Review: Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour
Format: Hardcover
Published by Dutton Juvenile on 15th May 2014
Pages: 307
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Rating: 
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A love letter to the craft and romance of film and fate in front of—and behind—the camera from the award-winning author of Hold Still.

A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.

Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

I'd been waiting for Nina LaCour to write a romance with two girls since I read Hold Still back when it came out (and loved it), so I did a happy dance when I first heard about Everything Leads to You and saw its gorgeous cover and intriguing blurb. But guess what? It turns out that the romance wasn't the best thing about this book. In fact, I was possibly a little disappointed by the romance, but more on that later. Why did I like this book so much? Because Emi's world, the world of set design, was simply enchanting.

Review: Dr Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos

Dr Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos
Format: Hardcover
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on 5th March 2013
Pages: 310
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Rating: 
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“I hate myself but I love Walt Whitman, the kook. Always positive. I need to be more positive, so I wake myself up every morning with a song of myself.”

Sixteen-year-old James Whitman has been yawping (à la Whitman) at his abusive father ever since he kicked his beloved older sister, Jorie, out of the house. James’s painful struggle with anxiety and depression—along with his ongoing quest to understand what led to his self-destructive sister’s exile—make for a heart-rending read, but his wild, exuberant Whitmanization of the world and keen sense of humor keep this emotionally charged debut novel buoyant.

James Whitman is a teenage boy who loves Walt Whitman. He loves poetry and photography and trees and birds. He hugs trees to make himself feel better. He suffers from anxiety and depression and has an imaginary pigeon as his therapist. His parents are abusive, and his sister no longer lives in the house with them, ever since she got into a fight at school and was expelled and subsequently kicked out of the house. He wants his sister back.

This book is about James trying to get his sister back. Trying to figure out what exactly happened that led to her getting expelled. Trying to understand her more, and realising they have more in common than he'd thought. And that everything is more complicated than it seems.

It's about James dealing with his anxiety and depression, confronting the problems in his life, learning to stand up for himself and for his sister.

Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (#1 in the Dorothy Must Die series)
Format: Paperback
To be published by HarperCollins on 3rd July 2014 (first published on 1st April 2014)
Pages: 464
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: 
Purchase from: Amazon (UK)
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I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. But I never expected Oz to look like this. A place where Good Witches can't be trusted and Wicked Witches may just be the good guys. A place where even the yellow brick road is crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, and I've been given a mission:

Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.

Steal the Scarecrow's brain.

Take the Lion's courage.

And then—Dorothy must die.

**Thanks HarperCollins for sending me a free review copy!**

I thought this book was fantastic and so much fun to read.

I have to say though, the blurb is a tad misleading. You know all that stuff down there with the mission and all those parts to it? "Remove the Tin Woodman's heart, steal the Scarecrow's brain, take the Lion's courage"? That's not really a big part of this book. I'm thinking it more generally describes the series as a whole rather than this book in particular. But, that said, this is still an eminently enjoyable book in its own right, and as long as you don't go into this book expecting everything in the blurb to happen, you're going to be fine.

Mini-review: I Don't Want to Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz

I Don't Want to Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz
Format: Paperback
Published by Push on 1st August 2007 (first published on 1st July 2006)
Pages: 288
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Memoir
Rating: 
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The harrowing, remarkable poetry memoir about one girl's struggle with anxiety disorder.

This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities – freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she revelled in the independence... but as pressures increased, she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and physically incapacitated. Thus began a hard road of discovery and coping, powerfully rendered in this poetry memoir.

I'm finding this book very difficult to review, for some reason.

It's not an easy read either. It's a verse memoir documenting one girl's life as she leaves home for college and how she begins to suffer from anxiety. I Don't Want to Be Crazy traces Samantha Schutz's through her college years, from just after she finishes high school, to when she's got one of her first jobs after college.

It shows us Samantha as she keeps trying, time and time again, with therapists and medication, to recover from anxiety; she thinks she gets better but the anxiety resurfaces, worse than before, and grips her again. It's a very intense read. There are detailed descriptions of what anxiety attacks are like for her. It's terrifying and sad and, as the blurb promises, "harrowing". Because recovery isn't a smooth process for her, or for most people suffering from mental illnesses. It's awful and scary to be confronted with the reality of that, of how you take medication and then stop taking it for months and think you're better now only to plunge into even worse anxiety attacks than before.

I felt very empty and depressed reading it. I've always known that this is the reality of things, but to read about it, about one girl's real struggles with anxiety, was really tough. I feel like it's a very important book though, to help and to inform, because a lot of people don't realise that this is how severe anxiety can really be. How it can really take over your life and make you unable to carry on as normal. If you're seeking to understand anxiety more, this is a good read. It's very well-written and the ending is a glimmer of hope. But yeah. It's a heavy read. Very real and devastating at times. Only read if you're prepared for the reality of the way things are.

Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (#2 in the Grisha trilogy)
Format: Paperback
Published by Indigo on 6th June 2013 (first published 4th June 2013)
Pages: 386
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: 
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The Darkling cupped my cheek with his hand, and when he spoke, his voice was almost tender. 'This is just the beginning,' he whispered.

Alina thought she could run from her past and escape her destiny. She can't.

Mal hoped he'd done enough to protect the girl he loved. He hadn't.

The Darkling, more powerful than before, is hungry for revenge. He needs Alina.

Soon Alina must choose between her country, her power, and the man she loves – or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

**I won this through Goodreads First Reads.**

A bit better than the first book, I think, but it's still not quite amazing yet. Looking forward to Ruin and Rising though!

Mini-review: The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman

The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Eddie Campbell
Format: Hardcover
To be published by Headline on 17th June 2014
Pages: 72
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 
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You ask me if I can forgive myself?
I can forgive myself...

And so begins The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains, a haunting story of family, the otherworld, and a search for hidden treasure. This gorgeous full-colour illustrated book version was born of a unique collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman and renowned artist Eddie Campbell, who brought to vivid life the characters and landscape of Gaiman's award-winning story. In this volume, the talents and vision of two great creative geniuses come together in a glorious explosion of color and shadow, memory and regret, vengeance and, ultimately, love.

...for many things. For where I left him.
For what I did.

**Many thanks to Headline and Bookbridgr for providing me with a free review copy!**

This was something a little different for me. I've read many of Neil Gaiman's short stories, and I tend to enjoy them quite a lot. I don't really read short stories much in general, but I feel like Gaiman is really good at short stories. They're just so incredibly rich, packing so much in in such a short space, and they always manage to feel like they're just the right length. Just perfect. I like that he tends to put a sharp twist towards the end of his short stories, something that feels like a twist in your own gut as you read it, a chill, a shiver, an abrupt realisation that makes the whole story seem that much more powerful.

This story was no exception. It was haunting and creepy and weird, just like many of Gaiman's short stories. But what made it different was that it was accompanied by some lovely art, blended perfectly with the prose. I've never read any of Eddie Campbell's graphic novels, but when I first opened this book I wasn't very sure about his art. I didn't think I liked it very much. But as I kept reading, I found that Campbell's style grew on me and I thought the art really added to the flavour of the story. There are some really stunning moments.

The story is set in a "Scotland much like our own in Jacobite times". It's about two men and a search for a cave, but of course, with Neil Gaiman, you already know it's about much more than that. The atmosphere of the Scottish isles is beautifully evoked, and I loved the pace and tension of the story, the slow foreboding ascent as the story gathers itself towards its conclusion. I loved finding out what the story was really about, how that's not so obvious until it is.

My boyfriend and I sat in bed reading this out loud, and he did all the Scottish voices, and it was so much fun. I feel like this kind of book is perfect for that kind of experience. We finished it in about an hour and a half, reading it out loud. I got chills at the end. It's a story where all things have their cost. If you're looking for happy stories, this is probably not where you should look. But if you're looking for something a little dark and different, this might just give you the kind of bitter, sharp jolt that you want.

Review: Shadowplay by Laura Lam

Shadowplay by Laura Lam (#2 in the Micah Grey series)
Format: Paperback
Published by Strange Chemistry on 2nd January 2014
Pages: 400
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: 
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There are likely to be mild spoilers for the first book ahead! Please stop reading if you haven't read the first book and want to avoid spoilers entirely. Read my review of the first book, Pantomime, here.

The circus lies behind Micah Grey in dust and ashes.

He and the white clown, Drystan, take refuge with the once-great magician, Jasper Maske. When Maske agrees to teach them his trade, his embittered rival challenges them to a duel which could decide all of their fates. People also hunt both Micah and the person he was before the circus—the runaway daughter of a noble family. And Micah discovers there is magic and power in the world, far beyond the card tricks and illusions he's perfecting...

A tale of phantom wings, a clockwork hand, and the delicate unfurling of new love, Shadowplay continues Micah Grey’s extraordinary journey.

I know, I know, I gave the first book five stars, and I only gave this one four, so I'm hearing you ask me: was this book not as good? I'm not sure that's totally true. I think the first book gave me such a heady rush of delight because everything was so new and shiny and oh my god, a bisexual intersex character in a YA fantasy series!!!! Great world-building, intriguing mysteries, etc. etc. And Micah and the world of the Archipelago continue to be awesome in this book, but that's nothing new, so I am judging this book simply on its own merits. Hence it only gets four stars. I love this series from the bottom of my heart, and I am dying for the third book. But this book isn't quite a five-star read on its own, since I found the plot just a little weak.

There are so many things I love about it though! The romance between Drystan and Micah is pitch perfect, developing slowly over this book in a very realistic and heart-melting way, with many touching moments between the two, and many sparks of heat too. That was one of my favourite things about this book. We got Drystan backstory, and he is so complex! I love him. There's more darkness in him than there is in Micah, and I just find that so delicious. I love Drystan to bits (new book boyfriend!) and can't wait to read the first of the Vestigial Tales that Lam is going to publish very soon: The Snake Charm, all about Drystan and how he became the leader of the clowns.

Review: The City's Son by Tom Pollock

The City's Son by Tom Pollock (#1 in the Skyscraper Throne series)
Format: Paperback
Published by Jo Fletcher Books on 2nd August 2012
Pages: 454
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: 
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Hidden under the surface of everyday London is a city of monsters and miracles, where wild train spirits stampede over the tracks and glass-skinned dancers with glowing veins light the streets.

When a devastating betrayal drives her from her home, graffiti artist Beth Bradley stumbles into the secret city, where she finds Filius Viae, London's ragged crown prince, just when he needs someone most. An ancient enemy has returned to the darkness under St Paul's Cathedral, bent on reigniting a centuries-old war, and Beth and Fil find themselves in a desperate race through a bizarre urban wonderland, searching for a way to save the city they both love.

The City's Son is the first book of the Skyscraper Throne: a story about family, friends and monsters, and how you can't always tell which is which.

The City's Son was a fun urban fantasy novel, full to the brim with fantastically inventive creations which really capture the essence of London: railwraiths, scaffwolves, Pylon Spiders, the Mirrorstocracy, lamp people, Pavement Priests. It's an emotional read, and at the heart of it, it's about cities and the people who live in it, and the bonds that they form with their city and with each other.

Review: Tides by Betsy Cornwell

Tides by Betsy Cornwell
Format: Paperback
Published by Houghton Miffin Harcourt on 1st April 2014 (first published 4th June 2013)
Pages: 294
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: 
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When Noah Gallagher and his sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don't expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then Noah tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning, and their summer takes a dramatic turn.

Mara is beautiful and aloof... and she has a voice like nothing Noah has ever heard before, silky and watery and deep. Noah and Lo could both use a friend their age on the remote island, but something seems to be holding Mara back. What sorts of secrets could she and her close-knit family be hiding? And will discovering them put Noah and Lo in danger?

This dreamlike, suspenseful story – deftly told from multiple points of view – dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family. 

This book is so enchanting and lovely and a real breath of fresh air in the realm of YA fantasy.

The thing that really makes it stand out? Noah's grandmother, Gemm, features quite heavily in this story, and she's good friends with a woman called Maebh – and you very quickly find out that the two women are romantically involved. I loved the relationship between Gemm and Maebh! I mean, how often do you see an elderly same-sex couple in YA? Never, that's how. Grandparents don't even feature very often in YA, now that I think about it. (And you know what? I would love to see more grandparents in YA in general!)