Slated | Teri Terry | Review

Wednesday, 9 January 2013

Slated | Teri Terry | Review

“Kyla’s memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost for ever. She’s been Slated. The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?” Source

Slated is set in the not too distant future in a worryingly believable version of the UK. It tells the story of Kyla who has gone through a process called Slating meaning her memory has been erased leaving her to start her life all over again with a new family.

The process of Slating was introduced as a way to eradicate young terrorists and other criminals. All those who have been Slated are required to wear a Levo which is like a non-removable bracelet that monitors the wearer’s emotions. These reminded me of a mixture between the tracking devices worn by some of the Crims in the Uglies series and the collars from Battle Royale. Anger and violence can cause the Levo number to drop too low and this should cause the wearer to blackout but Kyla soon discovers she is different when anger causes her levels to rise rather than fall.

Despite what has happened to her and not knowing anything about who she used to be Kyla is quite a strong protagonist. Whilst overall I didn’t dislike her I also found her actions frustrating at times although I guess they are understandable under the circumstances. There are several other characters who play an important part in the story however the one that stood out to me in particular was Kyla’s mother, or rather her new mother. She seemed to have the most interesting background story which left me wanting to know more about her family in particular her parents who played a crucial part in the existence of Slating.

Terry’s writing style is clear and concise and effortlessly takes you on Kyla’s journey alongside her. She is able to make you question yourself throughout and wonder what you would do in Kyla’s position under the terrifying circumstances that are all too plausible. As there are so many dystopian young adult novels around right now it would be easy to get it wrong or become repetitive but Terry has created a world which still manages to feel fresh and interesting. The story itself isn’t as action-packed as some comparable titles, instead it is much more realistic as we follow Kyla’s day to day life post-Slating. This aspect in particular makes it so easy to imagine your own everyday life being changed in the same way and because the edits Terry has made are so convincing it’s hard not to picture yourself emerged in her version of our world.

Slated wasn’t quite as engaging as some of the other books I have read in this genre but I did really enjoy it am looking forward to hopefully finding out more about the development of Slating and of course Kyla’s past life in the second installment Fractured. 4/5

Read more »

2 comments

Unsaid Things: Our Story | McFLY | Review

Monday, 7 January 2013

Unsaid Things: Our Story | McFLY | Review

Hi everyone and welcome to my review of Unsaid Things: Our Story, the autobiography for the pop-rock band McFLY. As veteran McFLY fan - coming up to 8-ish years now lol - I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible!

Unsaid Things is the self penned story of 'pop-rock' band McFLY. It regales the story from start to present day, and when I say start I mean the very start. The book begins with the boy's childhoods where you discover just how different each of their personal backgrounds were. There's Tom Fletcher, the ambitious theatre trained front-man, Danny Jones, the rough and tumble northerner, public school boy drummer Harry Judd and baby of the band-turned man of the house Dougie Poynter.

Their musical journey starts with founder Tom and his journey growing up through his failed audition for Busted, learning to song write with James Bourne and meeting the other band members. First Danny, who met Tom by chance at an audition for a boyband before becoming close friends and song-writing partners. Then finding Harry and Dougie through an extensive, and hilarious, audition process.

Once formed the book follows their life from '5 colours...' all the way up to the present day and their current exploits. It includes snippets of their early teenage 'naughty-ness' in the London band house; travels abroad from the USA to Australia; personal relationships with family and loves and, arguably the most interesting part, the music making, all of which is written from the boys' point of view.
For fans some stories will be familiar and some rumours are finally cleared up (including the infamous Lindsay Lohan/Harry saga), but it's the chapters circling the band's early family life, darkest times, coping with fame and ongoing struggles that are the stand-outs.

Ultimately the story is uplifting with a positive spin on everything that's happened to them as a band and individually.

So my verdict?

As a fan this book was wonderful, it was hilarious and in keeping with the spirit of the band themselves. But it was also heartbreaking - I'll admit shedding a tear during Dougie's chapter. For non-fans it may be a bit harder read. The constant changing of voices and stories may become confusing for those not used to the boys usual banter, but for veteran 'Galaxy Defenders' such as myself their voices ring out loud from the pages. One thing to definitely take away from the book is to approach with an open mind. You may think you know this band, but you'll certainly be proved wrong. 

Reading Soundtrack:

Unsaid Things: McFLY; Year 3000: Busted; The Power Of Love: Huey Lewis; She Loves You: The Beatles; Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen; Baba O'Reily: The Who; Always: Blink-182; Don't Stop Me Now: Queen; Love Is Easy: McFLY

For lovers of

McFLY, of course, and those who aren't fans too ;)


This post was written by regular reviewer Ria, get to know her here.
*all photos in this post (c) Ria Cagampang

Read more »

4 comments

The Alchemyst | Michael Scott | Review

Sunday, 6 January 2013

The Alchemyst | Michael Scott | Review

The Alchemyst is the first in a series of books called The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Josh and Sophie Newman's lives change when they witness an attack of magic which breaks out in Nick Flamel's bookshop. Shortly afterwards, they realise that Nick Flamel is actually the great Nicholas Flamel, the greatest alchemyst of all time. His death apparently was six hundred years ago but to this day the tomb lies empty. The secret of eternal life lies in a magical book and with it, you become immortal. However, the book is now stolen by the evil Dr John Dee and it is up to Josh and Sophie Newman to save not only Nick and his wife Perry but the whole world.

I have only read the first two books in this series but they are both un-put-down-able books and I can't wait to continue the series this year. The Alchemyst is a great start to a great series. It is filled with fantasy creatures and full of adventure. I would definitely recommend this series to people who might be a slow reader because the chapters are really short and you get through the book in a couple of days. I would also recommend it to people who love the fantasy genre and who might be looking for something similar to Harry Potter. I must admit that I thought there was a serious link to Harry Potter when I read the title. But there really isn't as the series starts in San Francisco. I won't give any spoilers but they do have portals which go from place to place and The Historian, which is the sequel to the Alchemyst, is set in Paris.

I'm going to give this series four out of five stars because it's a brilliant series. I definitely think it's quite an underrated series and more people should read the books. So if you're looking for something which is fantasy related or anything to do with magic then this is your book. If you also want to get stuck into a new series then I would love it if you would give this a go!

This book was reviewed by regular reviewer Lucy, get to know her here!
Photo from Goodreads.

Read more »

3 comments

Peter Pan | J.M. Barrie | Review

Peter Pan | J.M. Barrie | Review

'Every child is affected thus the first time he is treated unfairly...after you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but he will never afterwards be quite the same boy.'- J. M. Barrie.

I think almost everyone reading this blog will be familiar with the tale of Peter Pan; whether you were read the story as a child, or, like me, parked in front of the much-loved, slightly glossier Disney movie, most of us have, at one time or another, come across the the Boy Who Never Grew Up (or, more aptly, the Boy Who Point-Blank Refused to Grow Up, Ever)

However, just in case Peter Pan is a story that skimmed by you, in some way or other, I'll give you a taster; Wendy Darling's a young girl from London - intelligent, practical, and kind. Peter Pan, a young man who possesses a serious disliking for 'grown-ups', soon recognises that she'd make the perfect make-shift mother for his gang of likewise young men, his 'Lost Boys'. Flying into Wendy's room one night, he offers to take her and her younger brothers on a trip to Neverland...and things are never quite the same again.

There's something oddly bittersweet about (re-)reading a childhood classic, particularly when your best memories of it carry a certain 'Disney spin'; the story itself is slightly grittier than I remembered, but then I suppose that was what I'd expected. Where themes seem playful, boisterous, in my childhood recollections, an eccentric Captain Hook and his band of oddly endearing pirates, the tone becomes more sinister in J. M. Barrie's original - right down to the tick-tocking of that crocodile.  Whilst it's oddly rewarding, reading a version of the story that's so, ironically, 'grown-up', it does tarnish some of the shine a little. The narrative, in particular, is more than a little disjointed, with no real timeline. It has a child-like quality to it, certainly, but whether it's intentional or not is another matter entirely. Peter is arrogant, flighty - endearing, in his eternal boyish charm, but not lovable. 

Did I enjoy reading Peter Pan? So much so that I finished it in a day and a half. But as a separate entity from the story I know and love, in a way which is, considering the fame of the Boy Who Never Grew Up, ironically mature. Would I recommend giving it a read? Definitely - if only to remind yourself that not all children's tales are as 'sugar coated' as Disney might like us to believe. 3/5 stars

This review was written by regular reviewer Francesca, get to know her here.
Photo © Francesca Sophia.  

Read more »

3 comments

Guest Review | The Declaration | Gemma Malley

Thursday, 3 January 2013

Guest Review | The Declaration | Gemma Malley

When I read the description of this book on Goodreads about a month ago, I thought it sounded like a good story with an interesting concept behind it. Just so you can get a feel of why I thought this, here’s one of the descriptions from Goodreads:

“Anna Covey is a ‘Surplus’. She should not have been born. In a society in which ageing is no longer feared, and death is no longer an inevitability, children are an abomination. Like all Surpluses, Anna is living in a Surplus Hall and learning how to make amends for the selfish act her parents committed in having her. She is quietly accepting of her fate until, one day, a new inmate arrives. Anna’s life is thrown into chaos. But is she brave enough to believe this mysterious boy? A tense and utterly compelling story about a society behind a wall, and the way in which two young people seize the chance to break free” 

Now to me, this sounded like it would be good. A girl living in a dystopian society, not realising that she’s actually the victim; a boy who shows up to be the budding hero, to tell her the truth about everything she’s ever known and to convince her to escape. What also took my fancy was the idea of a drug that would make you live forever. I’ve been reading a lot of dystopian novels recently, but not one with this sort of concept. It intrigued me, I’m not gonna lie.

But by golly, what a disappointment! It’s rare that I read the description of book which I like, and then end up not liking the actual story. But this was one of them. We meet Anna on the first page as she is writing in her diary, which she keeps hidden in the girls’ bathroom because Surpluses aren’t allowed to own anything – it’s a waste. It’s the year 2140 and she is describing the school where she and the other Surpluses in the area live. This diary entry way of writing continues through the book at various points, though between them, the story is written in third person. The diary entries weren’t so bad – I didn’t mind reading those – but the sections between them were very descriptive and lacked conversation between characters. I’m all for description, don’t get me wrong, but there’s only so much I can handle. Speaking of third person, there were times in the story that it changed from Anna’s perspective to that of another character – often one of the teachers – and it was sometimes hard to see when the change was made. I had to pay attention even more to know whose head I was in at that moment.

Another thing that I didn’t enjoy was how long it took for anything to happen. Sure, Peter, the boy-hero of the story, arrives in the first few chapters, but other than, nothing really happens until right at the end. I know what you’re thinking, “Anjali, that’s how a climax of a story works...”. And I realise that, I do, but this was flat the entire time and then sort of shot up and then phased off into an ‘Oh...it’s finished’ sort of ending.

I feel like I may be being too hard on it. It did have some good things, like the general idea behind it, and a few twists and turns in it, but overall I feel it lacked depth and I couldn’t really relate to any of the characters or even really like them. I wouldn’t care if the main character was killed off or something. You know what I mean?

As I’ve been writing this, I’ve been thinking about why I didn’t like it, and perhaps it’s just because (I have a feeling) it’s aimed at a younger Young Adult audience. Anna is nearly 15, Peter is 15 or 16, and a lot of the characters (minus the adults of course) are younger still. But having said that, there are heaps of books that are aimed at a younger audience that I have really loved. So now I don’t really know what to think.

I gave it a two stars for two reasons: 1) I sort of go with the Goodreads way of star ratings in that one star means ‘I didn’t like it’, two stars is ‘It was okay’; 2) because the idea behind the story – a drug that makes you live forever and families having to Opt Out if they didn’t only want to have one kid – was a cool idea and it had potential.

Have you read it? What did you think?

This post was written by guest reviewer Anjali.
Image courtesy of goodreads.com

Read more »

No comments

Warm Bodies | Isaac Marion | Review

Wednesday, 2 January 2013

Warm Bodies | Isaac Marion | Review

“It does make me sad that we've forgotten our names. Out of everything, this seems to me the most tragic. I miss my own and I mourn for everyone else's, because I'd like to love them, but I don't know who they are.” - Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies.

Yes, here I am again with yet another review of a zombie novel. But I'm not going to start this review with a declaration of love to every zombie story on earth, because you can read that declaration here. Instead I'm going to start this review with saying; This is such a different zombie novel! This is a novel narrated by a zombie! Yes, that's right. This is a story about a thinking zombie.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion is narrated by "R" a zombie who has forgotten his name, but he think it started with an R. R lives in an airport and his days consists of mindless walking, simple conversations with his zombie friend "M" and the occasional hunting trip to town. But on one of these hunting trips everything changes. R brings a girl called Julie home. Alive. This is were the story about R and Julie starts. A weird yet beautiful love story, a story about how two people can change everything.

Warm Bodies was a really different read. First I couldn't decided if I thought it was brilliant or just plain weird and disturbing. Because to be honest, a zombie love story sounds pretty strange. But it ended up being such a heartwarming, funny and different story! And I have to say I loved how Isaac Marion portrayed R. He really succeeded with the difficult task to create a character who's mindless but still pretty brilliant. Isaac Marion also uses a whole lot of humor throughout this book and that's probably what makes this story work. Without it the book would end up being as disturbing as it first sounds. But this is not only a funny story. It's also a beautiful and though-worthy novel about what's really important in life.

As a zombie fan I was delighted to read a book that was so different from everything else in this genre! It felt like a really refreshing read! I laughed, I smiled and I might have cried a bit (don't tell anyone though) and that's the best review a book can ever get! The crazy idea to write a zombie love story didn't end up being as crazy as it sounded. It ended up being a pretty brilliant idea. Therefore I give this book 5/5 stars and I highly recommend it to everyone (not only zombie fans)!

And by the way, Warm Bodies is coming out as a movie this year (Yes, I'm pretty excited about it), check out the trailer here!

This review was written by regular reviewer Niina, get to know her here.

Read more »

5 comments