That said, April could have done a bit better job of at least trying. I read a bunch during the month and while there was some good stuff, there was a fair bit of lacklustre writing around.
Still, my top three, and a few others, stand out as excellent, and there's nearly a dozen more 'recommended' ones, so not a complete wash. And on the plus side, not one but TWO self-published books I'm very happy to recommend!
YA books
Reality Check by Peter Abrahams – Football
player gets injured, finds out his ex-girlfriend has disappeared from her new
boarding school, and goes to join the search. It’s serviceable but incredibly
forgettable, to the point where I noted the title but not the author and had to
Google it to remind myself what it was about.
Sweet by Julie Burchill – I loved Sugar
Rush, but the sequel fell flat with me. Maria Sweet worked brilliantly as a
love interest in the original but is an obnoxious narrator. I loved the ending,
to be fair, but it still doesn’t lift this into recommended territory.
Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne –
Impressive hard-hitting debut which follows the way a girl insinuates herself
into another teen’s life to get revenge after her father is stabbed. Gritty and
realistic with a really good narrator. Tanya Byrne was kind enough to give me really good interview.
Scarlet by AC Gaughen – Robin Hood retold by Will Scarlett – who’s a girl.
Scarlet is one of my favourite narrators of the month, with a fantastic voice.
Guy of Gisbourne is a really nasty villain. The action scenes are superb. It’s
not perfect – the Scarlet/John/Robin love triangle didn’t work for me and some
early dialogue is awkward – but it had me glued to it and I’m looking forward
to Gaughen’s next book.
The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland – Coming-of-age story has a predictable plot and characters who never
really captured my attention, unfortunately.
Changeling by Philippa Gregory – Another
adult author takes the step into YA. Whenever anyone does that I watch with
bated breath… but shouldn’t have worried here. Gregory’s first book in her new
Order of Darkness series is one of the most entertaining pieces of historical
fiction for ages, she captures 15th century Europe wonderfully, and
her central quartet are all superb characters.
Slide by Jill Hathaway – This had a few
faults, notably an ending I didn’t like, but was a welcome breath of fresh air
in the paranormal genre. The idea of a girl suffering from a type of narcolepsy
in which she ‘slides’ into other people’s bodies is very original and her quest
to expose a killer is an interesting story.
Biggles in Spain by W E Johns – Read it for
nostalgia, but either it wasn’t one of the best Biggles or I’m seriously
overrating the books in general through rose-tinted glasses. Slightly bizarre
as Biggles isn’t in it all that much; it focuses strongly on Ginger. Not dreadful,
but not as good as I was expecting.
The Truth of the Matter by Andrew Klavan –
As a series, I’m struggling to retain my interest in Homelander. This is
reasonable action but nothing special.
Brigands MC by Robert Muchamore
Shadow Wave by Robert Muchamore
People's Republic by Robert Muchamore - I finally got round to finishing the James Adams CHERUB books, and started the new series focusing on Ryan Sharma and Fu Ning. I thought they were all good, although could have been a bit shorter, and the lengthy scene-setting of Brigands MC and Shadow Wave didn’t do that much for me. People’s Republic is definitely the best, and is a great jumping-on point if you’re new to the series.
Shadow Wave by Robert Muchamore
People's Republic by Robert Muchamore - I finally got round to finishing the James Adams CHERUB books, and started the new series focusing on Ryan Sharma and Fu Ning. I thought they were all good, although could have been a bit shorter, and the lengthy scene-setting of Brigands MC and Shadow Wave didn’t do that much for me. People’s Republic is definitely the best, and is a great jumping-on point if you’re new to the series.
Sparks (Or How To Give Grandpa A Viking
Funeral) by Ally Kennen – I love the subtitle but found the book to be a little
bit so-so. Not bad, and significantly more entertaining than much I read this
month, but a slight letdown. I should point out my sister grabbed it after I
finished with it and enjoyed it more.
How To Keep A Boy As A Pet by Diane Messidoro – Slightly unintentionally creepy tale of a girl getting advice on how to hook boys from someone who’s apparently a sophisticated American woman who stumbled her blog by accident. Not impressed.
How To Keep A Boy As A Pet by Diane Messidoro – Slightly unintentionally creepy tale of a girl getting advice on how to hook boys from someone who’s apparently a sophisticated American woman who stumbled her blog by accident. Not impressed.
The Boo Hag by David Morgan – Another
original paranormal, which takes its villain from the Gullah culture of South
Carolina. Despite ending on a cliffhanger, I really enjoyed this one and
actually liked the romance here. Well worth checking out, and along with another I'll mention later has restored my faith in self-published books! David Morgan also gave me a fab interview.
Nevermore by Linda Newbery – This old-fashioned tale of a girl moving to a
strange country house with a missing owner is serviceable but I’d expected more
from Newbery. Narrator Tizzie’s mother is also incredibly unlikeable to the
point where she was really winding me up.
Dads, Geeks and Blue-Haired Freaks by Ellie Phillips – Something of a letdown. I loved the idea of a girl searching for her
sperm donor father, but found the teen characters to be bland (although the
adults were really well-portrayed) and the text speak used in certain scenes
had me hurling the book across the room
King Dork by Frank Portman – I loved the
voice of the narrator Tom here to start off with but felt the book dragged on a
bit. Considering there’s several plot strands, with Tom trying to find out the
truth about his father’s death, seek the identity of a mystery girl he met at a
party, and win the battle of the bands, nothing felt all that important.
Mice by Gordon Reece – If this had been 10
times better it would have been merely dreadful. From the bizarre start, in
which we find out that the lead character left her school after bullies set her
hair on fire, and the headteacher has decided there’s not enough evidence to
act against them (NEWSFLASH: However weak the headteacher, the governors and
LEA would be involved here, and the media would be having a field day.) to the
staggeringly bad ending which appears to be going for ‘black comedy’ and misses
by a mile this is by far the worst I’ve read this year.
Charity's Child by Rosalie Warren – I’m still not overly convinced this is YA, despite the teen narrator. It’s a gripping tale of religion, teen pregnancy, and other controversial subjects which is very well-written – I just think it may appeal to adults more than teens. Definitely worth checking out, though.
Top 3 of the month, though, are…
3rd
Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer –
I think I’d have offered long odds against a self-published author ever making
my top 3 of the month, but Scott Cramer’s incredibly tense account of a world
after space dust kills off everyone past puberty, leaving the children to form
a new society, deserves its place. Really strong characters and a great plot
make this one which I’d highly recommend. Scott was kind enough to give me a great interview, as well!
2nd
Della Says: OMG! by Keris Stainton – Despite
the cover, which looks like it’s going to be a really light read, this has got
a bit more depth than expected. It looks at trust, loyalty, honesty,
relationships, and family, and is incredibly frank. I thought the dialogue was
brilliant and Della, her friend Maddy, and love interest Dan are three of my
favourite characters for a while.
But my YA Book of the Month is…
Fear by Michael Grant – My top three are all
pretty great, to be fair, but this sneaks first place. Grant’s ‘Gone’ series is
one of the best dystopians around and his character development over the course
of the five books so far is pitch-perfect.
MG books
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander – I
started rereading classic fantasy series the Chronicles of Prydain. The Book of
Three is an entertaining start to the series without being particularly
memorable. More of the series in a minute… hint, hint!
Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy – Super-sweet
story about a wild 12-year-old girl who’s sent from London to Ireland to live
with her dad and his new partner and her 9-year-old daughter. I loved the
character development here, there’s a great romance between Scarlett and a
mysterious boy she meets, and Cassidy’s writing style is as wonderful as ever.
Outlaw: The Story of Robin Hood by Michael Morpurgo – Morpurgo writes Robin Hood. If you’re not convinced by those 4 words, I’m not sure what else I can say.
Creepover: Truth or Dare by P J Night –
Despite the characters being a tiny bit underdeveloped, this is atmospheric
enough and a quick enough read that it’s definitely worth checking out. Really
looking forward to later books in the series!
The Flip-Flop Club: Charmed Summer by Ellen Richardson – Seriously sweet read with three fab central characters and a dog
who steals every scene he’s in! I found this to be really good in a rather timeless sort of way and can't wait for the next in this series.
And the MG Book of the Month for me is…
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander – If
the first in the Chronicles of Prydain isn’t all that memorable, this makes up
for it in spades! A great plot, which is influenced by Welsh mythology but
feels really fresh, wonderful character development, and a bunch of really
interesting adversaries, this is one you shouldn’t miss.
Highly Recommended (These are all the
books I rated 4 ½ or 5 stars this month.)
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy
Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer
Fear by Michael Grant
Changeling by Philippa Gregory
Changeling by Philippa Gregory
Outlaw by Michael Morpurgo
Della says OMG by Keris Stainton
Recommended (These are the books I rated
4 stars this month.)
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne
Scarlet by A C Gaughen
Slide by Jill Hathaway
The Boo Hag by David MorganBrigands MC by Robert Muchamore
Shadow Wave by Robert Muchamore
People's Republic by Robert Muchamore
Creepover: Truth or Dare by P J Night
Charmed Summer by Ellen Richardson
Charity's Child by Rosalie Warren
Jim, thank you for your comments (and your earlier review) of Charity's Child. I think you make a very good point about the readership. I'm now writing a sequel and am having a serious rethink about who it's aimed at. (You may be interested to know that Charity was originally written for adults but I was encouraged to reclassify it as YA :-) )
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