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Gemma Malley writes dystopia really well. Her previous series, The Declaration, was one of my favourite additions to the genre and I was extremely excited about reading her next series which opens with the Killables. While dystopian YA is somewhat monopolised by American authors, Malley’s dystopian has more of a British feel about it (The Declaration in particularly is quintessentially English). The Killables however, does have an ‘any-place’ vibe in its setting which I think works for the novel and its themes particularly well.
In a time where ‘evil’ is removed from your brain and you are graded on your subsequent capacity for badness and evil, The Killables is set a utopian society with a sinister side. Evie, our main protagonist, is a B (solid, acceptable, could be better, just like me in school a lot!) and engaged to Lucas, an A, and epitome of what the city admires. Evie works in label changing, meaning that when the city’s computer either demotes or promotes a person’s letter, she is in charge of sorting out the system. Anything below a D, deviant, means that person is liable to be marked out in the city as evil, while the worst of the labels, K, remains mysterious as no one knows what happens to them.
She is also terrified she is evil. From her many nightmares to her secret passion for Raffy, her fiancé’s brother. Evie is desperate to be good and live by the rules, but when Raffy is branded a K though; everything changes as both Evie and Raffy run from the city.
I found that this was a really interesting book, if a little slower than Gemma Malley’s previous series. As the opening to the series, I definitely found that my interest was piqued and that I really want to read what happens next. I particularly liked that while the ending served as an appetiser for the second book, it also felt like a proper ending that didn’t make me want to squeal.
The concept of this novel is particularly striking; while we’ve had novels about love being forbidden (Delerium is one recent example), controlling evil seems more utopian than dystopian. After all, a society without rape, murder, war sounds ideal. However, reality tells us that as flawed creatures, it would be unlikely to remain perfect and Malley depicts this wonderfully. The idealism of the City coupled with how it treats one resident when they are downgraded to a D and the ranking bias proves that this is not a great place to live.
While Evie and Raffy are in the City, I did feel the story was a little slower and less pacy than I might have expected, however when they run away it really picked up for me personally. The romance between the two felt very sweet and honest; they were a couple I could believe in and root for. That said, their relationship is not a smooth ride and I did find myself mentally wanting to curse Malley for some of the obstacles she put in their way. I definitely am looking forward to seeing what comes next for the two of them and how their relationship survives.
I would also add this book can work as both a YA and crossover novel. As all the teenagers have left school and hold jobs in accordance with the City’s conventions, this lends itself well to adult readers as well as the characters have a slightly more experienced world than in some YA novels.
If you are a dystopian fan then I think the Killables will have a lot to offer you. The Killables offers a window into considering more about what evil even is and would we ever be able to destroy it. I received my copy for free from Hodder & Stoughton and am as always grateful and thankful for the opportunity. My review is not affected by how I obtained the novel.
Dialogue is hard to write, and even harder to write with intense authenticity. Aidan Chambers manages to write a novel heavilly dependent on short scenes of dialogue and he does it well. Obviously this technique may not be for every reader, but I found it a highly effective and compelling introduction to Chambers’ writing.
Karl enlists a famous author, the narrator of the novel, to write letters for him to send to his girlfriend who has requested he write to her. Karl is dyslexic and so conflicted by this and so reaches out to Fiorella’s favourite author who obliges in exchange for getting to know him. In a way, this concept could easily derail and turn into something quite creepy, to say the least, however Chambers skillfully avoids this and the resulting almost paternal relationship between Karl and the author is my personal highlight of the book.
Fiorella somehow comes across as very unlikeable, at times this is intentional but from the start I just didn’t warm to the sound of her. I felt Karl deserved someone more understanding and who he could be honest about his dyslexia with. Art is respectfully treated within the novel and comprises a key role within the novel. In particular Karl’s understanding and development of art is tactfully and beautifully written.
Depression also is a motif in the book and Chambers artfully and sensitively handles it, showing from the author’s view how it feels and looks to have a friend in the midst of such lows.
This book is more of a slow-burn than a high-octane novel, it is sort of the equivalent of ‘literary’ fiction for young adults and so I understand it isn’t for everyone, but it was definitely for me and I do happily recommend this novel to my readers.
I received this book for free through NetGalley and ABRAMS publishers and am highly grateful for the opportunity. Dying to Know You will be published on April 1st.
Katy Rivers’ life finally seems to be picking up. She’s dating Merlin, her school’s resident artist hottie and has a great group of friends. However, when she sees a strange girl while on the bus with piercing green eyes, things begin to unravel. Add in a mysterious green pendant she receives from her indirectly and Katy starts to wonder if this new girl, Genevive, is entirely human and if she wants to take over Katy’s life.
As Genevive worms her way into Katy’s life through her friends, mother and even her boyfriend while appearing perfectly sweet to them, and saying she will is Katy’s worst nightmare to her in private. Katy finds herself in a battle for her friends and trying to prove that this girl is not all she seems.
What I most loved about this novel is that it consistently blurs that line between reality and fiction. Katy is convinced there is something otherly about Genevieve, but her best friend Luke is certain she is bestowing supernatural qualities on someone completely normal. This created real psychological tension as you were never sure who exactly was right. In a world of paranormal young adult, this uncertainty was welcome to me.
My favourite character was definitely Luke. I felt his friendship with Katy was really sweet and I loved the subtle growing attraction that developed in the novel. There is a small age-difference between the two, but to be honest I know a lot of people who have dated and been good friends with the same disparity so I didn’t find it a big deal. I loved that Luke was the person who believed and supported her throughout the novel and I just wanted to be friends with him from the moment he entered the novel. Katy and him had a natural chemistry and very believable friendship that was my personal favourite feature of Poison Heart.
I also loved how much Katy developed and changed in the novel, becoming much more independent and assertive by the end. Her metamorphosis was very believably written and happened subtly throughout the novel.
In terms of the mystery aspect, I guessed some of it but certain aspects did come as a surprise for me. The tension and suspense is well written and to that end, I think you will either love or hate the ending because of that. I would recommend this novel to fans of suspense novels and YA, as well as those who want a fresh twist on paranormal novels.
S B Hayes evokes a compelling psychological thriller with just a hint of the paranormal and is a welcome addition to the British YA scene. Poison Heart is due out today in the UK, published by Quercus. I received the book from the publishers for free (thank you!) and am very happy I got a chance to read and review this novel. My review is not affected by how I received the book in the slightest.
Hollow Pike is James Dawson’s debut novel and is a welcome addition to the British young adult movement. It tells the story of Lis, who has moved in with her sister and her husband in Yorkshire after being hounded out of her school by bullies.
When she is bullied again by the class tormentor, Laura, Lis bonds with the school outcasts; Kitty, Delilah and jack and they scheme to teach her a lesson. After a practical joke however, Laura is killed.
Now, Lis and her friends need to solve the murder because they were also in the woods that night and may be in danger themselves.
The novel is set in a small town filled withlore and legends of witchcraft and Dawson brilliantly sets up the suspense here. For me, I never doubted Hollow Pike and its superstitious residents and minor characters like Mrs Gilespie create this atmosphere.
James Dawson has been a teacher and worked within diversity and bullying and this shows in his writing. His depiction of bullying in schools is brutally honest, as are the teachers’ reactions – I am pretty sure in middle school I had the exact same conversation as Lis with Mr Grey when he learns of her bullying – and this makes the novel more authentic and creates a plot and characters that feel so real and honest, I think teenagers will find something to relate to within this novel and love it.
Dawson’s use of sexuality and the relationship between Kitty and Delilah is another testament to his writing. While some depictions of anything other than heterosexuality seem to ignore the concept or existence of bisexuality – yes, Glee, I’m looking at you, Kurt – Dawson’s characters are cautious and working out who they are, whether they like boys, girls or both and it is written very well.
I loved the romantic development between Lis and Danny and thought it was a great portrayal of a teenage romance and that all encompassing first love and the doubts you’re good enough.
This is not a particularly supernatural book, it is more a novel about the fear of an act than the act itself – the Crucible by Arthur Miller is offered as comparison frequently throughout the novel. For me, Dawson’s strengths were his depictions of bullying, family, friendship and romance. I really look forward to more of his writing in the future.
I received my copy for free through Orion/ Indigo and am grateful for this. I was even more excited when I realised it was a signed copy and would like to thank Orion for sending me this. The tone of my review or content has not been influenced by any of the above.
As my first review for the 2012 British Book Challenge I am partipating in, I would like to present you with my review of Torn!
I loved Cat Clarke’s debut novel Entangled so I was incredibly excited to read her sophomore effort. Torn continues Clarke’s now characteristic style of a novel heavy in realism that seems to have a paranormal edge at the same time. In all her novels, this paranormal edge can be argued at the end to be some psychological or imagined experience; the entire room and premise of Entangled for example and a certain shall we say, presence in Torn. Both novels are incredibly harrowing thematically and are beautifully written.
Torn tells the story of the fallout during and after a school trip to Scotland where the narrator Alice, her best friend Cass, outsider Rae, Polly the try-hard-wannabe-but-failing and Tara, the mean girl, are all in true fashion lumped together with one another in a cabin. While this is a bit of a cliche, it is kind of true, I certainly remember at school trips being put in rooms with people I didn’t like, but like Alice, I always had a good friend in my dorm as we could ‘choose’ one of our roommates beforehand. By the end of the trip, Tara is dead and the novel opens with her memorial service as the book intertwines the history and the aftermath seamlessly together through Alice.
Alice was a strong narrator. She wasn’t always likeable and at times I really wanted to yell at her, but I liked that as it made her human and I would rather have a character I don’t love all the time than a perfect Mary-Sue. She was a human in a very bad situation and battling with what to do. Without wanting to spoil the novel I found this particularly interesting as the whole challenge between action and passivity is at the heart of the novel.
I loved Clarke’s character development, particularly with Polly, Tara and Alice. Without spoiling the entire novel, the change between preconceptions and someone’s actual self are so well exemplified within these characters in particular.
I loved the romantic aspect to the novel and Jack was simply adorable. I loved his inability to make it clear when it was a date, while I agreed with Alice that a museum doesn’t scream romance, I thought it was so cute.
As with Entangled, Torn ends with room for the reader to decide what happens next. It is interesting that both novels end with a choice after beginning with coping with a situation they have been coerced or forced into. While in some books I find this incredibly frustrating, I think it was the right call for Clarke to make and the perfect ending. The final chapters of the novel were heartbreaking, refreshingly realistic and incredibly well written.
I can’t wait for Clarke’s next novel!
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