book entices the reader into reading further, and I myself cannot wait to receive the next one in this trilogy.
Although this book is very good throughout, I must admit (due to the fact that the website does in fact have the word "Critic" in it) that there is a certain spark of something missing. Also, despite the fact that I had to read it in a grand total of three-four days because it was wanted back by the library to give to yet another reader, it is missing something that sets it apart from the rest of the teenage books. Although, it does have an interesting, unique storyline, it still lacks some sort of technical flourish that would make it an incredible read.
Rating:3.5/5
Sunday 13 October 2013
Author of the Month: October
This month's top author, for me, has got to be Charlie Higson. He has just released his new addition to "The Enemy" series and has also gone on the new comedy show "Was it something I said?". Not only are his books incredible, I am yet to read "The Fallen" as I am in the process of reading the entire series again before I actually read the newest one, but he is also a very funny (and nice) guy.
That is why he is my Author of the Month.
Check out his website at www.charliehigson.co.uk/.
That is why he is my Author of the Month.
Check out his website at www.charliehigson.co.uk/.
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