Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale

Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale
Release Date: July 1st 2008
Publisher: Random House
Add it: Goodreads
Overall: ♥♥♥ 1/2 - ♥♥♥♥ (ahh it's too hard) 

A few weeks ago, a bunch of friends and I were all having drinks at their house and one of the roommates got a new kitten so she was having a quiet night in! I had so much fun there (let’s be honest here, I always do) but me being me, I decided to have a random hour-long discussion with said roommate about nerdy things like the pros and cons of different computer operating systems, internet privacy and of course, BOOKS! This friend has just recently moved to Australia from New Zealand so when we got talking about what Australian authors that she MUST READ IMMEDIATELY (more like me randomly bringing the topic up and started fangirling) and I was curious about New Zealand authors. She told me her New Zealand author ever was Fleur Beale and her favourite book by said author was Juno of Taris! Juno of Taris was the ONLY book she bought with her when she moved to Australia (could you imagine, having to leave so many books behind… *cries*) and after telling me about it, she kindly lent it to me :) 

Now…  Juno of Taris is a dystopian young-adult novel and follows the story of an 11 year old girl named Juno who *shock*, lives on the island of Taris. Taris was the brainchild of the 21^st century world and was created to survive the virus epidemic, wars and hatred of the 21^st century, even if nobody else in the world did. Taris is completely isolated from the Outside, is protected by a dome and eventually resulted in a totalitarian cult-like society where it is a requirement to shave your hair. 

The story is absolutely brilliant, there were so many twists, turns and surprises that left my jaw hanging and left me in shock. The way Fleur Beale has weaved together the plot was incredible. What at first seemed to be a fairly neat, predictable plot soon grew into something much more complicated and action-packed than expected.  It was really refreshing to read because the plot was not only layered, it made me *think*. The society Juno lives in reminds me of a communist society. Everybody does the same things, works the same sorts of jobs, has to get selected for  ridiculous things like have a child and the “qualities” the chosen parents choose for their children all bare the same sort of resemblance. I loved how this topic was explored in addition to the regular dystopian government.

In addition to the story, the characters were wonderful. Juno was such a different heroine and it was interesting to see how much she grew (literally) throughout the novel. The novel starts with Juno at age 11 and ends with Juno aged 14! Now this sounds a little strange but considering it was a 350 page novel with 3 birthdays squeezed in, the pacing was ideal for this novel. The birthdays didn’t feel rushed or jammed together and neither did anything else, it all flowed together pretty nicely!

The only real issue I had with this (which is why I had such a difficult time rating this) was the writing. It’s hard to explain – the first 100-200 pages seemed to have writing that was sort of disjointed and it was in past tense which at first, I didn’t think suited the novel. It was all, “We did this, then they did this. Then this happened” BUT I do have a theory on this :)… You know how when a lot of younger kids tell a story to you they basically go along the lines of, “This happened, then this happened and then I did this…”? Well, because Juno was 11, I have a feeling the author (quite cleverly) did this intentionally because the older Juno got throughout the novel, the less disjointed the writing seemed and the past tense and writing in general was easier to read. So I don’t know (God, this is difficult to write)… I didn’t particularly love the writing at the beginning of the novel but I think she did this intentionally to connect us with Juno more!  So what I’m TRYING to say is that Fleur Beale is basically a sneaky genius.

This is definitely worth a read :) and I’ll definitely be reading more of Fleur Beale’s books in the future!

AHHHH I JUST FOUND OUT THIS IS THE FIRST IN A TRILOGY. Ohhhh yeahhh! *dances*

PS - Please excuse the dodgy cover photo... The one on Goodreads was too small and this one on Book Depository is just weird looking...

Fated by Sarah Alderson

Fated by Sarah Alderson
Release Date: January 5th 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Add it: Goodreads
Overall: ♥♥♥♥

What can I say? After reading Hunting Lila and absolutely falling in love with Sarah Alderson (and Alex, of course *stares into space*), I could not wait to read Fated! Guys, it doesn't disappoint!

Evie is a 17 year old waitress who is just trying to earn as much money as possible so she can get out of her town and move to New York. Lucas (is really, really hot... *ahem*) is a half human, half Unhuman Shadow Warrior who would like nothing more than revenge on Hunters - Hunters killed his family. Evie Tremain finds out she is the last in a long line of demon slayers known as Hunters after being attacked in the alley behind her work by a demon who's tail can cut human flesh as easily as cutting through butter and a demon who's skin is green and deadly.

Evie is such a refreshing main character! She is just... I can't even describe it... You know how a lot of heroines in YA sort of have the same type of personality or voice? Well, Evie is just completely different! She is tough, angry and doesn't take things at face value. EVER. She questions everything but she asks the right questions! Evie has some major trust issues, but with good reason. However, she learns so much and grows throughout the novel, I ended up getting rather attached to her due to her outlook on life and I loved how she made choices for herself rather than for somebody else (I know so many people like that in real life, it drives me nuts)

Lucas... Oh, you *may* give Alex a run for his money... (But Alex is still my #1 tied with Etienne St. Clair) Oh. Wow. Oops, now I'm daydreaming. Anywayyy! Lucas, whilst not on par with the previously named sexiness, he is still pretty darn close. Sarah Alderson has a talent for creating incredibly hot characters. At first, Lucas seems just like a pretty face, but as this is told in third person (YAY!) dual-narrative, we get to know him so well and we follow his heartbreaking backstory with him. Lucas also grows immensely as a character, we get to learn how love can change somebody in such a dramatic way, and whether this is perceived as a positive or a negative thing.

I adored the world building in Fated. It gave youa little taste about the different types of demons and their world whilst leaving room for more detail in the books to come. The different types of demons were fascinating and I loved all of their relationships with one another. It was almost as if you were reading about one big family! As for the world building of the Hunters. Oh my. That was incredible! I loved learning about Evie's family history and the history of Hunters, I loved reading the Evie's book along with her and I adored the little twists and turns every now and then.

Fated is a well-written, fast-paced, funny and deep book that will keep you on your toes. If you loved Hunting Lila, you'll love this one as well :) Sarah Alderson has done it again! You magnificant woman, you! THANKYOU!

Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Release Date: January 5th 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books
Add it: Goodreads
Overall: ♥♥♥♥

What would you do if you had your future at your fingertips? What would you have done if you stumbled upon Facebook 8 years before it was invented and you saw how your living in the future?

Josh and Emma have been best friends almost their entire lives until things get a little awkward... Josh gets a free AOL CD in the mail and gives it to Emma to install on her new computer. The pair then stumbles upon a website called Facebook and it's a little bit weird... Who would write about what their having for dinner or what colour they want to dye their hair? They have no idea how they came across Facebook when it hadn't even been invented yet or why their posting such personal things for everybody to see!

Whist I wasn't a teenager in the 90's, I still consider myself a 90's kid (is that something I should be proud of?). All the little bits and pieces mentioned such as scrunchies, dial up, Windows 95 (I refused to have any screensaver but the brick maze) and the fact that a COLOUR monitor was pretty freaking cool made me feel all giddy inside and I constantly found myself going "OOOOH I REMEMBER THAT!". Then there are the mentions of things we didn't have any idea about back then... For example,
'I flinch. "What the hell happens to Pluto?"'
or
'"It doesn't matter," Tyson says, biting off more sandwich. "My dad thinks Ellen DeGeneres is gay, and we love Ellen!"
"Are you kidding? She's not gay," Kellan says.'
and finally
'I don't know what Harry Potter or The Help are...

This is set before Harry Potter was a phenomenon (there was such a time? Must have blocked it out :P). The 90's nostalgia was great :)

This was written in dual narrative and I thought both character's had very distinctive voices and I really loved seeing them mature and grow throughout the novel. We still witness the freakouts either has over something they've seen on Facebook, but I found that the two of them handled situations very differently. I'm not entirely sure whether I liked Emma or not. I liked her, however she was never happy with what her future offered her and jumped to conclusions very easily. If it was implied that she had a bad week on Facebook, she would go to drastic measures to manipulate her future. She did this several times and whilst Josh understandably freaked out about a few things, he didn't do anything too drastic in attempt to change his future. Josh thought more rationally than Emma did and was a little more accepting. He didn't intentionally do anything to change his future, although he did "accidently" due to the simple fact he knew what would happen to him in 15 years.

Although the ending and the story in general fairly predictable, it was still a delightful, fun read and is a thought-provoking novel with just enough 90's nostalgia tossed in (which obviously, I really enjoyed!). Also, the ending is super-duper cute :)

Ohh yeahhh!

 

Also, did anyone else used to play Chip's Challenge? Or was that just me? :) 

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Release Date: March 1st 2012
Publisher: Amulet Books
Add it: Goodreads
Overall: ♥♥♥♥


I have no idea where to begin with this book... At first glance, it appears very poorly written, unstructured, messy and just all over the place. For example, the narrator, Greg Haines talks about his friend Earl and then says something along the lines of "Oh yeah, I should probably introduce you to Earl hey?". It's like you're having a conversation with him and that he really has no idea where to begin or what to say, but this is the beauty of it.

The entire novel basically tells you to stop taking life so god damn seriously! You can't control everything that happens around you, and this is what I think the main moral of the story is. Greg used to try to control everything. He didn't want any actual friends, but he didn't want any enemies either. Once he has to hang out with cancer-stricken Rachel, he learns that things can be out of your control and sometimes you have to just deal with it.

Some of the chapters are basically entirely compromised of lists. Dot-point lists and 'subtitle lists', so please allow me to write my review like that :)

This is how the "subtitle" list worked:
Now, this writing technique had had my mind reeling, I was incredibly confused as to whether this is what Jesse Andrews intentionally meant to do. Turns out, it was. Once it was all wrapped up, it made complete sense! NOW. That's not to say I didn't enjoy reading it! Because I did! Greg was absolutely hilarious, he made jokes about every 3 sentences and I could sort of relate to him in a way because, I make people laugh when I don't mean to (or if I trip over nothing/run into a pole or something). When I actually try, I just end up mocking myself or make a really lame joke on purpose and I do this thing where I slap my knee and say "AHHH HAAAAA. Aren't I hilarious.." . MOVING ON. Greg was genuinely funny. He did this. He made fun of himself and was well-aware of the fact that nobody is perfect. I do wish that Greg stopped making fun of himself sometimes though, but that was just how he was and I guess how he dealt with stressful situations. Despite there being no real plot or character development, this was okay because you were too busy laughing!

I also loved the fact that Greg makes films:
I studied film, technique and screen arts as part of my first year of uni. The films mentioned, such as "Walk Lola Walk" and "Cat-a-blanca", made me giggle. Alot. Because the movies these were based off of, were two of the movies that we had to study to the 'nth' degree as part of the unit. I unfortunately can't relate to Greg wanting to pursue directing though. I made a 5 minute short movie with 2 other people, and it took 3 days of straight shooting and 9 hours of straight editing. And because I know that, I know that Greg is obviously incredibly patient and actually really clever.

Some quotes, because this book was so funny:
'...including Brandon, who is thirteen and probably the most violent and aggressive of the bunch. (For example, he has a huge painful-looking neck tattoo that says "TRU NIGGA" next to some pictures of guns.'
(On his Dad) 'Around the house he usually wears a muumuu, which is essentially a blanket with holes cut in it, and he talks to the cat, Cat Stevens, as if he were a real human being.'

I'll try to tell you what I honestly thought of this book, without rambling:
Apart from this book being hilarious and Greg constantly putting himself down, he does grow towards the end. This wasn't a flat out change, it was a subtle growth. The switch from Greg-Cracking-Jokes-Every-3-Seconds to Greg-Cracks-Jokes-Ocassionally was steady. Andrews manages to tone it down so gradually that by the time you realise what had happened, the book ended. I loved Greg's narration and how it ended. I loved that this was a "different" type of cancer story, yet still managed to have heart. This wasn't just a book that takes the piss out of everything and whilst it's still hilarious, it's realistic. I loved the fact that Andrews allowed his characters to be indifferent about things (even cancer). This book explores the idea that, despite what other people say, you CAN move on from a tragedy and you're allowed to feel a little indifferent about things.

This is a brilliant, HILARIOUS novel that, despite the synopsis, allows you to watch Greg grow and begin to understand who he is.

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter
Release Date: March 27th 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Add it: Goodreads
Overall: ♥♥♥♥


WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE FEELING A SENSE OF LOSS, ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT "WHO YOU ARE" OR IF YOU ARE SIMPLY EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE. IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS, PUT OFF READING THIS AS IT MAY RESULT IN BOUTS OF CRYING THAT LAST FOR CHAPTERS ON END.

I enjoyed but didn't love The Goddess Test and judging by some reviews of this installment, those who loved the first installment, weren't huge fans of this one. I have to say I'm the opposite! Maybe it's because I didn't really think Henry and Kate had much of a relationship in The Goddess Test. Maybe it's because I'm a bit of an emotional wreck at this point of my life. Or maybe it was just my cup of tea! For whatever reason, I enjoyed this installment even more than its predecessor.

The novel starts off with a bang and it doesn't slow down for a long time! From the get-go, Kate just couldn't catch a break. She has just come back from her 6 month "break" in Greece and pretty much the moment she sets foot in the freaking door, trouble goes down with a Titan. Kate then goes on a trip in the Underworld in order to save her loved ones. Now, for the first half of the book, Kate, Ava and James are on said trip together and it's basically walk, walk, walking for days on end. But you know what? I found it interesting. Aimee Carter has this wonderful way of making time fly in a couple of pages and only adds the good bits in. Although it sounds incredibly boring to read, it wasn't. It was always interesting and I really loved the pace throughout the entire novel.

I love Kate even more thanks to this installment. I love her attitude, her determination and her sympathetic/empathetic nature (even if she doesn't want to! *cough* Persephone *cough*). Even when she is at her lowest point, she still manages to at least appear strong, she never really loses her marbles, she is incredibly impulsive, but not an idiot and she is funny.
'I slammed the breaks and forced the car into Park so violently that the head of the stick shift snapped off. The car was a piece of shit anyway.' I HAVE SO MUCH LOVE FOR THAT SENTENCE RIGHT NOW! But may I just say, it's incredibly weird to read "Stick shift", when we call them manuals in Australia :).

As the novel progresses, Kate's emotions spiral out of control and so did mine. For about 3 chapters straight (as a rough estimate), I was a blubbering mess and wanted to reach out for Kate, give her a massive hug and cry together! As an interesting turn of events, Kate returns home much sooner than I expected and I was left wondering where Aimee Carter was going with this as it seemed that everything was resolved (for a little while) about 150 pages before the novel finished. During this time, Kate discovers more about who she is and why. Her and Henry also have some uh, issues which also made me cry on Kate's behalf (seriously, Henry could use some guidance in "How to Show Affection".) but we also discover why Henry is the way he is around Kate, and why Persephone did what she did. I could understand both Henry and Kate and why they felt the way they did and I'm SO glad that things got sorted out!

And then there's the cliffhanger to defeat all cliffhangers-it's up there with Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone... As soon as I finished those last few pages, I kinda felt angry. Mainly due to the fact that I have to wait God knows how long until the next installment. I WANT NOW. I went from thinking "HA-HA good one!" to thinking "Oh, god, THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING." My head kinda half-exploded from the ending and I seriously just needed more. Please October, HURRY UP.

'"Being with Henry doesn't mean you have to give up who you are. Henry doesn't define you."' Aimee Carter, this is one of my favourite quotes - EVER. At this point I was in hysterics, damn it!

I received this for review from Netgalley and this has not influenced my review at all.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Release Date: December 1st 2010
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Add it: Goodreads
Overall: ♥♥♥♥

What can I say about this? Oh, I have such a hard time writing reviews for contemporary books (Brodie, I know what you're going to say, but I won't say this review is dodgy... for your sake), I just don't find them as easy to review as fantasy or paranormal because not only have I only just started reading contemporary, but most of the time, I feel I can seriously relate in one way or the other.

A snarly boy named Dash finds a red moleskine notebook right next to his favourite author's books in The Strand*, this notebook has been written by the sensible and quirky Lily. In the notebook, Lily has written clues, but instead of putting the notebook back on the shelf, Dash takes the notebook and starts his own game with Lily. The result is hilarious!

The book is told by both Dash and Lily's perspective and I loved how distinct and fresh both of their personalities were. I was a bit worried as to how this would turn out as it's written by two authors, but they've managed to have the same voice and writing style whilst setting their character's apart from eachother.

The setting - Christmas in New York. OH, HOW CLICHE' you say! (Would you look at that, I'm a poet!) No, this is perfect as we have Dash who can't stand Christmas and couldn't care less, and we have Lily who is to say the least, obsessed with Christmas. It's really great though, because Christmas Day isn't even that much of a big deal in this book. It's the lead up to Christmas that is hilarious and what makes each of the character's personalities shine through (like freakishly busy department stores and seeing Santa) and what happens to the character's after Christmas that makes you love these two.

The minor characters are great and again, have completely distinct personalities. BOOMER! Hahahaha! I love Boomer! And how over enthused he is about everything! Every bit of dialogue from Boomer has an explanation point! What was great, was that whilst it was always "!", it still didn't feel overdone or stupid!

Overall, I thought this was a really cute, fun read and it was perfect because whilst I haven't been reading much in the past two weeks (believe me, I'd rather be reading!), this kept me occupied and made me smile so much :)
I'll leave you with a few quotes I loved...

"We all just took the bookstore at its word, because if you couldn't trust a bookstore, who could you trust?".
So true, Dash. So true.

"Dear man, you are a genius. I'm so glad my father forced me to marry you and allow you to impregnate me every year."
Oh, Lily, your comments about these sorts of things make me laugh and don't come across as if the author is trying to shove her beliefs down your throat. Plus, from what I could understand, I'm generally on the side of the author!

"I expected Sherlock Holmes and Jane Austin to be thumb wrestling in the corner."
HAHA! The visual I got from this sentence was incredible, and sorta weird...


*I googled The Strand and died a little inside. I am now making it my personal goal to not only travel the world, but to go to New York and spend hours browsing the shelves at The Strand and to bask in it's greatness. I don't know if it's true, but it apparently has 18 miles (28km for those who, like me, don't understand miles, lbs etcetc) worth of books. 28000m worth of bookish pleasure. *starts daydreaming*.

Dark Seeker by Taryn Browning

Dark Seeker by Taryn Browning
Release Date: October 4th 2011
Publisher: Taryn Browning
Add it: Goodreads
Overall: ♥♥♥♥

Firstly, thankyou Taryn Browning for providing me with a copy for review! This has not affected my review in any way.

Janie is a Seeker, she has been trained to rid the streets of the undead and of super creepy vampire-demon halfbreeds called Daychildren. One night out Seeking, she is completely unprepared for what she would have to fight, until Kai comes along, saves her and finishes them off.

Okay, so first thing I have to clear up: Janie is not one of those "heroines" that are supposedly tough and kickass but actually don't do anything but whinge and moan to the guy about having to be rescued. This instance is a one off. Throughout the book, Kai (who I seriously have a crush on now) tries to protect her and warns her against the undead and Daychildren, this is sweet because the way he says it isn't all "You are a woman, you can't handle this", he is simply concerned but Janie still tells him to shove it and that she can handle it herself, which she can! Janie is a great character, Browning has developed her so well - she is tough, stubborn, has lost and never loved and she is actually very emotional. Underneath all of her tough exterior, Browning has written her in such a way that reflects that she is still a teenage girl going to highschool. Janie is easily one of my favourite characters in a novel, I probably wouldn't befriend her instantly though, because I'm scared of her (but shh).

And Kai. Oh, well I love him. Enough said. He is incredibly emotional, and the things that he has been through is so gut-wrenching and raw that you understand why is he so protective and you understand why he is the way he is. Anyway. Kai is hot, and sweet, and all-round awesome.

This also made me laugh so hard it parts, like, the ghetto gangsta vampires and Janie thinking of 'Bloods' and 'Crips'... HA! I laughed out loud with this because it put the best visual in my head - A vampire with a gangsta lean, a red bandana and ghetto jeans just casually strolling toward Janie, possibly listening to Lil John or Snoop Dogg on an iPod.

I think the only issue I had with this was the insta-love. I think that was my fault though, because the pacing was *so* fast (which was great by the way), I couldn't keep up with the timing in the novel and still thought it had been a few days until how long it had really been was mentioned at the end! So really, it wasn't insta-love, it was just me not being able to keep up haha!

Oh, and Browning's writing seriously pulls you in. For example,
"In a flash, his teeth sank into her neck. Muscle man held her firmly as the newbie bit even deeper into her vein" OUCH. Reading that actually made my freaking neck hurt. *shudders*

Ooooh, another note - I REALLY want to see more of Abram and Albania (wow, so many cool 'A' names).

Overall, Dark Seeker was original and refreshing and I'm pretty freaking eager to read Dark Beauty and whatever else Taryn Browning has to offer!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: September 29th 2011
Publisher: Dutton
Add it: Goodreads
Overall: ♥♥♥♥

Stephanie Perkins won my heart with Anna and the French Kiss and taught me that not all contemporary is bad (mind you, I've read my fair share of horrible contemporary, mostly adult rather than YA) and she has once confirmed that lesson with Lola.

Lola is completely different to Anna, her personality, her behaviour and her style is quirky, fun and unique. I think what I love the most about Stephanie Perkins is that her characters don't have the same voice, Anna and Lola are different, Anna and Lola's friends are different, even their boyfriends (or love interests) are different! The characters she creates imitate real life.


Whilst I liked Lola, I didn't love her. I thought she was fun, different and quirky, and I can't quite put my finger on it but I just didn't "connect" with her. One thing I loved were her parents. They were gay. That has got to be the coolest freaking thing I have ever come across in YA. I appreciated how they enforced rules and boundaries for Lola, although I did think they were a bit *too* strict at time and I think their reasons for being so strict was a bit unfair and judgemental. Just because Lola's mum was tapped in the head does not mean she is going to end up like that, especially considering she wasn't even raised by her mum. Her parents were still adorable though :). 

Cricket, oh I know he is cute and totally made for Lola but I didn't love him as much as St. Clair... Ahh, St. Clair.......
ANYWAY. I did however love the fact that Cricket accepted that Lola had a boyfriend (who, is not too old in my opinion, 17-22 - not that horrible) and although he wasn't happy about it, he wasn't all "I don't care".

I can't say much about the characters though, because this is contemporary (and NO, I'm still not used to the fact that I managed to find two books I loved of that genre), and that means that the characters are meant to be realistic, the situations are meant to be realistic but Stephanie Perkins has yet again sucked me in with her incredible and funny writing. I don't know how, but she's done it - she has *officially* convinced me to read more contemporary YA. 


In the meantime, please excuse these horribly written reviews because quite frankly, I don't know how to write reviews for good contemporary books. But I will be reading more of this and I am DEFINITELY itching to read Isla and the Happily Ever After (also I'm seriously getting hardcopies of all of these)

OOOOHHH, before I forget... Etienne and Anna are featured in Lola and the Boy Next Day - can you say awesome??

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
Release Date: August 1st 2010
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Add it: Goodreads
Overall: ♥♥♥♥

Graffiti Moon pleasantly surprised me! At first, I couldn't get into the story alot and I put the book down, read the worst thing ever (see Halo review) and then picked this back up! I'm so glad I did, I honestly feel there was nothing wrong with the book apart from the fact I wasn't in the mood for it at the time and the beginning didn't *grab* me.

Lucy is going on a night out with two of her friends to celebrate the end of Year 12 (it IS a pretty good reason, although I spent a good deal crying on my Grad night).. ANYWAY. The main character, Lucy spends most of her night looking for a guy named 'Shadow', who leaves beautiful art all over the city. The kind of art Shadow creates gives Lucy the illusion that this is somebody she could really be in a relationship with. After attending a seriously dodgy party, she ends up looking for Shadow with a guy named Ed, who's nose she broke after he grabbed her arse (hahahaha, this is the reason I love Lucy).

Graffiti Moon is told from both Ed and Lucy's prespective as well as Ed's best friend, Leo.
I adored the different perspectives in this as it didn't feel forced and Crowley has created characters that are in depth and lovable. At first, I thought Lucy was going to be another idiot who wanted some guy she didn't know, however, the further into the story you get, the more you grow to love her. Cath Crowley has this amazing way with words and awesome ability to create three dimensional characters! Not only did the primary characters have depth, the parents/guardians/bosses also did and we see even less of them than we do any other character! I honestly believe it's Crowley's storytelling ability that creates such great characters and such a nicely-flowing story. The thing I loved most about this is that we see character growth, and although the book is only one night, the growth is gradual and subtle and you don't realise how much they've grown until the book has ended! Lucy's friends, Jazz and Daisy are great supporting characters and I loved Jazz in particular!

Ed is another character I adored, he isn't mentioned to be the "hot guy" (although, I just get the impression he is seriously hot), he is completely real and you feel the pain he goes through. Ed's friends were also awesome and deep for secondary characters, including Dylan! I found Leo to be incredibly moving and emotional, I know so many people like Leo (except they don't write poetry) and his character captures the essence of someone completely real. He was awesome! Although I wasn't as invested in Dylan and Leo's relationships as I was with Ed and Lucy, I still loved them and they are possibly some of the best secondary characters!!

Although I thought I was going to be bored, the story overall was lovely and promising. I became incredibly attached to Ed and Lucy, but I wasn't on the edge of my seat. Which, I suppose is a nice change! This was still an incredibly compelling and addictive story once the ball started rolling and I read this in two sittings!!

I'm SO glad this is being published in the US because Australian authors tend to create, deep and meaningful characters and stories (YAY AUSTRALIA!) and Ms. Crowley definitely keeps up the standard! (Although, this does not include Halo-she gives Australia a bad name)

PS-I put the US cover because I like the US cover better :) it's really pretty!!

Thankyou Netgalley for providing me with this for review

Crave by Melissa Darnell

Crave by Melissa Darnell
Release Date: October 25th 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Add it: Goodreads
Overall: ♥♥♥♥

I received this book from Netgalley – My first Netgalley read YAYYYY!

Okay, I’ve read a fair few negative reviews about this and I’d like to say I’m giving this a four star rating because whilst it was not exactly a plot with the most substance, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
Crave is the story of Savannah and Tristan and their forbidden romance, but wait! Before you think “oh how cliché”, this forbidden romance is actually a decent one. Savannah discovers she is half-vampire, half-witch and due to the story being told in dual narrative, we find out early that Tristan is a witch too (a warlock?). How is this forbidden romance different? Well, the two main characters actually have a history together and a good reason for their families forbidding them to see eachother.

The dual narrative was excellent. At first I thought I’d had enough of switching POV’s, but Crave gave each character a beautiful voice and personality in this way and the emotions, thoughts and actions are so spot on with teenage romance (in my opinion). It seemed Savannah and Tristan just kept doing the complete opposite of the other for the other person’s sake and, to be honest if a boy and a girl like eachother in HIGHSCHOOL, they worry about whether the other likes them, and Ms. Darnell told this in a way that was realistic and sweet. Yes, it was a tad cheesy every now and then, but I felt this was accurate in the portrayal of a YEAR 9’s romance. 

As for the characters, I loved them. I loved Savannah and how realistic she was in handling problems and acting and I loved Tristan the same way – I’m torn because I know he is probably the cliché YA love interest, and I’m not really into guys such as Patch and Edward, however, I thought Tristan was sweet and realistic with his boyish nature and charm. Plus, in my head, he was the hottest thing imaginable. Which leads to another point… We eventually found out what he looked like but it wasn’t all “his golden curls bounced and swayed in the breeze whilst his turquoise/cyan/blue/aqua/(insert other synonym for blue here) stared intently at the luscious hair that reached halfway down my back”.  I mean, the character’s hardly described their own appearance at all, WHICH WAS AWESOME. I am so sick of the whole “I have long legs that turn heads and super-duper sparkly eyes and hair that is way too long for the average person which I claim to be” thing that a lot of YA romance has going on with their heroine who happens to be an outcast. This was another reason I loved Savannah, she didn’t think she was ugly or anything but she didn’t think she was drop-dead gorgeous either.

Another thing I loved about Savannah, was that she was SMART. I groaned when she didn’t immediately figure out that the guy at the Charmer’s audition was a vamp but she didn’t take the entire book to come to this revelation, thank god, because otherwise my uttermost respect for her would have dropped.

I adored the dream connection scenes and I adored Tristan and Susannah’s stolen time alone. They were written in a way that gave me a perfect visual, from the school classroom, to the football field. Okay, enough with all the gushing about the characters and the visuals. Now for some reasoning as to why this wasn’t a five star book.

Firstly, WHEN WILL HEROINES STOP FEELING THE NEED TO NOT ASK THEIR PARENT’S FOR HELP. God, as soon as Savannah decided not to tell her mum or her dad about her new abilities, I knew something bad was going to happen at some point in the book. I understand why they don’t tell their parents because if the heroine did, there wouldn’t really be a plot or a conclusion to the book would there?

Secondly, whilst I loved Tristan for 95% of the novel, “You mean always think women are weak and need to be protected.” “Aren’t you?” Smirking, he reach out and brushed my toe with a piece of grass. Okay, to me this sounds like the typical ‘I AM MAN, MUST PROTECT FRAGILE GIRL.’, and this made Tristan’s hotness factor drop down a couple of notches for me, but thankfully this is the only real issue I have in regards to females being regularly portrayed as weak and helpless in novels.
For once, Savannah is the heroine who is actually strong, honest and a great character rather than the heroine who THINKS she is strong and honest, when she is really just a weak idiot who needs a man to protect her. I appreciate Ms. Darnell’s portrayal, because whilst I don’t think it was her intention for Tristan to sound like that, I think things like that happen  - and it was only once so that’s okay :). Also, why was Tristan always growling? He either spoke, or growled. That was a bit much but meh.

LILITH. Oh, this myth gets chucked around a lot in YA paranormal novels. Okay, according to Wikipedia, “Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with archangel Samael”.  This does not mean, “Adam complained to god, so God sent three angels to bring her back. But she refused to return with them and threatened to become a plague upon mankind.” No. Lilith just happened to refuse to obey Adam’s every wish and command so she got replaced by Eve so that Adam could have a woman to run around for him to, I don’t know, cook and clean for him? Just because Lilith *gasp* REFUSED TO OBEY Adam, does not make her a demon or evil or a bitch or anything like that. I understand that there are many stories regarding Lilith, but she is portrayed in a negative way IN EVERY SINGLE YA BOOK.

That’s about all I have for complaints for this book and overall, I found it relaxing, cute and light-hearted. Crave was a lovely break from all the other crappy YA romance and all the hardcore “I can’t breathe it’s just that suspenseful” novels. Needless to say, I personally loved Crave and the characters and I loved Melissa’s easy to read writing. I read this in one day. I haven’t been able to get through a book in one day in SOO long. I am SO eager for Covet, and I wish 2012 would hurry up already.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: August 1st 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Add it: Goodreads
Overall:  ♥♥♥♥

Alrighty, let me start off with a few things. I've read some reviews that either LOVE this book or HATE it. And generally every single review on Goodreads seems to think this is a Twilight ripoff. No, it is not a goddamn Twilight ripoff just because it is a paranormal romance. There are gazillions of books that have apparently ripped off Twilight when really, everybody only compares books to Twilight because it's easy and it was, and still is, extremely popular. ANYWAY, this is obviously a paranormal romance and I thought it was beautiful.

Grace was attacked by a pack of wolves when she was 11 years old, but one of the wolves, with his amazing yellow eyes helped her. Throughout the years that follow, every winter, Grace watches the wolf and the wolf watches her. A boy from Grace's school dies and Grace finds that the wolf she's watched all those years, has been shot and is laying helpless on the edge of her backyard and the woods, his name is Sam and his time as a human may run out soon. Shiver alternates between Grace and Sam's point of view which I found really refreshing because I like different POVs.

I found myself getting a tad bored in the middle of this book and I began wondering whether anything was actually going to happen. I mean, yes, the romance between Grace and Sam was one of the most beautiful I've come across in paranormal romance but there was nothing happening for a long while. Maggie's writing was incredible, the words jumped out at me and I found myself immersed in the world of Mercy Falls. How the temperature was described (which is a major component in this book) was amazing, you could feel the cold and could really picture the snow and the wind. Whilst I found some plot points pretty predictable, it didn't damage the book for me and I still found it beautiful and sad when my suspicions were confirmed.

To begin, I found our main protagonist, Grace, a little boring and dull but then as I delved further into the story, the more interesting and real she became. She had a personality, she had a hobby, she wasn't arrogant, she didn't describe what she looked like in great detail, she was intelligent and she read books! If you ignore the fact that she was in love with the wolf before she met the man behind the wolf (beastiality?), she is an extremely easy protagonist to love.

SAM. Sam, Sam, Sam. I love Sam. Why have I been falling in love with all of these boys in books all of a sudden? I shouldn't really be complaining though, I enjoy reading good books, I really do... Moving on, to everybody who thinks Sam is like Edward Cullen, I'm sorry but I have to disagree. Sam was incredibly sweet, somewhat vulnerable and intelligent. The story about him and his parents broke my heart and I loved how Maggie weaved this backstory into how Sam thinks, acts and feels in general. Sam's song lyrics sort of freaked me out for a little bit, but it grew on me. I mean, I can't really complain because *Fun Fact!* everything I do or talk about generally triggers a song of somesort in my head and then I randomly start singing, and I really can't sing. Everytime I read about Sam's time running out I got teary eyed and when Sam and Grace were apart toward the end of the book, I was also teary eyed (why is this happening so often lately?).

I've already mentioned that Ms. Stiefvater's writing is gorgeous and there are some scenes that I adored, I loved the sex scene in particular, I thought that was incredibly well done, I also loved it when Sam took Grace to the candy store, it made me think of the sweet shop here because it was so well described, I could smell the damn sweets. Finally, the way that Grace and Sam found eachother again made me cry... it was just so beautiful and personal. The ending in particular seriously touched me.

Overall, whilst this was generally a typical paranormal romance and some parts were boring, I loved the characters and I loved the ending. I would definitely recommend this to those who haven't read it yet!

One of my favourite moments....

"Oh my god, what is that?" .............

"In my language, we call it a hat. It keeps my ears warm."
"Oh my god," Sam said again, and closed the distance between us. He cupped my face in his hands and studied me. "It's horribly cute." He kissed me, looked at the hat, and then kissed me again."

Isn't that horribly cute! 

However....

"I nuzzled my face into his armpit. It smelled very Sam in there."

 ...freaked me out a tad.

Afterlight by Elle Jasper

Afterlight by Elle Jasper
Release Date: September 29th 2010
Publisher: Signet
Add it: Goodreads 
Overall:  ♥♥♥♥

I have more positives to say about this book than negatives and as a debut novel – amazing!

Firstly, I love Riley Poe, she is a refreshing portagonist and isn’t weak like protagonists such as Bella from Twilight or just plain arrogant/annoying like Sookie Stackhouse. Riley has turned her life around from being a junkie, trouble making teen who someone who has gone to college and started their own successful tattoo shop. Riley is a big sister who raises her little brother after their mother passed away and was under the care of an awesome old guy called Preacher and his wife who practice wicked African magic. They helped Riley turn her life around.While Riley has turned her life around she is still a kick-ass female protagonist who thnks for herself rather than for the man who comes into her life, Eli.

The book is generally about Riley’s brother, Seth and his friends who accidently release two evil brother vampires by disturbing “Da hell stone” and due to this, slowly begin a transformation that will make them the most savage type of vampire.

In order to save her brother from becoming a creature of the afterlight, Preacher introduces her to the Dupre family – A local family of vampires (who by the way, are a type of vampire that can go out in the sun) and Riley meets and falls for Eligius Dupre, a hot-tempered, protective vampire who falls for Riley the same. With some hardcore training and dark underground club hopping to figure out where her brother and his friends are hanging out to lure bait for the vampire brothers, Riley Poe, the Dupre family and Preacher man has less than a month to save Seth and as many lives as possible and to try and kill the brothers.

The premise for this book is Riley’s brother, Seth and his buddies apparently release two brother vampires who were captured centuries ago. While doing that these vampires make the teenagers into their minions, and they slowly begin a transformation to becoming vampires which will be complete when they make their first kill in about a month’s time.

The only thing I can think of that I didn’t like about the book was that there was a fair bit of talking about nothing (although its a nice change considering I just finished the Sookie Stackhouse series) and the chapters are really long, however it is still a book that is difficult to put down and will keep you wanting more of Riley Poe.