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Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
The title – Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, is very evocative – forgive whom? For what? – and it certainly gives a good sense of what’s instore. But it never really gets explained. I like it that way: I like the slightly ambiguous ending, the way it doesn’t really cast judgement on our protagonist Leonard, that … Continue reading
Grasshopper Jungle
“Good books are about everything,” says Austin, and Grasshopper Jungle, like all good books, is also about everything. It is the tale of inheritance, of history; of identity and truth, of love, attraction, youth and freedom. It is, oddly enough, also the tale of the end of the world; a tale of death-by-giant-insects in Ealing, … Continue reading
How They Met
As Levithan points out in his foreword, anthologies or short story collections are rarely treated with as much regard as full length novels: as if writing them is somehow less imaginative, less creative, less time-consuming. And certainly, I’m speaking for myself here – I’ve never made the time for short stories. But I made an … Continue reading
Burn
In the Dome, Partridge is trying to take over control from his father. He’s trying to work for the better – but that’s not always easy when you don’t know who’s on your side or not…Outside, Pressia, Bradwell and El Capitan are returning from distant lands with a vial that could cure the wretches from … Continue reading
Crash Into You
Crash Into You sees McGarry’s third and final return to Noah and Echo’s world of crime, poverty and drugs, this time to tell Isaiah’s story, whose life is changed forever when a beautiful girl arrives to an illegal street race, completely out of place. The only way for him to save her is to put … Continue reading
The Beating of His Wings
Thomas Cale, Left Hand of God, God’s vengeance on humanity, is not what he once was. His strength is deteriorating, his soul thinning; his quality of life, in general, is at an all-time low – even compared to his time with the Redeemers in the Sanctuary. But with the uncertainty of his survival, Cale is … Continue reading
Every Day
Finally published in the UK – Every Day is slightly less conventional than most of Levithan’s novels, and follows A’s story as (s)he moves from body to body, temporarily inhabiting the lives of others for 24 hours before moving on. This is how it’s been since A’s been conscious; and this is, (s)he thinks, how … Continue reading
Spud: Learning to Fly
Returning for his third year at the rowdy all-boys boarding school in South Africa, the Crazy Eight are now seven: a new boy by the name of Garlic has joined their dorm. This year it’s not all fun and games. Pike is back as a prefect and the Crazy Eight can no longer run amok … Continue reading
The Screaming Staircase
Fifty years ago, a horrifying ghost epidemic began. All across the world, a sudden influx of mean-spirited (excuse the pun!) apparitions meant that walking out at night wasn’t ever safe again. In the wake of this, several “psychic investigation agencies” were formed to protect your safety. But only one is brave enough to enter one … Continue reading
Spud: The Madness Continues
John “Spud” Milton returns for his second year at an elite all-boys school in Durban, South Africa, where apartheid is still ruling in 1991. Little has changed between the Crazy Eight- except of course that they are now seven. The Madness Continues is slightly less hectic than Spud, though there is still plenty to digest. … Continue reading
Rose Under Fire
A more conventional World War Two and Holocaust tale than its predecessor, Rose Under Fire is a strong return for Elizabeth Wein into the world of female-lead historical fiction in a market dominated by tales of masculine heroism and courage. This is Rose’s story: an American, somewhat naïve ATA pilot delivering planes around the UK … Continue reading
BZRK: Reloaded
As Michael Grant’s widely read (and widely acclaimed) Gone series comes to a close, his new, older, grittier series is about to take off with the publication of the sequel to 2012’s BZRK, BZRK: Reloaded. Grant has a lot to live up to: reviews for the novel that kicked the nano-tech phenomena off (including mine) … Continue reading
Seraphina
Dragons were what first got me into reading and dragons are what often inspire me to return to high-fantasy again and again, though I am always cynical of picking up such novels because even though there are some fantastic novels in the genre, there are also legions of utterly awful attempts at fantasy fiction. Seraphina … Continue reading
The Madness Underneath
If you thought London would be a calm and ghost-free zone after the defeat of Jack the Ripper, think again. This time, though, the threat isn’t just from the spiritual, and Rory must be careful with whom she calls a friend… The Madness Underneath tells a more domestic tale than its predecessor, focussing on Rory’s … Continue reading
Out of the Easy
We’ve got a fantastic interview with Ruta Sepetys herself which you can watch here – it’s awesome and she talks about Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy and her next project! What do you do if your mother is a prostitute and makes your life a misery? You run. You run as fast … Continue reading
Paper Towns
I was recently browsing through my old reviews and was puzzled by the lack of a review for Paper Towns – which I was sure I had written back when I read it over a year ago, but had seemingly never posted. So after a little searching, I thought I’d post it for the benefit … Continue reading