What I've Been Reading:'World Enough and Time' by Emma C. Williams

But at my back I always hear
Time's wingèd chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.

'To His Coy Mistress' ~ Andrew Marvell







'World Enough and Time' by Emma C. Williams was 'recommended' to me by Goodreads.com based on some books I'd read previously. The premise fascinated me and, seeing that I had it on my 'to-read' shelf, the author contacted me asking if I would like a copy to review. Of course, I accepted, and here we are...

Anna Jones is your typical 15 year old. Intelligent, sensitive and feisty she's got a lot going on. Firstly, there's Michael, a close friend who she'd like to be closer to, then there's the fiasco she's gotten herself into with her RE teacher and a badly phrased opinion. But the biggest thing going on in Anna's life right now is the build-up to an operation she's been waiting a lifetime for. An operation that could change her life completely.

You see, Anna has Goldenhar Syndrome, a genetic condition that prevented one side of her face developing at the same rate as the other. As a result, her face is severely asymmetric,  one half of her jaw is underdeveloped causing complex structural problems. Anna is also almost completely blind in one eye and has less than perfect hearing in one ear. She also has scoliosis of the spine as a result of her condition. And yet Anna does not let any of this get her down.

At fifteen, she's already gone through a lifetime of medical procedures, examinations and orthodontic devices but finally it is time for the operation of all operations. An eight hour procedure to transplant bone from one of her ribs into her jaw and hopefully make her face more symmetrical. Anna hopes that the procedure will allow her to live life in the same bubble of uncertainty that others do. There won't be any more over-friendly shop-keepers trying to show that they don't care how she looks, there won't be any more kids pointing and asking their parents what is wrong with her, and maybe, just maybe, Michael might find her attractive enough to date.

'World Enough and Time' is a beautiful novel. Told from Anna's point of view we get an exquisitely crafted and insightful look into the mind of a fifteen year old who just wants to live her life without prejudice. Unusually for a novel told from the point of view of a teenager, I really did feel like Anna was talking to me directly, as though the author had channelled Anna and was relaying her thoughts on to the page. Anna did not feel fictional. She felt thoroughly 3D, a fully developed character who I could really care about and wanted to spend time with. In fact, I didn't want the novel to end as I wanted to spend more time with Anna and her friends and I'd be happy to read an entire series of books devoted to Anna Jones. (Thankfully, I've discovered that Anna has her own blog! I'll definitely be checking that out.)

This novel taught me a lot. Not just about Goldenhar Syndrome, which I'd heard of before but didn't really know a lot about, but also about life in general. It taught me that no matter what we think of ourselves, no matter how hard it can be for us to believe that other people will ever find us beautiful, there will always be those who hold us up when we're down and see the beauty that hides within us. It made me pause for a moment in my own navel gazing and contemplate how different and more complicated my own life could be.

This is one of the best Young Adult novels I've read in the last couple of years and I want to urge any YA fans out there to get their hands on a copy and everybody else to buy a copy for any teenage girl in their life. 

5/5 - a firm new favourite.

What I've Been Reading:'Saint Jude' by Dawn DeAnna Wilson

"No one expects you to make any sense. That gives you the freedom to be creative. It's like for the rest of us the world is a black and white TV show. For you, it's a Disney cartoon."

This is one of those books I've stumbled across when browsing Amazon for cheap / free Kindle titles. The slightly eerie cover image drew me to the book and the blurb pulled me in further so I hit that lovely little 'buy now' button.

Saint Jude's is a way-station for troubled teens. Specialising in adolescent mental illness, the group home takes in upper middle class teenagers like Taylor, whose Mom can no longer handle her Bipolar diagnosis. Taylor's lucky. The only experience she has of Psychiatric facilities is the plush ward on the fourth floor of a private hospital, and now the "family" environment of Saint Jude, governed by Big Daddy, the teens therapist and Big Momma, a sort of housekeeper, come psychiatric nurse.

The teens are all dealing with their own problems: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, and yet their lives have become entwined, they've been forced together by the stigma of mental illness and the pain they each feel inside their own fragile minds. Isolated from the "real world" the teens tick along, riding the waves of their mental disorders waiting to turn sixteen so they can leave. 

Until Dalton arrives. A replacement for Big Daddy, Dalton is a breath of fresh air in the stale therapeutic environment and he attempts to turn the teens lives around with shall we say non-traditional techniques and a new approach to therapy. 

Meanwhile, as Taylor begins to grow closer to the charismatic Blaine, she puts her own recovery on the line to become the person she thinks he wants to be. And when he leaves Saint Jude's for good, the fine thread that had been holding her together finally breaks.

This novel encompasses the darkness of a mental illness diagnosis and the brightness of recovery. It's a must-read for anybody going through a similar situation or really for anybody who just likes a bloody good teen protagonist and a plot that deals with strong, heart-wrenching issues without simply skimming the surface.

4/5 - purely because the copy I read could have done with some editing and grammatical tweaks.

What I've Been Reading:'The Panopticon' by Jenni Fagan

This is one of those books I'd read lots of good things about. It had high praise from some brilliant writers and I was really desperate to read it. However, as usual, that means that I was also reluctant to start reading it. I didn't want to be disappointed. I didn't want my high expectations to come crashing down. And now I feel really stupid and wish I had read it much sooner. Because this book was awesome.

At fifteen years old, Anais Hendricks has been through a hell of a lot. Born in a psychiatric facility to a schizophrenic mother, she is a lifer - a child who has been in the care system since birth and due to circumstance and behavioural issues can be expected to move from a care home to the prison system as an adult. There was a brief time in her childhood when things looked good for Anais. She had a loving adoptive Mother, who despite coming with her own set of issues, was a good Mum, providing Anais with a lively and educated upbringing. But things turned sour and Anais found herself back in the system, bouncing from one group home to the next and getting herself into a whole host of trouble in the process.

We first meet Anais in the back of a police car en route to the Panopticon, a care home for chronic young offenders. Anais knows why she's heading there - everybody thinks that she tried to murder a policewoman. What she doesn't know, is whether she is guilty. Yes, there's blood on her school skirt but she was far too off her face on various drugs to remember what she may or may not have done.

What follows is her journey through the trials and tribulations of proving her innocence, as well as trying to figure out who she really is when she has no idea where she really came from. There are a lot of really cool ideas in this book linking to identity that show just how important it is to our sense of self to know who our family are and how we came into the world. Being uncertain of her origins has led Anais to the belief that she was created by 'the Experiment' as a sort of study. She believes that the Experiment are continuously watching and monitoring her and that her life is nothing but one huge investigation into the human mind.

I loved the character of Anais, she's a girl you can really identify with. She's strong-willed, passionate and has an inner strength that a lot of us could really learn from. She doesn't let all of the shit she's gone through define her and she's so brilliantly clever and astute that you just want to get inside her mind and really rummage around in there until you find the answer to the meaning of life.

This novel tackles a lot of issues: the care system, sexuality, self harm, suicide, rape, murder, drug use, HIV, mental illness plus a lot more that I just can't even label. It's a fabulous, heart-wrenching, enlightening book and I would recommend it to anyone who has room for a troubled teen protagonist in their heart.

5/5

Why I love Young Adult Fiction...

When I was about nine years old, my mother started to realise that books for kids my own age were too easy for me and so didn't capture my attention. She made the decision to encourage me to read books aimed at an older audience, and inevitably I started reading teen fiction.

Back then (we're talking the late 90's here) teen fiction was mostly Judy Blume, Paula Danziger and their ilk. Some of the books dealt with big issues ('The Cat Ate My Gymsuit' is a prime example) and yet I never truly connected with the characters. Their lives seemed so distant from my own, their American up-bringing so alien in comparison with my 'it's grim up North' English childhood.

But, I did learn A LOT from these teen novels. Most of my sex education and information on puberty came from these books. I learnt about politics and bullying and feminism. It was an interesting education.

And yet I can't help but feel I missed out on something.

Today's Young Adult fiction is incredible. The market has evolved so much since I was a teenager. Young Adult novels are grittier now, full of strong female protagonists and subjects that would have seemed taboo two decades ago. Young Adult writers talk about suicide, rape, incest, depression. Their characters are gay or disabled, even dying in some cases. They are wise and full of passion. And they go on amazing inner journeys to find themselves. The characters in today's Young Adult fiction are inspiring. And I wish that these books had been around to help me on my way to adulthood when I was fourteen and struggling with my identity.

The Young Adult market is a difficult one. Writers have to cater to a core audience with a lot going on in their lives. Teens (especially boys) can be reluctant readers. So how do YA writers manage to pull in the fans? As I've already said, they're writing about the things their audience are dealing with themselves, the characters tend to be well fleshed out, as real as the people we know in our real lives. The writing is usually taut, fast-paced and gripping, and the plots are rarely flabby in the middle section like their Adult counterparts can be.

For me though, one of the things I like best about YA titles, and the thing that often draws me to them in the first place is the cover. YA books have amazing cover art. Take 'Paper Towns' for example. That's a great cover. Laid out on those presentation tables they have in book stores, it really caught my eye. It was the same with' The Moth Diaries', the beautiful cover just called to me.

I think the main reason I love Young Adult fiction so much is the realism, the fact that when I'm reading a YA title, I'm reminded of my own teen years. I can identify with and understand the characters. The books speak to me. 

And that is why I unashamedly purchase and read Young Adult fiction, despite being well into my 20's.

What I've Been Reading:'The Moth Diaries' by Rachel Klein

A copy of this novel has sat languishing on my book shelves for the last few years. I bought it, attracted by the stunning cover, started it straight away and then got distracted and put it on my shelf un-read. It might just have stayed that way if it wasn't for the fact that my other half got hold of two free tickets to see the film adaptation. I'm one of those people who absolutely hates to see the film of a book without having read the book first and so the day before we were due to see the film, I grabbed my copy of this book, curled up on the sofa and read all 256 pages in one sitting, barely pausing to look up.

'The Moth Diaries', as you might have gathered by the title is presented to us in diary form, an interesting concept that really works with the premise. The story opens with a kind of foreword, the now adult diarist giving us a bit of background to the diary she kept as a sixteen year old girl. She admits that she suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder complicated by depression and that her Psychiatrist has requested her permission to publish the tormented ramblings of her formative years. We never actually learn the identity of the girl we come to know so well. She is nameless to us and yet it doesn't hinder the story at all.

The diary opens at the beginning of a new school term. The sixteen year old narrator attends an exclusive all girls boarding school which over the past few years has become more of a home to her than the home she has shared with her Mother since her poet father killed himself. School is where Lucy, her best friend and secret obsession resides. Home has become the suite she shares with Lucy. But all that is about to change with the arrival of new girl Ernessa Bloch.

Ernessa is a mysterious addition to their world. Pale, foreign and a total loner, she is at odds with the world of school. But Lucy is drawn to her. Sweet, innocent Lucy who can't see the bad in anybody is sucked into Ernessa's world. But since Ernessa arrived on the scene, strange things have been happening. Death and destruction seem to plague the school and our narrator is convinced Ernessa is at the heart of it. She becomes obsessed with the idea that Ernessa Bloch is a Vampire.

But do Vampires really exist outside of the macabre stories she has been reading for her English class, or has her fevered imagination run rampant? We don't really find out and I'm reluctant to say too much in case it spoils the story for any of you who wish to read it. I will say however, that for me, 'The Moth Diaries' was psychologically taut, a brilliant painting of mental torment and teen angst. There were some lines that were incredibly poignant, that reminded me a little of my own teenage years.

It was a great read, an amazing little journey inside the mind. I'd recommend it to anybody who likes Psychological Horror with a dash of teen angst.

5/5

What I've Been Reading:'Paper Towns' by John Green

This is the first novel by John Green that I've read (I know, I'm a little behind the trend but oh well) and I am definitely planning on reading some more of his work. 

I was initially attracted to the beautiful cover art of this novel. I'm a sucker for a good cover and this one really caught my eye. Plus, I fancied an indulgent Young Adult novel, something that would suck me in and keep me absorbed. This was exactly what I wanted.

Quentin "Q" Jacobsen is mere weeks away from graduating High School. He's got a place at a decent College lined up and his life seems to be on-track, well as much as it can be when you're eighteen years old and trying desperately to avoid the horrors of your High School Prom. And then one night, the mysterious and beautiful Margo Roth Spiegelman, the next door neighbour he's loved since he was a child, waltzes in through his bedroom window and whisks him off on a tour of the neighbourhood to complete a series of pranks she has lined up for her cheating boyfriend and his entourage.

And then, just like that, Margo is gone. She doesn't turn up for school the next day or the day after that. There is no note, no phone call, no explanation whatsoever. Margo has simply vanished, leaving a trail of mystery behind her. Knowing that on previous escapes from her suburban life, Margo has left clues as to her whereabouts (the letters M, S, P, and I left uneaten in a bowl of Alphabet Soup), Q and his friends begin a search of Margo's life for any possible clues.

But when it comes down to it, did Margo really want to be found? Did she really expect Q to find her? And just who is Margo anyway? As he creeps around her life, following the paper trail that Margo has left for him, Q begins to doubt that he ever knew the real Margo, the Margo she is inside her heart. And as he gets closer to finding her, he must reconcile the two version of Margo Roth Spiegelman and what they mean to him.

This was a beautiful, deep read. Once again, and I know it's a theme with the Young Adult titles I'm reading lately, I really wish this novel had been around when I was a teenager myself. The characters are exquisite, especially Margo, who is secretly the girl I wanted to be at eighteen and failed. And the idea of paper towns is cleverly worked into the plot and imbued with such subtle meaning (I don't want to go into detail on what paper towns are because it's a crucial plot point and I hate spoilers!). I adored this book and want to re-read it, want to see if there are any little details I missed, or cleverly inserted foreshadowing that would be identified only on a second read.

If you like a cute little mystery and 3D characters that will stay in your mind, then check this out. You won't be disappointed.

5/5

What I've Been Reading:'If I Stay' by Gayle Forman

It seems at the moment that I have a slight thing for Young Adult novels that I can read in one sitting while bawling my eyes out...

'If I Stay' is another one of those teen books battling big issues that I wish had been around when I was actually a teenager. A quote on the cover from the Daily Mail states "read it and weep" and that is exactly what I did.

This novel began as a light, airy glimpse into what seemed to be the perfect family life - cool parents who are into rock music, the adorable hyperactive little brother, and the protagonist Mia, a talented Cellist, well on her way to Juilliard. 

And then it hits. A tragic car accident turns Mia's life upside down. In one life-changing moment, Mia's family are ripped away from her and her own life hangs in the balance. Left somehow outside of her comatose body, Mia watches herself being operated on, hooked up to life-saving machinery while her friends and family will her to survive.

Mia has a choice to make. Will she go or will she stay? Going would be easy. She could be with her family, she wouldn't have to face the gaping hole in her life. Staying will be the hardest thing she's ever had to do. Is she brave enough to step up to the challenge?

This novel was heart-wrenching. I held on bravely for nearly half of the book but there came a point when I just simply could not hold it in any longer and the tears came. And they weren't just the pretty silent tear that rolls down your cheek kind of tears. No, these were the wracking sobs, the giant tears that obscure your vision. These are the tears from emotion so strong that I was tempted at one point to put the book down unfinished as I simply couldn't handle it any longer. But, my need to know what decision Mia came to won over and I carried on to the last page.

And I'm so glad I did.

This is another one of those books I'd recommend you go and read. And seriously, if you can afford it buy a copy for any teenage girl in your life because I'm sure she'd appreciate it.

5/5

What I've Been Reading:'Memory's Wake' by Selina Fenech

I've been a fan of Selina Fenech's artwork for quite a few years and when I found out she had written and published a novel, I was desperate to read it. And now that I've finally got around to it, I can say that it definitely lived up to expectation. 

Memory has no idea who she is, where she comes from or how she got to the land of Avall. As the result of some magical accident she has been torn from her own time and thrown into a land full of Princesses on the run, Dragons and Fae creatures. There's a strange savage man following her, there's a whole gang of men trying to capture her and all while she's trying to figure out what the hell happened to her memories. Luckily she's got Eloryn, a girl with a very familiar face and a dangerous secret to help her out.

This was a fantastic start to a trilogy and I seriously can't wait to read the second installment. The characters are strong and loveable, the setting is different and the plot is something new, a welcome addition to the fantasy canon. There are also some stunning drawings in the book, all done by the author herself.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes Young Adult fiction r fantasy of any kind. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed.

5/5

What I've Been Reading:'Abandon' by Meg Cabot

Unlike most people, I had never read a Meg Cabot novel before this one. But the pretty cover appealed to me and I simply couldn't resist the premise.

Two years ago, Pierce Oliviera died. Well, technically it was only for an hour and her body was actually in a kind of slowed-down state due to being submerged in ice cold water. But she was still dead until the doctors managed to restart her heart. Despite what her Neurologist and various Psychiatrist's have told her, Pierce knows that the things she experienced while she was gone from this world are real, that they did happen. You see, Pierce went to the Underworld, met a mysterious black-clad stranger and barely managed to escape before he made her his wife. Forever. Yeah, it does sound like a dream or an hallucination. But Pierce has proof. There is a necklace. A ridiculously expensive diamond necklace that changes colour when danger is near. Pierce didn't own this necklace before she died. But when she woke up it was in her possession.

Now, Pierce and her Mother have moved to Isla Huesos, attempting to make a new start away from the bizarre situations that seem to plague Pierce. But it seems Pierce simply cannot escape her destiny. Her mysterious stranger from the Underworld is here on the island and he's determined to take her back where she belongs.

I really enjoyed this novel, practically inhaled it, unable to put it down for hours at a time. At times, the first person point of view and the teenage language that came with it got to be a little irritating but once I reminded myself that I was in fact reading a Young Adult novel, I managed to overlook it. There was a lot of history and mythology weaved into the fiction of this novel and Cabot's description if the Underworld was perfect, really made me feel like it may just exist.

I think the only issue for me is that this is the first book in a trilogy. I would have liked the whole story in one larger book but I understand that the trilogy format appeals more to younger readers. For me though, I'm not sure how long the story will stick with me and whether I'll be desperate enough to go out and buy the second and third instalments. I'm not sure if I could stick with the characters and the lovey-dovey stuff that I'm sure will come in the second instalment for three books.

All in all it was a good read that slumped a little in places but ultimately kept me reading.

Rating: 3/5

What I've Been Reading:'Cora: The Unwilling Queen' by Amy Hutchinson

*I won a free copy of this book on Goodreads.com*

I've always loved the myth of Persephone and Hades. There's just something about having to spend half your life in the confines of the Underworld that seriously creeps me out.

In her debut novel 'Cora: The Unwilling Queen', Amy Hutchinson takes Persephone's story and re-imagines it, casting in Persephone's place everyday teenager Cora.

Cora has been having these dreams. Really strange dreams that she struggles to remember when she awakes. Dreams that enable her to take possessions in and out of her dream world. And that's seriously not normal, right? As the dreams get stranger and stranger, causing her to collapse into a deep sleep each night at midnight and dream about a handsome stranger who wants her to be his bride, Cora turns to her best friends, in the hope that they can help her solve the mystery of the dreams before it's too late.

This book sucked me in and had me hooked until the very last line. The story was utterly compelling and the story flicked back and forth between Cora's waking life and dream world seamlessly. The dream sequences didn't have any of the awkwardness that they seem to possess in other novels. It really felt natural to slip into Cora's dreams with her and sneak out upon her waking. 

As a heroine, Cora was perfect. She didn't have any of that annoying woe-is-me stuff going on that I loath in teenage protagonists. Instead, she was a strong, crafty survivor who made the most of her situation and didn't rely on others to rescue her. 

I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel and can't wait to see where Cora's adventure leads. I'd recommend this novel to anyone who likes strong female characters and a plot that gives a contemporary take on myth.

Rating: 4/5

What I've Been Reading:'Beautiful Creatures' by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

First off, i should admit that I'm one of those people who can't bear to watch a film if they haven't read the book on which it is based. So when I saw the trailer for the film of 'Beautiful Creatures' and decided I wanted to go see it when it's released, I just had to go and buy a copy of the book.

And I adored it.

Garcia and Stohl have brought some fresh and long-awaited new ideas to the field of YA paranormal fiction. I really enjoyed reading a novel of this type told from the perspective of a sixteen year old boy rather than a teenage girl. And it was refreshing not to have a mortal girl fall for the mysterious immortal guy she can never have (also known as the Twilight effect).

I loved the idea of Casters and the fact that destiny is not something that can be controlled. I found some of it sort of philosophical and thoughtful and yet there was none of the preachy let's-put-a-hidden-message-about-abstinence-in-here rubbish that you get with a lot of novels aimed at the younger audience.

I found myself drawn to the character of Lena Duchennes and her crazy family. I think a lot of teenage girls who will read this novel will be drawn to her and her awkwardness. Oh, and I absolutely adore her memory necklace and would sort of love to have one of my own.

I'm desperate to read the next instalment in the series. I may have to treat myself at some point in the next few weeks. And I will definitely be going to see the film when it hits the big screen next month.

Rating: 5/5

What I've Been Reading: 'Greenwitch' by Susan Cooper

The five-volume copy I'm reading

The title-page for 'Greenwitch'

I've had this five-volume copy of 'The Dark is Rising Sequence' by Susan Cooper on my bookcase for 14 years. My much older cousin bought it for me as a twelfth birthday present and it's sat there un-read ever since. I've always intended to read it and just never gotten around to it. But when we went on holiday to Majorca a few weeks ago I packed it as something different to read by the pool, and I'm so slad I did. 

'Greenwitch' is the third book in the sequence and usually I struggle to read more than two or three books in a series before I need a break but I know I'm going to go straight on to the next book in the volume, 'The Grey KIng'. Basically, I need to know what's going to happen.

The series was written in the 1970's and yet I haven't had that strange feeling that you sometimes get when you read older literature. You know what I mean, like when you're reading C.S Lewis and it's very obvious when the books were written. These books feel a little bit more timeless to me. Maybe it's just me, I don't know, or maybe it's the subject matter. Anyway, I would definitely recommend this series, or what I've read of it so far. I'm hoping the next two books live up to my expectations and that the conclusion doesn't fail me.