Review: Bet Your Life - Jane Casey

Bet Your Life by Jane Casey, published by Corgi on 13th February 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Jess Tennant has now been living in Port Sentinel for three months, and is just beginning to relax and think of it as home after the murderous events of the summer. But in the small hours of a dark night, a teenage boy is left for dead by the side of the road. Seb Dawson has a serious head injury and may not survive - and Jess decides to find out who beat him up, and why?

As she investigates, Jess discovers that Seb was involved in some very dangerous games. A secret predator around girls, he would do whatever it took to abuse them, from lying and blackmail to spiking drinks. Could a group of vengeful victims be behind his attack? Or is there someone else with a grudge against Seb and who will stop at nothing to silence him?

Review:
'Bet Your Life' is the second book about teenage detective Jess Tennant.  Although she claims in the book that she's not interested in becoming Port Sentinel's answer to Nancy Drew, she has the same quick wit and ingenuity and the same uncanny knack of seeing things that other people don't.  It's this skill which gives her the ability to connect all the dots and uncover the truth, even when others may want to keep it hidden.  Of course, this also means that she often risks her own life in her single-minded pursuit of the truth but that only makes me admire her even more. 

Jess is asked to investigate the case of local boy Seb Dawson, who has been left for dead by a supposed hit and run.  His little sister suspects that there's a lot more to the 'accident' and wants Jess to find out the truth.  As she begins to dig into the incident, she discovers some startling secrets about him, as well as a hidden conspiracy more shocking than she could ever have imagined. 

The opening chapter of 'Bet Your Life' was so creepy.  You know that something terrible is going on but you have no idea exactly what yet and who is involved.  It was a fantastic start to the book and really sent shivers down my spine as I read it. 

As well as some intriguing and unexpected plot twists concerning Seb's case, I also like the fact that Jane Casey interweaves Jess's day to day life into the story too.  She's dealing with problems with her family, as well as romantic troubles and this helps to ground the story and make it more realistic.  After the events of the first book in the series, things are not great between her and Will but she also has another boy, Ryan, chasing after her too. 

Tense, twisty and with an ingenious mystery, I completely loved every second of this book.  I sincerely hope there are many more Jess Tennant thrillers to come as she's Nancy Drew for a whole new generation of readers!

Review: Anything To Have You - Paige Harbison

Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison, published by Mira Ink on 7th February 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever.  Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies.  Brooke is the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be.

Then it happens - one crazy night that Natalie can't remember and Brooke's boyfriend, Aiden, can't forget.  Suddenly there's a question mark in Natalie and Brooke's friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means.

Review:
I really wanted to read 'Anything To Have You' because I've enjoyed both of Paige Harbison's previous YA novels and I thought this would be an interesting exploration of friendship between two best friends.  It started off well but while I liked the idea for the story and the way it developed throughout the book, I really struggled to connect to either of the main characters. 

The two female protagonists have completely contrasting personalities, which makes them an unusual pairing.  I identified with Natalie in the beginning because she is much keener on staying home and baking or watching old movies, than she is of going out and partying.  Brooke, on the other hand, is a bit of a wild child and likes nothing more than to go out to parties and to get drunk.  She flirts with other boys but she also has a long-term boyfriend, Aiden.  Although I liked Natalie in the beginning, I couldn't help but feel like she allowed herself to be led quite easily at times and should have stood up for herself more.  She ends up going to a party where things get out of hand and wakes up the next morning in a bed with Aiden beside her...but with no recollection of what actually happened. 

From them on, the book alternates between the perspectives of the two girls as they cope with the changes in their lives and in their friendship.  However much I tried, I just couldn't find anything to connect me with Brooke who seems intent on self-destructing.  I also found that the constant jumps in the narrative and time-frame, sometimes made the story feel a bit disjointed.    

There's a big reveal near the end which I assume was meant to be unexpected, but within a few chapters of the book I could see the direction in which the plot was going to go and I quite easily guessed what was going to happen to the characters.  I was slightly surprised by the outcome for Brooke but she still didn't seem like the type of girl that I would have wanted to know. 

There was also quite a lot of swearing throughout, almost excessive amounts I thought, which I didn't think was particularly needed.  Not all teenagers talk like this. 

Although the book was no where near as good as I was originally expecting, I'm still a fan of Paige Harbison's work and I'll continue to look out for new offerings by her in the future. 

Paige Toon's writing playlist

Paige Toon has put together a playlist of songs which have inspired her writing.  Some of these are actually my own personal favourites too!  Check them out:

 

Ever since writing my debut novel, Lucy in the Sky, at the tail end of 2006, I’ve loved creating stories to music. Here are some of the songs that have inspired me.

 

‘When You Were Young’ by The Killers

This song will always remind me of Nathan from Lucy in the Sky. It was one of the happiest times of my life – I was ecstatic to have a book deal – and I played this recently-released song incessantly, even putting it on Nathan’s personal mix tape which he gave to Lucy.

 

‘Iris’ by The Goo Goo Dolls

I created a Johnny-inspired rock playlist when I was writing Johnny Be Good and I think my favourite song is still the first one on there: ‘Iris’. ‘Sex on Fire’ by Kings of Leon’s comes a close second. Radiohead’s ‘Talk Show Host’ and The Smiths’ ‘Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want’ are also favourites on my Johnny playlist; the latter is key to one scene in the book.

 

‘Someone Like You’ by Adele

I had two babies between writing my second book, Johnny Be Good, and my sixth, One Perfect Summer, so I hardly wrote to music at all as I was always listening out for my children to wake up. When my son went to school and I got a little childcare for my daughter, I was able to write again to music – and I had missed it. The whole plot behind One Perfect Summer was actually inspired by this Adele song, so it goes without saying that I played it a lot while writing. Kingmaker’s ‘You And I Will Never See Things Eye To Eye’ inspired me to make Joe wear a Kingmaker T-shirt…

 

‘Pull Me Down’ by Mikky Echo

I love this song so much and played it over and over while writing The Longest Holiday. It’s completely dreamy. Also, Kal Lavelle’s ‘Shivers’ is so sexy and brooding it reminded me of Leo. I purposefully chose it to write the end of the book to.

 

‘Jump Into The Fog’ by The Wombats

This song will always remind me of The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson. It’s my favourite song on the album ‘This Modern Glitch’, which I often wrote to. Black Kids’ ‘I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You’ and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ ‘Maps’ both inspired scenes in the book.

 

‘Love’ by Daughter

I was walking near my home, trying to ease some writer’s block when writing Thirteen Weddings when this song came on my playlist. It reminded me so much of what wedding photographer Bronte was going through with the love of her life – a groom who’s set to get married to someone else. I wrote it into the storyline. I also loved writing this book to the soundtrack for ‘The Great Gatsby’. It’s completely brilliant. I have a lot of respect for director Baz Luhrmann.

 

Paige's new YA novel, 'The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson' is out now, published by Simon and Schuster.  You can read my review here

 

 

Review: Storm and Stone - Joss Stirling

Storm and Stone by Joss Stirling, published by Oxford University Press on 14th February 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Behind the ivy-clad walls of an exclusive boarding school, lurks a sinister web of corruption, scandal, and conspiracy. American student Raven Stone has noticed something is horribly wrong. First there were the unexplained disappearances. Then there were the teachers' lies. And now the death threats ...Also entangled in the disturbing turn of events is the enigmatic Kieran Storm - a fellow student with a killer intellect and a body to die for. He's heading for trouble and taking her with him. Raven can feel herself falling in love, but can she trust a boy she knows almost nothing about?

Review:
I adore Joss Stirling's books and I was extremely excited about reading 'Storm and Stone' which is her new standalone novel.  I wasn't disappointed because it was a thrilling read which had me hooked from the start. 

The story is set in an English boarding school called Westron.  Raven is an American scholarship student at the school.  She's ostracised and picked on by everyone until she meets new students Kieran and Joe, who discover that there is something strange going on at the school.  After reading the blurb I thought it was going to be a fairly typical high school romance story but I was wrong when part way through it turned into something much more gripping and mysterious.   

I loved the relationship between Raven and Kieran.  He is clever and incredibly intelligent but Raven definitely makes him lose his head.  They fit together so well and function perfectly as a team.  The romance in the book is realistic and brilliantly written.  A trait of all Joss Stirling books.  There's no case of instant love but instead an attraction which simmers away between Raven and Kieran and eventually turns into something more.  He feels protective about her and often tries to steer her away from danger, but she is more than capable of looking after herself which she definitely proves at the end of the book. 

Joss Stirling is one of my favourite British authors and if you're a fan of her Soulfinders series then you will love this new offering.  As I was reading, I could even picture it as a TV series because I think the concept is perfect for the small screen.     

Although this was originally billed as a standalone, I've since heard that it could actually be the first in a series about the characters which is excellent news! 

Review: The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson - Paige Toon

The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson by Paige Toon, published by Simon and Schuster on 30th January 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
My fifteenth birthday was the worst day of my life, and it's inconceivable to think that any single day in my future will ever be as bad. My mum was killed in a freak accident on her way to pick up my cake. Even when there was still no sign of her after two hours later, and my friends started to arrive at our house, it never occurred to me that she wouldn't be coming back.

 That was six months ago. My mum died without telling me who my real dad was. And for a while I hated her for it. I thought she's taken the secret of my father's identity with her forever. But she didn't. Holy hell, she didn't. Because three weeks ago I found out the truth. And I'm still reeling from the shock of it. My dad is none other than Johnny Jefferson, mega famous rock star and one-time serial womaniser. And now I'm on my way to LA to meet him and his family.

Review:
This is the first YA novel by author Paige Toon, who already has a successful adult following.  I haven't read any of her previous books, but many of the characters pop-up in the story which centres around Jessie Jefferson, daughter of the rock star Johnny Jefferson. 

Jessie is fifteen years old and her whole life changes when her mother dies and she discovers that her biological father is a famous musician.  I'll admit that I wasn't too sure about her character at the start, as she seemed quite immature and childish but she definitely grew on me throughout the story and I could eventually see that underneath her tough exterior she just wants to fit in and be part of a family.  Life hasn't always been kind to her but when she flies out to Los Angeles to meet Johnny and her half-siblings, she has a chance at building new relationships and making new friends.  It was nice to see Jessie gradually getting to know her Dad and I thought her new little brothers were very sweet. 

Both Johnny and his wife Meg have featured in Paige's other books so I didn't know about some of their history together.  This really didn't matter as many of the gaps were filled in but it has made me want to go and read some of her earlier titles about the couple now. 

'The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson' was a quick and easy read which swept me away to sunnier climes.  It's the perfect book to cheer you up during a dark and dismal winter and although I thought it was a bit predictable at times, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more about Jessie in the next in the series which will be published during spring 2015. 

Review: Vengeance - Megan Miranda

Vengeance by Megan Miranda, published by Bloomsbury on 13th February 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
When Decker drags his best friend Delaney’s lifeless body out of the frozen lake, he makes a deal: Anyone but her. Everyone but her. The lake releases her. It takes another...

All their friends blame Delaney for Carson’s death. But Decker knows the truth: Delaney is drawn to those who are dying, and she would have tried to help Carson.

Or so Decker believes until a body lies in front of him in a pool of water on his kitchen floor. Until he sees in Delaney’s eyes that she knew this would happen too – and she said nothing. Until he realises it isn’t the lake that is looking for revenge – Delaney is part of someone else’s plan.

Review:
This is the sequel to 'Fracture' which is one of my favourite books.  I thought it was amazing the first, second and third time I read it!  'Vengeance' was therefore one of my most anticipated books of the year and hit the top of my TBR pile immediately.  I love the new look covers for the series which look so pretty on my shelves.

The story is told from Decker's point of view.  A part of me missed seeing events unfold from Delaney's perspective as I love her character but it didn't take me long to adjust to the change of narrative.  It was interesting to hear first-hand how Decker was dealing with everything that had happened between the two of them in the previous story. 

Decker, Delaney and their circle of friends believe that they've been cursed by Falcon Lake after Delaney was pulled from the water.  Does the lake have the power to destroy them or are they looking in the wrong place for answers?

A really shocking and unexpected event occurs at the start of the book which I thought was a bold and brave choice by Megan Miranda.  It sets in motion a chain of events which unfold between Decker and Delaney and threatens their future together.  The ramifications of this are felt throughout the whole story as we see Decker struggling with feelings of grief, anger and sadness.  He's emotionally traumatised and pushes away those closest to him.  I missed the closeness between him and Delaney and spent much of the time wishing that he would just forgive her. 

I enjoyed the creepy atmosphere which hangs over all the characters and leaves the reader in the dark and frantically guessing about what is truly going on.  Megan Miranda teases things out and lets the tension build wonderfully. 

'Vengeance' is the perfect winter read and cements Miranda's place as one of my favourite authors.  She can do no wrong!