Review: The Never List by Koethi Zan

Best friends Jennifer and Sarah keep a "Never List" - they are all-too-aware of the dangers in the world and have implemented restrictions on every aspect of their lives in order to keep themselves safe. Sadly it doesn't stop them from being kidnapped and locked in a basement, along with two other women. They are tortured for years before Sarah and the two other women escape - but not before Jennifer is murdered. Ten years later, Sarah has escaped and is trying to put her life back together, but is rarely able to leave the house. She is very much still a prisoner, only this time it's self-inflicted, a result of her severe PTSD. When the possibility arises of their torturer getting out of prison, Sarah makes it her mission to leave her comfort zone and find out what happened to her best friend once and for all - for her own peace of mind, and also in the hopes that uncovering Jennifer's body will allow murder charges to finally be laid.

The Never List unfolds in the present, as Sarah sets out to find the truth, with flashbacks to what happened to her and the other women in the past. We slowly find out what Sarah went through, how she escaped, and why the other women she was trapped with hate her. Sarah is deeply, understandably, traumatised, and the exploration of her anxiety is confronting but well-handled. I did feel like there were times she was able to get past it a little too easily, putting herself in extremely dangerous situations after years of not even being able to leave her apartment, but at the same time it was great to watch her gaining power back over her life.

Alongside psychological trauma, forgiveness plays a big part of the story. It delves into just how far people will go for freedom - and how much they're willing to forgive, not only of others but of themselves. Many of the revelations about the past are quite horrific, and you get a strong sense of Sarah's internal struggle to come to terms not just with what was done to her but also what she herself did.

I really liked the twists and turns of The Never List for the most part, and there were a few great surprises, although some plot points were a bit unbelievable. There was also a few times it veered into torture porn territory, which made me incredibly uncomfortable. Plus the dialogue was very clunky and distracting in places, and some of the characters were pretty flat. What I liked most was following Sarah's journey and the ups and downs of her inner conflict. The Never List is a disturbing thriller about the horrible things humans do to each other and themselves, and the lengths we go to in order to survive. While it is incredibly bleak at times, it's also bittersweet and ends on a somewhat hopeful note.

Rating: 3/5

Fine Print
Published: 2013, Pamela Dorman Books
Source: Netgalley
Get It: Book Depository

Review: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

This series is like the literary equivalent of a Snickers bar: addictive, satisfying, not very good for you but oh-so-delicious. It's not the kind of thing you want all the time, but it's a fun treat on occasions and - dare I say it - a guilty pleasure.

I've seen a lot of comparisons between this series and the Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles. I get it. They're both focusing on a new couple in each book who are somehow connected to the previous book, with lots of obstacles and tension, and chapters told from both the girl's and guy's perspective. But what I love about this series that I found lacking in the Perfect Chemistry trilogy is that each book, while along a similar vein, has unique characters and plot lines. It doesn't follow the same old formula for every single book, which is very refreshing and makes you want to keep reading more.

Case in point: while Crash Into You follows the whole bad guy from the wrong side of the tracks falls for the good rich girl trope, it takes some twists that you totally don't expect. Although I still love the second book in the series, Dare You To, the most, Crash Into You definitely packed the biggest emotional punch yet. At one point I had to spoil myself because it got so intense. It's interesting and unexpected and yes, melodramatic, but not so much that it makes you roll your eyes. Instead, you just want to race through the pages and find out what happens next.

It helped that I really liked the main couple. I adored Isaiah. I felt so bad for him in Dare You To when Beth broke his heart, and he's still hurting at the beginning of this book, but it's nice to see him find someone new and discover his true feelings. I really liked Rachel, and the fact that she wasn't the typical "good girl", as well as that she was dealing with an anxiety disorder. It's not something you see in YA heroines very much unless it's an "issues" book, and it was dealt with pretty well here.

There were a few plot holes that irritated me a little, but overall I really liked Crash Into You. It's the perfect book for when you just want to switch off and be entertained.

Rating: 4/5

Head Cast

Candice Accola as Rachel

Rafi Gavron as Isaiah

Fine Print
Published: December 2013, Harlequin Teen
Source: Netgalley
Get It: Booktopia

Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

To be honest, I don’t know what possessed me to read Dare You To. I wasn’t a massive fan of Pushing the Limits and the idea of a book focused on Beth, a character I couldn’t stand in the first book, wasn’t exactly appealing. Plus the suggestion that Beth would somehow ditch the sweet, caring Isaiah sounded awful. Combine that with the fact that people who did love Pushing the Limits didn’t love Dare You To, and I thought I would surely hate it. I wasn’t going to bother.

So don’t ask me how I ended up staying up until 2am reading this. I honestly can’t say how I started. Only that once I had, I couldn’t stop.

Dare You To is told from a dual perspective, like Pushing the Limits, only this time it’s about troubled Beth and baseball jock Ryan. The two meet at a fast food restaurant and don’t exactly hit it off. When Beth has to live with her uncle, a baseball superstar, Ryan is keen to get back into her good books – especially with a dare riding on a date with her.

You can totally see where this is going, right? But it doesn’t matter. Because getting there is so much fun. Having insight into Beth’s thoughts and motivations makes her a much more sympathetic and, dare I say, likable character. I understood why she’s awful to Echo. I understood why she treats Isaiah the way she does. And boy, did I understand why she likes Ryan.

Ryan is adorable. OK, he’s a bit of a douche to start with and does get a little possessive in a couple of instances, but it’s nowhere near as bad as Noah in Pushing the Limits, and Beth doesn’t exactly put up with it. There’s great chemistry between these two, and their budding relationship – and the complications that go along with it - feels quite realistic. There are some really sweet, not to mention totally hot, scenes, and I loved the fact that the usual tropes were reversed and Ryan was a virgin while Beth wasn’t. I am so over the pure, good girls being seduced by experienced, bad guys. It’s so not true to life and reinforces restrictive roles and screwed up expectations. It was really great to see something different here.

While I loved the romance, I really liked the other aspects of the plot, too, and appreciated that there was more going on in each character’s life. Perhaps because my husband is obsessed with baseball, I actually found myself enjoying that part of Ryan’s story, and I felt for his family situation, too. But of course, Beth’s story is much more dramatic and emotional. My heart broke for her, yet the terrible moments made the good ones that much sweeter.

In addition to liking the two leads, I adored the secondary characters in Dare You To. Ryan’s friends are great, and there are some very funny moments between them. I especially loved Lacy, Beth’s childhood friend and Ryan’s current friend. The way she accepts Beth back into her life and has her back in the end is so awesome. On Beth’s side, we see Noah and Echo make a few appearances, which is nice, even if I’m not their biggest fans, and Isaiah, oh Isaiah... I felt for him, but at the same time I was happy with the way things turned out. I’m looking forward to Isaiah hopefully (who am I kidding - definitely) getting his own happily ever after in Crash Into You.

So, despite thinking I would hate it, I actually really loved Dare You To. It was a page-turning, swoony, emotional ride. I’m so glad I went on it.

Rating: 4.5/5

Head Cast

Austin Butler as Ryan

Ksenia Solo as Beth

Bonus: Couple shot courtesy of Life Unexpected.

Related
Katie McGarry includes a playlist in the back of Dare You To, which I compiled here. It is a bit too country for my taste, but fits the book pretty well overall.

Fine Print
Published: 2013, Harlequin
Source: Netgalley
Get It: Book Depository

Review: Tales of the Macabre by Edgar Allan Poe

Tales of the Macabre is a collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, combined with gorgeous new illustrations. This was my first Poe experience and I have to say I am not a fan. I really enjoyed The Tell-Tale Heart – I thought it was atmospheric, tense, creepy and clever. But the rest of the stories I thought were either boring or downright awful.

The Black Cat in particular horrified me, and not in a good way. I just can’t handle animal cruelty. It truly sickened me. Instead of being deliciously terrified I was just offended and upset. I nearly stopped reading the book then and there.

I’m glad I continued for The Tell-Tale Heart, but not much else. Berenice was my next favourite but I didn’t love it. While there was some exquisite language scattered throughout the stories, overall I found them quite slow, predictable and incredibly repetitive. I got so over seeing a beautiful, ill woman in every story, who the protagonist loved or hated or both. It was very tedious to have basically the same thing happen again and again.

I did really appreciate the illustrations in this edition. They’re creepy and beautiful and complement the stories really well. Unfortunately the ebook I had was not well formatted for my kindle, and half of the illustrations – and some of the stories – were chopped up and all over the place across pages. This didn’t help my enjoyment of the book.

After finishing Tales of the Macabre, I looked up The Raven, to see if Poe’s other famous work (read: as featured on The Simpsons) was as good as the hype. And it is. I loooooved it. Maybe I should stick to Poe’s poetry and stay away from his prose. It’s just not my cup of tea.

Rating: 2.5/5

Fine Print
Published: 2012, Archaia Entertainment
Source: Netgalley
Get It:  Book Depository

Review: Mind Your Mental Health by Kaz Cooke

 
Mind Your Mental Health is a small ebook that is basically an extract from Kaz Cooke’s larger guide to life (for ladies), titled Women’s Stuff. When I saw it on Netgalley I was immediately drawn to the subject matter and hoped it would be enlightening. I suffer from an anxiety disorder myself and while I’ve read a helluva lot online about it (ah, the joys of compulsions), I haven’t actually read any books on the topic.

Maybe because I already know a lot about the subject, I didn’t really find anything that I wasn’t already aware of in Mind Your Mental Health. It briefly covers various aspects of mental health – including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, personality disorders and grief. The problem is, it’s not in depth enough to provide any real help for someone suffering from a particular issue. For that reason, I think it’s probably of more use to people wanting to get a quick overview of mental health problems rather than a deeper understanding of one area in particular.

With frequent references to Women’s Stuff, Mind Your Mental Health at times felt like nothing more than a hook to get people to read the larger book. But it does contain some useful information. What I liked most were the many quotes from women who had particular conditions or had experienced certain circumstances. It’s always reassuring to know that there are other people out there going through the same thing – and, even better, have come out the other side. I also liked the extensive reference lists at the end of each chapter, featuring helplines and places to go to get more information. It’s the sort of thing that’s good to have on hand, especially when dealing with such topics. Overall, Mind Your Mental Health is a good introduction to the subject matter but I wouldn’t recommend it for people wanting extensive information and/or guidance.

Rating: 3/5

Fine Print
Published: March 2013, Penguin Books Australia
Source: Netgalley
Get It: Amazon

Review: Lost Cat by Caroline Paul, Illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton

At the risk of getting kicked off the internet, I have a confession to make: I'm not a cat person. I mean, they're cute and all, and I'm sure they make great pets... for other people. But I prefer the loyal adoration of dogs over the hot-and-cold independence of cats. That's just me.

What drew me to Lost Cat was the possibility of finding out what pets do when their owners aren't around. In humorous, touching anecdotes and adorable and clever illustrations, Lost Cat reveals how the author, Caroline, dealt with the disappearance and reappearance of her cat and the feelings of loss, betrayal and hope that went along with it. It also explores her depression as a result of an injury and also her grief over another type of loss. It sounds like heavy stuff, and there are some very sad moments, but more than anything it's a funny, heartwarming tale. I think this comes down to the first-person, conversational language. Caroline isn't afraid to poke fun of herself and her outrageous behaviour - like using spycams and GPS to track her "cheating" cat. Her affection for her little family is also incredibly clear, and the feelings of betrayal at the disappearance of her cat, the grief over the loss of another, and the ultimate acceptance that a cat's gotta do what a cat's gotta do, are beautifully rendered.

Lost Cat is a quick and enjoyable read, and the illustrations, drawn by Caroline's partner Wendy, really enhance the story. I liked Wendy's inclusion in the story - she wasn't a cat person, either - until Caroline converted her. I'm still not quite converted into wanting to actually own a cat, but I was nevertheless affected by this story. A pet is a pet at the end of the day, and no matter what animal it is, the love and affection you feel for them is the same. They are with us for such a short period of time and it makes you think WHY DO WE DO THIS TO OURSELVES - until you remember that they create more awesomeness in 10 years than some people create in 100. That, more than anything, is what Lost Cat is about.

Rating: 3.5/5

Fine Print
Published: 2013, Bloomsbury
Source: Netgalley
Get It: Book Depository

Related
And now for a cat gif party, because reasons...

OK, I may be a little bit converted.

Top Ten Things That Make Book Blogging Easier

1. Goodreads. I loooove Goodreads. It's great for connecting with fellow book-lovers and cataloging books. I have a ridiculous amount in my TBR pile and on my wishlist, and it would be impossible to keep track of everything without Goodreads.

2. Booko. This is my one-stop search engine for book buying. It finds all of the available outlets a certain book is at, and ranks them from least expensive to most expensive, shipping including. Brilliant.

3. Netgalley. Netgalley is wonderful for access to e-galleys for review. It brings many books to my attention that I may not have noticed otherwise. Too many, even - I always end up with way more than I have time to read. Must. Stop. Requesting.

4. Bloglovin'. I only just started using this thanks to the demise of Google Reader, and I actually took the time to organise the blogs I follow into categories. It has made blogging life so much easier, I am obsessed with it.

5. Spare time. Book blogging takes up a lot of time. If I had more of it, it would be so much easier.

6. Awesome books. They are the main reason I read and blog, after all.

7. The library. Free books. Nuff said.

8. Fellow bloggers. The book blogging community is amazing. I've made so many wonderful friends.

9. My kindle, Betsy. While I still adore physical books, my kindle is so convenient for acquiring and transporting books.

10. Audiobooks. OK, I've only "read" one so far, but I plan on getting into them big time. So easy and fun!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

Review: The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag

The blurb for The House at the End of Hope Street promised a whimsical, magical, delightful tale featuring literary and historical heroines and inspiring female characters. While the outline of those things are there, and it is lovely in parts, on the whole I felt it failed to deliver on its potential.

The story opens with Alba, whose life has hit rockbottom for unspecified reasons. Feeling utterly alone, she winds up on the doorstep of the titular house on Hope Street, and is welcomed by the quirky lady who runs the place. She is told she may stay for 99 days and that she will be inspired and helped by the house, like the many famous women who have been through it before her and who now (literally) speak from the portraits lining the walls.

I loved this book to start with. The magical house drew me in and the whimsy and beauty was all very exciting. But my enjoyment soon lagged. The plot development was rather slow, and the narrative was bogged down by the constant changing point of views. That’s right – we see into the head of pretty much every character that appears on the page. Sometimes we see inside the heads of each character as they are having a conversation with each other, and it all gets very confusing. It's just too much information. This overload of perspective made it hard to connect with any of the characters, let alone Alba, who I suppose was meant to be the main character but was overshadowed by the many other points of view.

As for the secondary characters, I did enjoy their stories more than Alba’s, and I especially liked Peggy, the house's landlady, for lack of a better word. But again I feel they all suffered from an overcrowded narrative, and were not as fleshed out as they might have been otherwise. I was particularly troubled by Carmen, a Portuguese singer who is also staying at the house. The way her accent was written was quite distracting and off-putting. Meanwhile, the antagonists were completely two-dimensional.

The many amazing literary and historical figures were also not utilised to their potential. Many times they were merely passing references, and when they are given a voice it just doesn’t feel right. I did like the rundown of who they are and what they did at the end of the book, but was disappointed with how they were used in the actual narrative.

I had been looking forward to a magical story in The House at the End of Hope St, but in the end I found it quite predictable and ordinary. I could tell what was going to happen with all the characters, and unfortunately it was way too cheesy and perfect for me. I like a happily ever after, but the way things worked out for EVERYONE so wonderfully was just a bit hard to swallow.

I really, really wanted to love this book. I thought I would. Unfortunately I liked the idea much more than the execution. It wasn’t terrible, but it could have been so much more.

Rating: 3/5

Fine Print
Published: April 2013, Pamela Dorman Books
Source: Netgalley
Get It:  The Nile

Review: Marilyn: Norma Jeane by Gloria Steinem

Like so many others, I am fascinated by Marilyn Monroe. She was a gorgeous, iconic, complex and ultimately tragic woman. I think it's the mystery of Marilyn, the enigma of her life, that makes her legend so enduring. Sure, the many photographs of her that are part of the fabric of our pop culture are absolutely stunning, but I think it's about more than the pretty face and gorgeous body. It's the soul that reaches out of her eyes - the sadness, hope, confidence, insecurity, intelligence, fear, innocence, loneliness, sensuality - the myriad facets of Marilyn that continues to touch our hearts and get under our skin.

I've seen a few documentaries and trashy TV movies about Marilyn's life, but this was my first biography. I think it was a good place to start to get a taste of the truth. It's short and covers each aspect of her life only briefly, but the key information is there and, more importantly, a sympathetic and authentic portrait of Marilyn herself. Steinem focuses on a different theme in each chapter - childhood, body image, career, marriage, and so on - and by looking at such aspects of Marilyn separately, you get a more comprehensive understanding of the whole woman.

Drawing heavily on Marilyn's own writing and interviews, Steinem attempts to get at the heart of the star. What emerges is an overarching picture of a woman of many contradictions. She was incredibly beautiful but incredibly insecure. She was seen as a sex goddess but didn't particularly enjoy sex herself. She was very intelligent but consistently cast as the dumb blonde, both on screen and off. She wanted to be taken seriously as an actress but was forced into silly roles in dubious comedies again and again. She was an independent career woman whilst remaining chronically needy of men. She desperately wanted to be loved but had no relationships that lasted. She had fans all over the world but was unbearably lonely. She was terrified of the mental illness that took her mother and grandmother, but spent most days self-medicating with alcohol and assorted drugs. She had fraught relationships with women and often felt judged by them, but was also at her most comfortable around other women and had some strong female friendships. She loved children and yearned to be a mother, but for one reason or another, she had multiple abortions. She was childlike and innocent but also very sexy and sensual. She was Norma Jeane and she was Marilyn.

Ultimately, Marilyn's tale is an impossibly sad one. Steinem handles it with intelligence, respect and a sense of poignancy. Through her words, you get a sense of not only the Marilyn that was but the Marilyn that could have been. In many ways she was ahead of her time, and had she been born 50 years later, her tale might have ended very differently. But then, without Marilyn, the world might be a very different place.

Rating: 4/5

Fine Print
Published: March 2013, Open Road (first published 1986)
Source: Netgalley
Get It: Amazon

July: The Month of Netgalley

I’m officially declaring July the Month of Netgalley here on Belle’s Bookshelf. I’ve got quite a few ebooks from Netgalley that have been left languishing on my Kindle for FAR too long (seriously, I’m a bit embarrassed by the list below) and I want to knock as many as I can off ASAP. The problem with a Kindle is the books don’t physically take up space. Of course this is awesome in many respects (mainly coz it means I can acquire more books and still have room to walk in my apartment), but it also means the ebooks can get kinda forgotten when I’ve got a physically bulging bookshelf to deal with. But now those IRL piles are going to be dismissed for at least this month, as I plan to read nothing but Netgalley books during July. I’m hoping to get through at least some of these:

-Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil. This edition is published August 1 2013. Life in Outer Space has received amazing reviews by some of my Goodreads friends, so I’m really excited to read it.

-Outcast by Adrienne Kress. Published June 4 2013. The plot of this sounds bizarrely interesting - featuring aliens and/or angels and/or time travel.

-15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins. Published May 8 2013. A few of my blogging friends have really liked this book and I haven’t read much British YA so I’m looking forward to it.

-Lost Cat by Caroline Paul. Published April 9 2013. I’m not a big non-fiction (or, to be honest, cat) person, but the idea of tracking a pet and what it does when you’re not around is kinda fascinating.

-The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag. Published April 4 2013. It sounds like such a lovely, whimsical, bookish tale.

-White Lines by Jennifer Banash. Published April 4 2013. This sounds like an emotional read, which I’ve been kinda into lately. Plus the reviews are pretty good.

-Mind Your Mental Health by Kaz Cooke. Published March 27 2013. This ebook is based on chapters from Cooke’s larger book Women’s Stuff. I have a feeling it might be useful.

-Marilyn: Norma Jeane by Gloria Steinem. This edition published March 19 2013. I’m fascinated by Marilyn Monroe and while I’ve seen a lot of (mostly bad TV) movies and docos about her, I haven’t read a biography, so I’m keen for this one.

-Song in the Dark by Christine Howe. Published February 27 2013. This is set in my hometown, which is rare, so I HAVE to read it. Also it sounds great.

-Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Published February 26 2013. I’ve heard good things about Rowell’s writing, and this book sounds adorable. Plus it’s set in 1986, a.k.a. the best year ever (hello, it’s when I was born!).

As you can see, there are some long-overdue reads here! Sadly this is not everything I have TBR from Netgalley – but it’s what’s jumping out at the moment. Hopefully I can smash through as many as possible this month. P.S. Please tell me I’m not the only one who has a long Netgalley list? I think I need to stop requesting until I catch up!

Review: What's Wrong With Homosexuality? By John Corvino

Being primarily a fiction kinda girl, this isn't the type of book I usually read, but I was browsing Netgalley one day and let's just say the title grabbed my attention. I clicked through to read the description, prepared to be outraged, and was somewhat relieved to see that the book is actually written by a gay rights advocate and philosopher who also happens to be a homosexual man himself.

Of course, in answering the question of the title, “What's wrong with homosexuality?”, Corvino could just simply state: “nothing”, but that's the short answer and this book seeks to look at the bigger picture, and examine why there's nothing wrong with it. Chapter by chapter, Corvino systematically addresses all of the arguments commonly used against homosexuality in general and same-sex marriage in particular and essentially decimates them. He does so in such a logical, even-handed and engaging manner that it's not only easy to read and digest, it makes his argument all the more powerful. While being very open about his own very personal stake in the issue, he approaches each topic in a remarkably objective way, backing up his statements with evidence and combining it with his own experience only when appropriate. The subjectivity inherent in the latter aspect could have weakened his argument but, as used sparingly here, it actually strengthens it, powerfully reinforcing the importance of homosexual rights and the effects the lack of them can have on people's lives.

What I found most fascinating, in terms of the anecdotes Corvino describes, was his relationship with Glenn Stanton, an evangelical Christian who vocally opposes same-sex marriage. The two frequently travel together for debates on the issue, and despite their fundamentally different beliefs, actually consider each other friends. The story that particularly struck me was Corvino's account of when he told Stanton about his intended commitment ceremony with his partner, Mark, and Stanton wished him a hearty and sincere congratulations. It just boggles my mind that people like Stanton count gay people amongst their friends, and actually wish those friends well in their relationships, but then turn around and say how wrong those relationships are. For Corvino, it's a sign that he's getting through; that things will change, even in the minds of the most strident opposers of same-sex marriage. But I'm not so sure – to me it feels like if such a friendship still hasn't gotten through to these people, then it seems nothing will.

Perhaps it's the fence-sitters who will be persuaded, and maybe that's what counts. If anything was going to persuade them, it would probably be this book. The title works in making it appear that it could be arguing against the very thing it's in support of, and so perhaps it will challenge people who turn to it looking to have their views reaffirmed and instead find quite the opposite. But again I worry that if someone like Stanton - who knows and likes Corvino personally and has heard his arguments many times - can't be persuaded, then few can.

Still, even if it is mainly preaching to the converted, What's Wrong with Homosexuality? provides a useful and enlightening discussion on the arguments relating to same-sex marriage, and empowers the reader with plenty of facts and persuasive points in favour of it. This was what initially attracted me to reading it; especially the chapter on the biblical arguments against homosexuality, as these are what I've primarily encountered in real life and also the ones I have felt least able to intelligently argue against, not having read the Bible myself. Corvino quotes and analyses each of the references to homosexuality found in the Bible, examining ways they may have been misinterpreted (eg: Sodom's sin is inhospitality/aggression against heavenly creatures, not homosexuality) or become outdated (“If you adopt a simplistic 'God said it' approach to the [Bible], then be prepared to swallow some pretty nasty conclusions about slavery, women, and so on. If, instead, you insist on sensitivity to historical and cultural context, then the homosexuality passages must be reexamined in that light”). Because of the encounters I've had with certain people using their religion as an excuse for their homophobia (amongst other things), and my own lack of knowledge on biblical matters, I found this chapter to be incredibly fascinating and enlightening.

Indeed, the whole book is, though much of the rest contains arguments and conclusions I've heard of/come to before. Still, it's important that they're said, and said well; as he does with the biblical chapter, Corvino eviscerates the notions that homosexuality and same-sex marriage are wrong based on the risks, the “unnaturalness” or the “slippery slope” (you know, the ridiculous idea that “if man marries man, what's next?! Man marries dog?!” Because two consenting adults is totally the same thing as bestiality, uh-huh).

Importantly, What's Wrong with Homosexuality? never feels like it's sermonising or lecturing. It remains conversational throughout, and it's clear that Corvino wants to engage the reader and talk to them and with them, rather than down to them. Even for someone who isn't a massive non-fiction reader, I found this book to be extremely interesting, engaging and yes, even enjoyable. I came away feeling more informed, more fired up and frankly, more touched than I thought I would be. Because what this book highlights most of all is that, at its very root, this argument is one of love and compassion – and it cannot be won without those things.

Rating: 4/5

Fine Print
Published: March 1, 2013, by Oxford University Press
Source: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.
Get It: Book Depository

Mini Reviews: Glitter Kiss and Ghosting

Glitter Kiss by Adrianne Ambrose, illustrated by Monica Gallagher

Tinka, the school “slut”, unwittingly gets revenge on jerky guys when she kisses them wearing a magical lip gloss. Let’s just say it makes them see things from her point of view. It was a pretty cute story, but a little throat-ramming with its message. It also has a kinda negative view on gender – most of the boys are complete a-holes and it focuses a lot on how hard it is to be a girl. This is a graphic novel and I don’t have a lot of experience with them, but the characters – especially the secondary characters – were quite two-dimensional. The ending was really abrupt, which detracted from the overall experience. The illustrations were lovely, however.

Rating: 2.5/5

Ghosting by Keith Gray

Nat and his sister Sandy make their living by scamming grieving people into believing they can communicate with the dead. But they get way in over their heads. Unfortunately the plot is totally predictable and so the events are not scary at all. I saw what was coming - right down to the “twist” at the end - from miles away. I know it’s only a short story but there wasn’t much in the way of character development. The villain is entirely obvious and his MO is like something ripped out of a bad episode of Law and Order. There were several improbable plot points. Altogether a very ordinary read.

Rating: 2/5

I received review copies of these books from the publishers via Netgalley.

Review: Rape Girl By Alina Klein

Rape Girl is a quick read, but it's by no means an easy one. That's pretty obvious from the provocative title. It says it all, really - this book is about a girl who is raped. Then again, it's about so much more than that. It's about the effects of rape on not just the victim but on family, friends and the community. It's about the way society treats those victims and their rapists - all too often blaming the former and forgiving the latter. It's about a screwed up justice system in which few victims feel they can report their rape, and those who do don't always get any actual justice. It's about the fact that when it's one person's word against another, people always doubt, and sadly see the innocent as somehow guilty and the guilty as innocent. It's about life and how sometimes, it really freaking sucks.

Rape is obviously a very sensitive issue and this book could have easily been exploitative, but Klein tackles the subject matter with sensitivity. It's not graphic at all, although it is confronting, as it probably should be. Klein's writing is simple, but it says so much. The characters and situations all feel incredibly real, and their reactions to those situations are authentic. At the beginning, sections are divided between "before" and "after", and it's very effective, contrasting ordinary teen Valerie with the "rape girl" she feels she has now become. I felt for Valerie; her sadness, her frustration and especially her anger were palpable and completely understandable.

My one gripe with Rape Girl is that it's way too short. While the writing is good, the brevity means I never fully connected with the characters or felt immersed in the story. Because it really only had space to deal with the rape and its aftermath, it never really went beyond being an "issue" book. Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with that - it's certainly an important issue to write about, learn about and talk about. It just means it didn't quite burrow under my skin and into my heart. If there was a bit more to the story I feel like it could have had a greater impact. Nevertheless, it's certainly worth a read.

Rating: 3.5/5

Fine Print
Published: September 2012, Namelos
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.
Get It: Book Depository

Review: Splintered By A. G. Howard

I've never been a massive fan of the Alice in Wonderland tale. While I've always loved the aesthetics of Wonderland and the idea of it - when it came to the actual stories, I never particularly enjoyed them. The Alice in Wonderland Disney movie creeped the crap out of me as a kid - and not in a good way - and when I read the original book by Lewis Carroll a few years ago, I found only a few bright spots in an otherwise tedious tome. Still, when Tim Burton's adaptation came out, I was ridiculously excited - it looked like it would be the Wonderland tale to capture my heart. But again, the reality of it let me down. It had all the right ingredients, but there was still something off about it and I was very disappointed. Then, more recently, Splintered started doing the rounds in the book blogosphere. Many, many people raved about it. I became intrigued - could this finally be the right Wonderland for me?

After reading Splintered the answer is a resounding no. It bears a lot of similarities to Burton's Wonderland tale, including Alice's (or in this case, her successor Alyssa's) role in the story. But I liked Splintered even less. I did enjoy Howard's unique and dark take on Wonderland's creatures and landscape, and the plot itself (the female line in Alice's family is cursed until someone fixes the mistakes she made in Wonderland) has a lot of potential - but unfortunately this was all vastly overshadowed by weak, unlikable characters and an irritating love triangle. Without the romance - or at least with the romance taking a back seat - this could have been a great book, but as it is, the romance is front and centre and all I wanted to do was see its head chopped off by Queen Red.

Alyssa is a weak, passive character. Things happen to her, others control her, and she barely thinks for herself let alone acts. Towards the end she does grow and take action, but for me it was too little, too late. Her passiveness was reinforced repeatedly by the two douchebag love interests. Jeb, her best friend who is secretly in love with her but dating Alyssa's bully for who-knows-what reason, is a controlling, domineering dick. He, too, changes a little at the end, but again, it's too little, too late. Meanwhile, the other corner of this triangle, Morpheus, is an arrogant, creepy puppet-master  pulling everyone's strings, but especially Alyssa's. He spends some of his time as a giant moth and used to be a caterpillar - THE Caterpillar. So not sexy.

The secondary characters are richly described in appearance but don't go much deeper than that. To her credit, Howard has a knack for details; her Wonderland leaps off the page thanks to her vivid, colourful descriptions. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to salvage the book for me. Strong characters will always win out over pretty descriptions, and although Splintered has a plethora of the latter, it has none of the former. This book really wasn't my cup of tea.

Rating: 2/5

Fine Print
Published: January 2013, Amulet Books.
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.
Get It: Book Depository.

Review: And All The Stars By Andrea K. Host

The first thing that attracted me to And All The Stars was the cover. Isn't it pretty? Reading the book made me appreciate it even more, because it actually depicts a character exactly as she's described, which is refreshing. The character in question is Madeleine, a budding artist who is caught in St James train station in the Sydney CBD when a massive spire erupts from the ground and spurts purple dust over the city. A purple dust that kills some, turns some green and others blue. Madeleine herself becomes a Blue and soon discovers she has more power than she's ever had before.

And All The Stars is a unique take on a familiar story. There was so much I loved about it. I loved the plot, and the way certain things were revealed that I never saw coming. I loved the setting – it's not often you come across these kinds of stories set anywhere other than America. It was brilliant and refreshing to know exactly where the characters were and what they were talking about. But most of all I loved the characters. Madeleine took awhile to warm to for me but I liked her in the end, and the secondary characters were all richly developed and likeable. I loved the group dynamics as the random collection of kids banded together to survive.

Often dystopian/sci-fi books are set far into the future, and this is the first one I've come across that is about the immediate aftermath of a disaster. A big chunk of it is about basic survival, the discovery of changes to the landscape and people's bodies, and figuring out what the hell has happened. Some might find this aspect of it a bit slow, but I actually really enjoyed it. It's not something you come across in every book, plus I think the slow build is totally worth it because when THINGS start happening, well, they really start happening.

The action was entertaining and there was a lot of humour, but what surprised me was how emotional And All The Stars made me feel. It was quite heart-wrenching at times – those who have read it will know exactly which times I'm talking about! Still, there were a few scenes that I felt were a bit too rushed or glossed over; the ending in particular happened a bit too quickly for me. But overall it was quite satisfying and left me with a smile on my face, and I can't complain about that.

Rating: 4/5

Spoilery Talking Points

• Theoden! OMG, Theoden broke my heart. I did not see that twist coming, and it makes me want to reread the book again soon to see if I can pick up any clues. However, I felt the big reveal and Theoden's death was one of the parts that was too rushed. I would have liked a bit more emotion in there, and a better farewell between Madeleine and Theoden. I can understand why this didn't happen, as she'd only just found out the truth, but still, it felt kind of anti-climactic. I did like how Madeleine struggled with her feelings for Fisher afterwards, and  that he too had difficulty coming to terms with the situation. It was nice that the happy ending in the epilogue was well down the track, allowing them both time to figure things out and properly mourn Theoden. Of course, it was completely cheesy, but I liked it.
• I couldn't quite wrap my head around the whole alien cycle thing. Maybe I'm dense or maybe the information was crammed into too small a space – I actually had to reread the explanation a few times – but I just didn't get why they invaded planets, fought, then left only to come back again eight years later and do it all over again. Where did they go in the meantime? I was confused.

Action Shots

I embraced my inner tourist and snapped some pics of some of the locations featured in And All The Stars while I was in the city one day.

This is the entrance to St. James station in Hyde Park, you can see the Archibald Fountain in the background.

Side view of the entrance to St. James station.

The Archibald Fountain with St. Mary's Cathedral in the background.

Centrepoint Tower.

 

 

Fine Print

Published: September 2012

Source: Netgalley

Get It: Angus & Robertson

Ten Reasons To Read The Sea Of Tranquility By Katja Millay

 

1. Katja Millay's lovely, emotive writing. It's raw and real; romantic without being cheesy; touching without being maudlin; and contains just the right amount of humour mixed in with the more harrowing elements of the story.

2. Josh, one of the two narrators. He's had everyone he's loved taken from him, and isolates himself as a result, but underneath all the hurt is a big, adorable heart. He's creative with wood (get your mind out of the gutter! Oh, is that just mine?) and makes beautiful furniture. Plus he's easy on the eyes. In my mind, kinda like this:

3. Nastya, the other narrator. She's even more messed up than Josh, and is hell-bent on getting revenge on the boy who attacked her and robbed her of her passion - her ability to play piano. She's fierce and furious; her anger is palpable and and her hurt is heartbreaking. You can't help but be pulled in to her story as it intertwines with Josh's and they both begin the journey to healing together.

4. The narration switches between Nastya and Josh's perspectives; I know not everyone likes dual narrators, but it really works for this story. With two such damaged protagonists who don't necessarily let other people see their real selves, it's helpful to get inside both of their heads. It makes it all the more interesting to see each one from the other's perspective, and contrast their view of themselves with how the other sees them.

5. The secondary characters. They're richly developed and not only important to Josh and Nastya's story, but also have their own subplots happening that make the narrative feel all the more real. I especially liked Drew, who turns out to have more charm and depth than your average douchey jock.

6. It's an addictive book; you'll start reading and the next thing you know five hours have passed and you haven't moved, except to turn the page.

7. The characters and story are so powerful that they stick in your head even when you're not reading it, and hang around for a long time after you've finished.

8. It's about love and family and grief and loss and identity and death and ice cream and creativity and everything that's important in life.

9. It's incredibly painful at times and will put you through an emotional wringer, but in the end there's a lovely sense of peace and closure.

10. The cover is not only gorgeous, it's relevant to the story and highlights the rich symbolism to be found throughout.

Rating: 4.5/5

Fine Print
Published: Atria Books, November 2012 (Kindle edition)
Source: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.
Get It: Amazon

Review: Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

I was excited to read this book from the moment I read the description - it's not every day you come across a YA novel with a trans* protagonist. Gabe has always identified as a boy, but grew up as "Elizabeth". He's only recently come out to his family and closest friend, and while the latter is very open and understanding, the former are struggling to come to terms with the situation. Isolated at home and bullied at school, Gabe finds solace in music, particularly in the new radio show he hosts on community radio and his friendship with a former big-time DJ who just happens to be his neighbour.

This book was definitely unique, but it felt a little flat to me and I just couldn't connect with the story or characters. Catie from The Readventurer mentioned in her review that Beautiful Music for Ugly Children never really transcends being an "issue" book, and the characters don't feel real. I have to say I agree with her completely. The characters did not feel nuanced and the tensions which you'd expect in a story like this felt very superficial. There was no in-depth exploration of Gabe's feelings and emotions or the changing nature of his relationships with those around him. The bullies themselves are completely two-dimensional, and while their actions are horrific, there was no depth in the storytelling to make them really have an impact.

I sympathised with Gabe but I didn't particularly like him. I cringed at the radio show segments - they came off really goofy to me, and having done a year-long stint in community radio myself, I didn't particularly buy the immediate popularity of his show. Sure, the whole "Ugly Children Brigade" was a nice idea, but it was literally too good to be true. I also found his attitude to girls really off-putting. I get it, teens are horny, but I swear every time he interacted with a girl it was all about how she looked and how she affected him. This included his best friend, Paige, who was really understanding and supportive of Gabe's transition, but all he seems to think about is how much she turns him on. I don't know if the hyper-sexuality was Cronn-Mills' interpretation of the way a teen boy - or a trans* teen - thinks, but it just made me feel uncomfortable, and I'm no prude. Gabe just seemed to objectify all the girls in his life and it wasn't fun to read. It did make me think - is this how guys feel when reading the likes of Twilight, where everything is about the guys' abs and god-like profiles and how much Bella just wants to have the sex?

Anyway, as you can see, I had a lot of problems with Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, but I'm glad it's out there and I'm glad I read it. While, as Catie suggested, it never becomes more than an "issue" book, it is an issue that needs to be thought about and talked about. Unfortunately it lacks the heart to make you really connect with the characters and the story, so for me it just didn't live up to its potential.

Rating: 3/5

Fine Print
Genre: Young Adult
Published: October 2012, Flux
Get It: Book Depository
Source: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley

Related
Obviously, this book mentions a lot of music! Check out the playlist here.

Review: What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

What's Left of Me is set in an alternate reality where every body is born with two souls. One soul is dominant, and by the time the body is a teenager, the other soul is supposed to naturally fade away. But it doesn't always work that way - not for Eva, at least, who is still most definitely alive in the body her sister, Addie, controls. Addie has to keep Eva's existence a secret, because "hybrids" are considered against nature and are taken away by the government. Then everything changes when the girls discover a pair of siblings who are both hybrids, and learn that Eva could potentially regain control... and that perhaps being one-souled isn't so "natural" after all...

I first discovered this book when all of my Goodreads buddies started raving about it. I was intrigued and thought the plot sounded ambitious and interesting, so I was keen to give it a go. Now I find myself in a strange position - I loved the book for the characters, writing and pace, but am left with so many questions and frustrations with the world building, I just don't know how to rate it. I think the plot was perhaps a little too ambitious. It's supposed to be an alternate reality where everyone has always been born with two souls, but if this were the case I feel like society would have developed in a very different way to our own. Relationships, families, schooling, work - all would look different if every body had two personalities in it. But it doesn't. Aside from the mildly dystopian creepy government control/conspiracy thing, the society in What's Left of Me looks exactly like ours. Granted, everyone is supposed to have one soul by adulthood in Eva's culture, but this hasn't always been the case, and surely society would have developed differently in some way. It just didn't make any sense.

It also didn't make sense that everyone would just pretend like the second soul never existed. If both souls are treated equally in their early childhood, and both loved by their parents, there would be considerable grief over losing one of those souls, not just for the one left behind but for the family, too. Even if it's the "natural" way of things - especially if it's the "natural" way of things - surely there would be some sort of cultural practice in place for this kind if thing. A type of funeral or memorial to honour the lost. To just pretend like they didn't happen, after loving them for years? That's just not logical, and it bothered me.

But. Those gripes aside, I really enjoyed What's Left of Me. Eva was a great character, and I really connected with her frustration and also her burning desire to live and not just exist. It was a smart choice to have the secondary soul as the protagonist rather than the dominant one, as it definitely made for more compelling storytelling. The relationship between Eva and Addie was complicated and fascinating, and Zhang did a wonderful job of exploring the tension that their unique problem created. The secondary characters were also well-written, and I especially liked the blossoming romance between Eva and Ryan - including, oddly enough, the way it wasn't central to the plot. Just a nice part of it. I'm so over YA books where the plot functions as nothing more than a vehicle for a swoony boy, so it's nice when the love story forms part of the plot, and doesn't completely obliterate it.

There's a lot of action in What's Left of Me, making it difficult to put down. I love it when a book stays on your mind even when you haven't got it in your hand. It's been awhile since I experienced that, so I got really excited while reading this. I was also grateful for the sense of closure at the end of the novel. Don't get me wrong, it's part of a series and there's definitely a lot of open threads and avenues to be explored in the sequel(s), but it didn't just end abruptly and frustratingly as so many other first instalments seem to do. It's not a massive cliffhanger, and impatient little ol' me loved that. In fact, despite my misgivings, I enjoyed What's Left of Me so much they I found myself still thinking about it days later. Sure, I wish the world building was stronger, but I can't deny that it had an impact on me, and for that I guess I have to rate it highly. I still have a lot of problems and questions that I suspect won't be answered in coming instalments, but I loved it nonetheless, and can't wait to see what Zhang has in store for us next.

Rating: 4/5

Fine Print
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction/Dystopia
Published: October 2012, HarperCollins
Get It: The Nile
Source: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

Review: Pale by Chris Wooding

In Pale, people have the ability to come back from the dead using a special formula known as the Lazarus Serum. Problem is, it turns you into a "Pale" - your skin, hair and eyes go white, and you're shunned by society to the point that you're driven to slums on the edge of the city, unable to get or keep a job. It's even difficult for the kids to attend school, because bullies like our protagonist Jed and his best friend beat them up if they try. Seriously - this is how the book opens. It's not a good way to make a character likeable or even sympathetic.

Jed, like his family and friends, hates Pales, and declares he'd rather be dead than become one. Dun dun dunnn. Before you can say "foreshadowing", he's in an accident and wakes up Pale. His precious girlfriend loved him so much she couldn't let him die... but she doesn't love him enough to stay with him as a Pale. Yep, Jed's world is turned upside down; his family and friends wish he was dead rather than this super white version of himself. Luckily, the boy he and his mate were beating up in the beginning doesn't hold a grudge, and takes him under his wing.

The concept for this novella is great, but it's just too short to develop it effectively. It's like the skeleton of a story, without any meat to give it life. The characters are flat and the plot is predictable. I also found the world-building to be lacking and unrealistic. For instance, Jed's father is a lawyer who specialises in repossessing Pales' property coz they're technically 'dead'. The thing is, the Lazarus Serum has been around for awhile, so wouldn't the government have done something by now to change the law to protect the Pales somehow? I mean, the serum is so prevalent that it's in the freaking first aid room at Jed's school, yet nobody has done anything to deal with the consequences of that serum? It's like society is all, "Yay! Down with death! Except we don't want to know about you if you come back from it." I can understand certain parts of society being bigoted against Pales, but everyone? It just doesn't make sense. Especially because those Pales were once family and friends and presumably somebody made the decision to use the serum on them. They can't all be like ridiculous Sadie, Jed's girlfriend, who rejects the product of her own decision. Seriously, no matter how much you hated something, if the choice is between having the love of your life, or your child, be that thing, or be dead, wouldn't you rather them be alive?

Anyway, I'm getting into ranty territory now, so I'll wrap this up. It suffices to say that I was left pretty unsatisfied with Pale. It was a quick read, but I didn't feel like I got anything from it other than frustration. The premise is great but the story itself isn't.

Rating: 2.5/5

Fine Print
Published: September 2012, Stoke Books
Source: Netgalley
Get It: Book Depository

Review: Where Demons Fear To Tread by Stephanie Chong

Where Demons Fear To Tread was a quick, easy read, but I don't think angel books are really my thing.

This is only my second foray into angel-related lit, and I haven't particularly enjoyed either time. My first encounter was with Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods series, which I was drawn to because it was supposedly about vampires - but they turned out to be more fallen angels who happened to drink blood. This time 'round, I was curious to read about the forbidden romance between an angel and a demon in Where Demons Fear To Tread. While it kept me turning the pages and I liked the characters and their romance overall, I found that I didn't really love it. I've been trying to figure out why that is, and I think that it comes down to the plot, and the angel aspect in particular.

Although Serena St. Clair is a "non-denominational" angel, the story by its very nature has religious overtones. Serena, the inherently good guardian angel, spends a lot of time fearing "falling" and being sent to hell, while Julian, an archdemon, muses over his own sins and contemplates the (im)possibility of redemption. Not being particularly religious myself (I'm agnostic, if anything), I found the focus on the "sinfulness" of one's actions (as opposed to just differentiating between right and wrong), and the threat of hell as the main deterrent for those actions, a little exasperating. This was especially the case with Serena and her concern that being with Julian would cost her Heaven (literally). I guess for me, personally, I don't buy into the whole sex is sinful thing. While this is addressed to some extent in the book, the majority of it is spent agonising over the fate of one soul or another, and it got quite tiresome.

As for the characters, I liked Serena and Julian well enough (though I felt Julian was the stronger of the two in terms of character development), but the secondary cast (and, by extension, the secondary plot) were rather weak. Nick, Serena's superstar assignee, seemed to have good looks going for him and not much else, making me wonder why he was even worthy of a guardian angel. Meanwhile, Luciana, the demon responsible for Julian's corruption, was hellbent (no pun intended) on revenge on him for reasons that were never explained. Really, it should have been Julian who was after revenge, not Luciana, and so the whole driving force behind all the action made little sense.

Chong's writing was fine for the most part, but there were a few steamy scenes containing words (and one or two actions) that were a bit off-putting. Y'know, the kind of words that just make you go "ew", or "well, that's awkward", instead of "oooh yeah!". There was one scene in particular, that happened quite early on, where Julian sneaks into Serena's room while she's sleeping, and it almost made me stop reading. I mean, it was creepy when Edward Cullen did it, and all he did was sit there and watch Bella sleep. Julian is not one who just sits backs and watches, if you know what I mean. So it was a little too... well, rapey for my liking. Now, nothing major happens and maybe I'm being oversensitive, but touching somebody's body, without their consent, WHILE THEY'RE UNCONSCIOUS, is just not cool (or hot) in my books. That aside, I did enjoy Julian - and the book - but I don't think I'll be continuing with the series.

Rating: 3/5

Spoilery Talking Points

• I felt Julian's turnaround from archdemon to angel happened way too quickly. I know the whole book is leading up to it, but it was almost like a switch was flicked and all of a sudden he was ready to be all divine instead of devilish without having to struggle at all. It made the ending overly sweet and a bit unbelievable.
• I have a theory that Arielle, Julian's first guardian angel, is actually his mother. I could be wrong, but the fact that she spent so much time trying to "save him", combined with the passing mention that his mother had been watching over him the whole time, makes me think Arielle had more invested in him than was explored in this book.

Eye Candy
This is probably a sign that I watch way too much Chuck, but I pictured Yvonne Strahovski as Serena and Matt Bomer as Julian.

Fine Print

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Published: 2011

Publisher: Mira Books

Source: NetGalley

Get It: Fishpond