Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor

Hope has spent her first 16 years of life isolated and intimidated. She has a photographic memory, suffers from crippling claustrophobia and migraines which come on whenever she is faced with a startling or threatening situation. When her mother died in an earthquake in India, Hope lost her focus and her protector. Left to the tender mercies of her domineering step grandmother and abandoned by her step father and his new girlfriend, Hope travels from the Southern States of America to Scotland to finally meet her mother's family.

Things are not quite what they seem and Hope's introduction to her aunt and cousins does not go smoothly. For a start, she stumbles upon an underground cavern which houses an array of costumes, artefacts and technology and a truth which staggers the mind. Her family are time travellers. Her mother was not in India at the time of the earthquake, but is trapped in 12th Century London. Only Hope, and two of her cousins can save her - and they only have 72 hours to do it!

The explanations for time travel and the technology which makes it all possible are quite intricate and sometimes confusing - which I'm sure they would be in reality. I enjoyed the way the characters developed over the course of the book and the fact that their relationships with each other are often confronting and abrupt. I like the way Hope's cousin did not automatically become her best friend and the fact that each character was flawed and not infallible. Hope herself is a contradiction, often showing flashes of spunk, determination and courage in trying circumstances, then struggling with less confronting or difficult events.

There is a lot of detail and description about the harshness, prejudices and difficulties of life in 12th Century England which was fascinating, however I had difficulty believing the events that allowed the 3 teenagers to have ready access to Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and to be presented to King Henry II. The teenagers seem to struggle at times with the archaic language, and at other times conversed in their normal vernacular - but none of the 12th Century characters had any issues with their different speech, accents or lack of decorum. In fact, Eleanor and her companion seemed to speak Hope's language.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The issues with the 12th century not withstanding, and would recommend this book to older tweens / younger teenagers.

'Who's afraid' by Maria Lewis

Werewolves, magic, super protectors who seem to live forever, family, lies and intrigue...

Travelling form Scotland to New Zealand, this book looks at betrayal and family truths from a paranormal perspective.

Tommi puts her life on hold after her mother's death and sets off for New Zealand in search of her father, despite knowing that she is the result of him raping her mother, in hopes of finding closure and a greater understanding of herself. What she finds is beyond belief, beyond understanding and brutally confronting.

Thrown into the middle of a power struggle for supremacy and leadership of the local New Zealand werewolves, her family, Tommi works towards accepting her newfound heritage and controlling her fast growing powers with the help of her newly appointed guardian but only after several close brushes with death and attempted rape.

This book is fast passed with a smart mouthed yet sometimes vulnerable heroine who confronts her fate and battles to keep some semblance of normality in her life.

I enjoyed this book, although I am still not sure how the guardians fit into the world, and would recommend it as a New Adult book, rather than Young Adult.

NEED by Joelle Charbonneau

I loved the premise behind this book - Social Media being used to manipulate teens by using their tendency to talk themselves into doing something they know is not morally defensible, justifying their wants by calling them needs.

The story takes place in a small town, targeting a Senior class with just over 100 students. The main protagonist is a young girl who has managed to alienate most of her classmates by naming and shaming those who are not willing to volunteer to get tested as a potential kidney donor for her terminally ill much younger brother. Through one of her remaining friends, she is introduced to a networking site which asks the question - What do you NEED? The site asks you to sign up a certain number of friends, and you will get whatever you need. The only catch is, if you break the rules or can't sign up enough people... you need to perform a task to gain enough points to earn your need. Post pictures. Post comments...  Kaylee asks for a kidney for her brother, and her request is agreed to,  but she is suspicious of the posts that are being shared by her classmates. Then teenagers start dying and no one will listen to her - not the police, not her psychologist and definitely not her mother. 

I enjoyed this book. The main protagonists are very believable, although Kaylee is very intense about absolutely everything. The story progresses and a wide range of side characters are introduced, as we learn about their experiences, thoughts and actions to do with NEED. Sometimes the sheer number of characters, names and side stories becomes confusing - and the ending take quite a large leap into the fantastic, however I enjoyed the story and recommend it for teenagers who are obsessed with social media and 'need' the latest and best of every new gadget.

Welcome to my new blog...

I have been blogging on and off for years. I usually posted only reviews of books I read, and then I limited myself to only Young Adult and Children's books I have read.

I love dragons, fantasy and pop culture. I have followed most of the trends as they come and go - vampires and werewolves, angels, wizards and witches, fairy tale retellings, steampunk...
I never really got on board with the whole sick and dying trend - I prefer a little less reality... give me a good sword fight or ghost hunt any day!

I am also attempting to put together my ideas for a novel and would like to use this blog to keep myself, hopefully, on track.

My blog list includes my previous blog (same name - different URL) as well as the Library Blog I use for work and some other blogs that I really enjoy keeping track of. Feel free to check them out any time!