Review: Run - Gregg Olsen

Run by Gregg Olson, published by Hot Key Books on 1st May 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
What if you discovered that everything you thought you knew about yourself was a lie?

Rylee is fifteen. She comes home from school one afternoon to find the most shocking thing possible - her father dead, with a knife through his heart, and a key clutched in his hand. Her mother's purse is on the counter, but she appears to be long gone. A message in blood is written on the floor... RUN.

With her brother in tow, Rylee begins a dark journey, one that will uncover horrific and chilling crimes and lead her to an unexpected and gruesome discovery about her real father and what - or who - is behind his insatiable desire to kill. By the journey's end Rylee's childhood is a long way behind her...

Review:
Fast-paced, bloody and unflinchingly brutal, 'Run' is a book you will not be able to put down.  It is a scary and terrifying suspense thriller which will keep you on your toes the whole way through. 

Rylee and her younger brother Hayden go on the run after their father is murdered and their mother disappears.  They have been trained for this but nothing could have prepared Rylee for the truth she is about to discover.  A truth which will change her whole life forever.  I had my theories at the start about Rylee and her family and why they had moved so many times and assumed different identities but I was so wide of the mark that my original thoughts seem ridiculous now.  The actual reason behind it all was utterly terrifying and shocking and very, very scary.

As I was reading 'Run', half of me didn't want to know what was going to happen next and the other half of me was impatient to tear through the story and see what lay in store for Rylee.  She is a pretty spectacular main character.  She is strong, courageous, determined and resourceful and she is brilliantly depicted as a whirlwind force of nature that has one goal in sight - to get her mother back.  I was gripped by her journey and the way in which she refused to back down or give up, even when she was confronted by some horrible revelations.  I enjoyed following her as she put all the clues together and came up with some clever ways of tracking her mother down.  

The content of the story is extremely hard-hitting and there are some disturbing scenes in the book which I wouldn't recommend for younger readers.  The ending in particular is full on and although it is brilliantly truthful to Rylee's character, did cause my jaw to drop big time.  I may even have wanted to hide behind the sofa at times!

Gregg Olsen has written an incredible book and never once takes his foot off of the gas.  'Run' is the first in his Vengeance series, which will be followed soon by 'Hunt'.  I can't even begin to imagine what lies in wait for Rylee next but I'm eager to follow her as she takes her next steps.        

Review: Cuckoo Song - Frances Hardinge

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge, published by Macmillan Children's Books on 8th May 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out. Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family - before it's too late...

Review:
This is the second book I've read by Frances Hardinge, after 'A Face Like Glass' which I adored.  Although I didn't enjoy this one quite as much, there is no doubt that Hardinge really knows how to craft a story which immerses you completely within it's pages and which whisks you away from reality. 

'Cuckoo Song' is a creepy fantasy about Triss, who's not Triss.  She wakes up after an accident with strange longings and cravings.  She knows who she is but at the same time she doesn't.  She recognises her mother, father and younger sister Pen, but the latter seems to look at her with true hatred and Triss can't understand why nothing feels quite as it should.  As the story progresses, it twists and turns deeper into the fantasy realm where the truth about what really happened to Triss is stranger than anything I could have ever imagined. 

Family is an important theme in the book.  After the death of their son during the war, Triss's mother and father want to keep her at home, safe with them, but their behaviour is suffocating.  Triss can't grow up while they are constantly fussing over her and trying to stop her from going to school or having any friends.  Their attention is poisonous without them even realising it.  The relationship between Triss and her sister Pen was one of my favourite things about the book.  It starts off fractured and almost broken but things change for both of them and they begin to gain a better understanding of one another.

The story is a delicious blend of magic and fantasy which will entrance readers as they follow Triss on a journey of self-discovery and reconciliation.  Although not my favourite of Hardinge's books, I was still in awe of the unique and original plot which kept me glued to the pages.   

Cover reveal: Atlantia - Ally Condie

I'm very excited about Ally Condie's forthcoming new book 'Atlantia'.  The cover was revealed a couple of days ago, so here it is.  What do you think?  I really like the cover art which is simple but extremely striking. 

In Atlantia, the heroine, Rio, is thrown into a precarious and upsetting situation after her twin sister, Bay, opts to leave their underwater world for "Above" first. Since only one family member can leave for the surface, Rio is then "left with increasingly dangerous questions about the complex political and religious system constructed to govern the fragile divide between land and sea."

 

Dutton Children's publisher Julie Strauss-Gabel said Atlantia features "an underwater world as complex and surprising as the one Cassia must unravel in Matched, and a heroine who must, literally, gain strength and confidence to find her true voice." For Condie, the new book was all about her heroine.

 

The author said that she always wanted to create an underwater world – which is one reason she wrote Atlantia – but what kept her coming back to the story was Rio. "When I left the manuscript to take care of something else, I always felt that she was calling me back.”

 

Source: publishersweekly.com

Blog Tour: Love, Lies and Lemon Pies - Katy Cannon

Today I'm kicking off the blog tour for Katy Cannon's fabulous new book 'Love, Lies and Lemon Pies' which is out tomorrow from Stripes Publishing.

 
Review:
This book sounded exactly like my cup of tea and proved to be a real five star read!

The story is about a group of teenagers who form an unexpected friendship when they all join the school's new Bake Club.  It centres mainly on Lottie, who, desperate to escape her problems at home, throws herself into her passion for baking - a way for her to feel close to her deceased father.  Although she tries to keep the truth about her home life secret from her teachers and her fellow students, because of her involvement in the club she makes new friendships, finds romance and gradually learns how to open up to those around her. 

I love the fact that the characters perhaps wouldn't have ordinarily have become friends but because of Bake Club they form a solid friendship through their shared love of baking.  They begin to help each other with their personal problems and their bond with each other was something that I really loved.  There are some great secondary characters in the story and I found myself wanting to know more about all of them.    

The romance between Lottie and Mac is so sweet and cute.  He's the school bad boy but underneath his tough exterior he is a caring and considerate boy.  He's misjudged by a lot of the adults in the book but with Lottie by his side he begins to turn his life around and build a new future for himself.     

What I particularly adored about this book was the way it combined my love of reading and baking.  I am a massive baking fan and I never miss an episode of the Great British Bake Off, therefore I absolutely loved the bonus addition of some wonderfully tasty recipes.  I've already made the pumpkin pie and blueberry muffins and the chocolate chip cookies* are to die for! 

Like Lottie and co, when I'm baking, I forget about everything else that I have to do and just focus on the mixing, beating, measuring and stirring.  This is captured perfectly in the pages of the story and was something I loved about the overall book which was truly as sweet and delicious as a cupcake! 

Katy Cannon's next book is out in February 2015 and will be called 'Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines'.  It's already top of my list of books I absolutely need to buy next year.

*To celebrate the release of the book I've made my favourite recipe.  Here's my batch of chocolate chip cookies just after they've been taken out of the oven.  This is the worst bit for me because I'm always impatient to eat one before they've cooled down.  I usually can't resist because the chocolate is still warm and gooey. 

I realised when I was making these that I'd run out of chocolate chips.  I know, disaster!  But I found a bar of milk chocolate in the cupboard which I used instead and so they have lovely, chunky bits of chocolate in.  I bet Mac would love these!

 

This is just one of the lovely recipes in the book.  I'm going to follow in Bake Club's footsteps and try making them all.  For now, I'm off to put my feet up with a plate of cookies and start reading 'Love, Lies and Lemon Pies' all over again.  

 

 

Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour for Katy Cannon's new book.  There are lots of great features planned for the week. 

Review: Now You See Me - Emma Haughton

Now You See Me by Emma Haughton, published by Usborne on 1st May 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Three years ago, thirteen-year-old Danny Geller vanished without trace.

His family and friends are still hanging on to every last shred of hope. Not knowing if he's alive or dead, their world is shrouded in shadows, secrets and suspicions.

This is the story of what happens when hope comes back to haunt you. When your desperation is used against you. When you search for the truth – but are too scared to accept the reality staring you in the face...

Review:
'Now You See Me' is a psychological thriller by British author Emma Haughton.  This is her first novel for young-adults which is inspired by a true story.  I was actually already familiar with the real events behind the book which slightly spoiled things for me because I knew what one of the big plot twists was going to be.  This meant that I didn't find the story quite as suspenseful as it might have been but readers who approach the novel with no prior insight would probably find it quite gripping.

The story is narrated from the point of view of Hannah, whose best-friend Danny went missing three years ago.  No one has seen him since then and the police investigation failed to uncover the truth behind his disappearance.  Hannah has always wondered if she could have done something to stop him from vanishing but she's over the moon when he eventually turns up after so many years.  The only problem is that Danny can't remember anything about his missing years and seems somehow different to the person who used to be her closest friend.

The majority of the story is about what really happened to Danny, as well as focusing on Hannah and Danny's families and the impact of his reappearance on everyone involved.  I found it interesting to see the impact on each individual but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't already guessed the main twist.  There was another surprise thrown in near the end of the book and I thought that was an intriguing and well chosen change of direction.

It's nice to read a British YA book but I wasn't completely hooked by this title as I would have expected to be from the blurb.  That said, I think a lot of readers will enjoy 'Now You See Me;, particularly if you're a fan of this type of genre.         

Review: Always Emily - Michaela MacColl

Always Emily by Michaela MacColl, published by Chronicle Books on 8th April 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Emily and Charlotte Brontë are about as opposite as two sisters can be. Charlotte is practical and cautious; Emily is headstrong and imaginative. But they do have one thing in common: a love of writing. This shared passion will lead them to be two of the first published female novelists and authors of several enduring works of classic literature. But they’re not there yet. First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor’s death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle—before someone else gets killed.

Review:
This book reminded me why I love the Bronte sisters so much.  Their lives are absolutely fascinating and Michaela MacColl has done a superb job of incorporating biographical facts with fictional events to create a story which provides both mystery and romance. 

The story focuses mainly on Charlotte and Emily Bronte, the two older sisters, although their brother Branwell and their father both feature.  Charlotte is definitely my favourite Bronte.  She is torn between her practical and artistic sides and feels a great sense of responsibility to look after her siblings.  The book opens with her elder sister being buried and this has a huge impact on the decisions she takes in her own life.  She assumes her position because she has to and you definitely get a sense of the worry that hangs over her about her father's precarious financial standing.  Emily is more of a wild spirit, drawing inspiration from the beauty of the moors which surround her.  She is headstrong and impetuous and often disappears for hours at a time while she explores the rugged hills and moors.

The setting of the book makes it easy to understand where the sisters draw their inspiration for their own stories, which at this point they haven't started writing yet.  Certain events that transpire could almost have come from the pages of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights.  'Always Emily' definitely made me want to pick up the latter two books for a re-read as they are big favourites of mine.

Well researched and with an intriguing plot, MacColl has captured the spirit of the Bronte sisters.  This title will appeal to YA readers who are looking for something different to all the dystopian and paranormal books out there at the moment.