For those who don’t know, I have an hereditary eye condition with a name as long as your arm. The short version is I can’t see out of my left eye and the shape of my eyes sets me apart from ‘normality’. I am used to questions about my nationality that hurt my feelings, and until this year I had been passed over for paying jobs for almost half my life. All because I don’t look ‘normal’.

This book made me think about how would I feel if I looked completely normal and the issues were inside my mind instead? The stigmas surrounding mental illness and social anxieties.

Blurb from goodreads.com

“‘You’re just a freak. You’re just a stupid freak. Freaks don’t
speak. Freaks shouldn’t speak. Don’t talk out of your head or the swirly clouds will eat you because sometimes clouds have teeth.’

Jason’s best friend, Sunshine, has vanished. If only Jason could push through all the voices in his head, he’d know what happened; he’d tell everyone; he’d find her. But then people don’t always listen to kids like Jason…”

I will not pretend to know what it’s like to have schizophrenia, or ADD or ADHD or any of the other ‘alphabets’ mentioned in this tell-it-how-it-is novel. I can however relate to society not taking me seriously. Pushing me aside to get what they think they can’t get from me. Things like ethics, courage, and a sense of responsibility.

This is how Freak (Jason), and Drip (Derrick) spend most of the book – proving to the adults that they are capable of making decisions, and helping to find Sunshine. They do have functioning brains and ideas of their own. But nobody listens to an alphabet, right?

I believe strongly that this book should be compulsory reading for kids 13 and up. An age bracket where society believes empathy doesn’t exist. It does, though I think books like this would help trigger a generation of socially aware, de stigmatised adults who realise letters are just that, letters. Who you are should be taken more on how you contribute to the lives around you, rather than the label you’ve been given.

Susan Vaught, has an undeniable talent for in-your-face realism and an unflinching view of how society should step up and be accountable.

Thank you for the chance to read Freaks Like Us. The world will never look the same to me again.

http://susanvaught.com/

Paperback, UK, 240 pages

Published January 3rd 2013 by Bloomsbury UK (first published September 4th 2012)

ISBN: 1408836165 (ISBN13: 9781408836163)

Everyone’s had tough times in their life, and bumps in the road, some bigger than others. But still, we’ve all experienced the pain and hurt from a broken heart. Everyone’s gone through difficult break ups, while some jump right back up, others take a while to get themselves back together and moving forward.

We’ve all stayed in bed and done nothing the entire day other than stuff our faces with a quart of Tom and Jerry’s and watch sad movies. But that’s where main character Max comes in. She helps girls get through that hurt, and over those first couple of rough days, as well as completely over him.

Max is a strong, confident, and independent teenage girl who runs her own small business, along with her two assistants, where she helps teenage girls get through these difficult breakups. She steps in the very first day, with something to eat and drink, along with first day advice. Then Max is there for the entire process of getting that girl over the guy, which did her wrong, until the girl finally has the chance to prove him just how wrong he was to treat her that way.

With running this small business for almost a complete year, you would never think that Max, herself has gone through such a situation herself. You wouldn’t be able to tell by her attitude that she spent the entire day in bed trying to sleep of this pain, which her customers are going through right then. But yes, she did. It’s actually what caused her to start this business of hers. Max’s mission is to get these girls through this hard time, and be there for them.

After almost an entire year of not having seen or heard from the boy who dumped Max, she can’t believe when she sees him in New York locking lips with another girl. In Over You Max learns just how strong she really is when she needs to decide what she wants for herself.  Even if she had to go through her own treatment system, with her two best friends/assistants, to finally make her decision.

I completely loved Max, and her two best friends. She is an amazing role model for any girl really going through their first break up, or a tough one. Max carries this “swagger”, and confidence that you just wish you could have. She’s down to earth, and REAL. The entire story is REAL. Things don’t just magically work out for her and her customers; like love at first sight.

Also, the guys in the story were believable. What I mean about that is that they did things, and said things that real guys I know would say. They didn’t confess their forever lasting love when they first set eyes on a girl, and they didn’t jump right back when a girl was getting over them. I really liked that the guys were more like guys that I know in person, and not guys that every girls can only dream about having.

The ending was just as satisfying as the rest of the story. Max once again proves how amazingly independent she is, and even admits her wrongs. I do have to admit the ending was a bit predictable, but I didn’t care. I liked the way things ended for Max, and her customers!

Over You was a light fun read, which is always great for the summer time, where most of my time is spend outside, in my backyard or at the beach, reading. While I recommend this book for any girl, I also recommend this book for guys! (WHAAAT? Lisa what are you talking about?) Yes, you GUYS need to read this. Over You will let you in on all our secrets and our way of thinking. So instead of always having to guess what we mean by what were saying, Over You will enlighten you on our thought process!

Imagine your father is a monster. Would that mean there are monsters inside you, too?

Nineteen-year-old Ry Burke, his mother, and little sister scrape by for a living on their dying family farm. Ry wishes for anything to distract him from the grim memories of his father’s physical and emotional abuse. Then a meteorite falls from the sky, bringing with it not only a fragment from another world but also the arrival of a ruthless man intent on destroying the entire family. Soon Ry is forced to defend himself by resurrecting a trio of imaginary childhood protectors: kindly Mr. Furrington, wise Jesus, and the bloodthirsty Scowler.

Hardcover, 304 pages  Published March 12th 2013 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Ry’s father is currently in prison and Ry and his family are still trying to cope with the abuse he caused them all. They live in a secluded farmhouse on land that is the prize of their fathers heart. But after years of having to run the farm on her own, Ry’s mother has finally decided it’s time for them to move now that it’s been desolated and dried out. Meteorites begin to fall from the sky and one lands on their property, bringing with it not only memories of the past, but also some bad characters as well.

This story is told with several flashback scenes in which we learn more about our characters and the events that lead to the present day. This story does take place over a matter of a few days and chapters are sequenced by counting down to the time of the meteorite landing and immediately after.  The whole book is told from Ry’s perspective and his flashbacks take us through his youth to present day events.

With this writing style the reader is introduced to Ry’s mother and little sister, their growth throughout the years and the events that have lead them to the current situation with them fighting for their lives. Each character is fully rounded out to the point that you hate them, you love them, and your heart will break for them.

Scowler is one of the scariest young adult books I have ever read. Author Daniel Kraus makes no attempt to guard the readers from the events that unfold. It’s a bloody, terrifying and emotionally wrenching story that can and will cause loss of sleep. A deeply disturbing and well-crafted novel of suspense, and a thriller that any horror lover will enjoy.

“Turning sixteen isn’t what Nick Gautier thought it would be. While other boys his age are worried about prom dates and applying for college, Nick is neck deep in enemies out to stop him from living another day. No longer sure if he can trust anyone, his only ally seems to be the one person he’s been told will ultimately kill him. Those out to get him have summoned an ancient force so powerful even the gods fear it. As Nick learns to command and control the elements, the one he must master in order to combat his latest foe is the one most likely to destroy him. If he is to survive this latest round, he will ultimately have to sacrifice a part of himself.”

Sherrilyn Kenyon is a seasoned professional when it comes to writing her multiple series and intertwined plots. Inferno is the fourth book in the Chronicles of Nick and she’s done it again. This one is a winner.

I have been pondering if hearing book 3, Infamous, on audio book has helped me get the voices straight in my head or if they muddy my opinion from books one and two. Whichever it is, the character voices are loud and clear. Nick has had to grow up really quickly and is making it work in his own disastrous way.

The story arc is peaking and I am beginning to wonder if the outcome of Nick’s books will end up rewriting some of the Dark Hunter series. And so as to not give spoilers, I won’t go into too much detail. Simi is the only thing I have to say on the matter. Hmm.

Every time I read another of Kenyon’s books, I ache to see if New Orleans is really as magnificent as she makes it feel to me. Stinking hot summers and cold winters. Crazy people and danger… and good food, she can not be telling lies about the food.

I found the pacing to be quick enough to keep me reading and I had it done and dusted within two days.

There was the signature self-deprecating humour we’ve gotten to know and love from Nick and his fellow cast mates. I think I actually managed to get this one read over a weekend so I didn’t snort-giggle on the bus and make anyone look at me weirdly.

If you haven’t read it yet, I’d put it on the TBR for somewhere a little later in the year to prevent you aching and yearning for the next instalment, Illusion, which isn’t due out until March 2014, and is looking to be gearing up to be pretty intense.

Can not wait!

http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/

Paperback, 441 pages

Published April 9th 2013 by Little, Brown Book Group

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Hardcover, 352 pages  Published February 12th 2013 by HarperTeen  ISBN 0062117378 (ISBN13: 9780062117373)

Addison was born and raised in “The Compound” where people have special abilities and it’s unknown to the rest of the world they exist.

When Addison’s parents announce they are divorcing, she must choose who she wants to live with. She uses her “searching” ability to see which decision is right for her. The story walks us through both of these decisions, alternating chapters of each day after the decision, up to present day.

Her mother is going to keep the house and stay at the compound. Her father is moving to Texas, he has an investigator’s job out among the “norms’.

While I went into this story thinking that each decision she made would have a drastically different storyline to the other, it turns out that both worlds ran parallel. The one thing that pushes this story forward is the investigation that her father is involved in. There has been a murder of a young girl within the compound (which is unheard of) until now.

As the chapters switch between Addison’s lives, the reader gets to see what is happening within the compound as well as the investigation on the outside through her father’s investigations into the case.

Addison has a love interest in both worlds, both quite different aside from the fact that they both play football. Overall the writing has humour along with the suspense and great dialogue.