In a new school and determined to keep her secrets from being discovered, Thorn finds a mysterious locket that leads to a shocking discovery. Surrounded by new friends she barely knows, as well as the school’s famous former student, a smoking-hot musician named Phillipe, Thorn must investigate to find out if one of them is a murderer. 

Paperback, 257 pages Published March 8th 2012 by Flux
ISBN 0738719587 (ISBN13: 9780738719580)

Characters: Thorn is a Goth girl that is a little less emo and more upbeat and snarky. She has a preacher as a father, and she is morally a decent person, but she has an edge to her and likes her own style.

Her detective work and the people that she runs into during her investigation make for a really entertaining read. I enjoyed Thorn’s attitude and she’s pretty funny.

Story: In this story Thorn finds a locket; she is unsure why but something about the locket is calling to her. She needs to find out who owned the locket, hoping it will lead her to unravel the feelings she gets when holding/wearing it. You see, Thorn is a “finder” who has a psychic ability that leads her to special objects, and in turn those objects may lead her to something. The locket in this story leads her to bones… babies bones. By finding the owner she may be able to prove them innocent of a mysterious murder.

Originality: I have not read any other books by Linda, but have heard that this story takes place in the same world setting. There is also some mention from other reviewers that the characters overlap a little, and if you are familiar with her work you will recognize them and understand some of their back stories.

Writing: The story jumps around a lot. The mystery and investigation does not take center stage in the story as much as it should according to the summary. The reader may jump into the story fully intent on reading a good mystery. There are spots along the way that focus a little more on the activities at the school. The singing competition and it’s famous judge Philipe. There is also a prankster that likes to get revenge by bullying the bullies a little and calls himself the Grin Reaper. These side stories pull away from the main mystery plot, but are fun and interesting at the same time.

Krista’s Review: I think that maybe this book and I met at a good time. I was looking for something that was fun and entertaining, and I also enjoy mysteries with a little bit of the dark side mixed in. (It is more mystery than it is suspenseful or thrilling, although all of these aspects are included). I was very happy to have read Buried and will continue to find  more books by this author.

Kendra, fifteen, hasn’t felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can’t remember the most important detail– her abuser’s identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it’s her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who’s becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra’s abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl’s frightening path to the truth.

Hardcover, 248 pages

Published March 24th 2010 by Westside Books

The story begins with Kendra remembering what happened to her as a child. Problems at school and then home issues add to that, all culminating in a powerful climax. Cheryl Rainfield pushes Kendra to her absolute breaking point to fully explore the emotions she’s experiencing. The release of those emotions and the choices she makes, are the whole focus of this book.

Books with subjects like abuse and self harm are not necessarily as popular as other realistic fiction/contemporary books are, and the combination of issues in Scar adds to its intensity. The writing is excellent, especially when describing Kendra’s needs and feelings. The need to cut and find release from the emotional pain is very well detailed, and is told on different levels so everybody can relate to her.

I recommend this book for those that have an interest in exploring what goes on in a person’s head when they are thinking of self harm. Kendra has moments of real breakthroughs, and great insight into her mind space is given throughout the story. I think it’s an important read and well done.

Thrive continues my foray into reading dystopian YA fiction. A few months ago Havoc, by New Zealand author Jane Higgins, jolted my senses into recognition of this wildly popular genre, which explores future worlds (ones where twisted societal developments reign and hope is generally in short supply). I can report that I have now been on a second eye-opening dystopian adventure.

At the centre of Aussie author Mary Borsellino’s Thrive is teenager Olivia. Introspective and awkward, Olivia feels lost in her life as the daughter of wealthy parents. It’s an existence where privilege, looks, and conformity are valued over everything else.

Being kidnapped and held for ransom by a gang of misfits turns out to be an unexpected gift for Olivia. Here she meets Hannah, a teenager who is totally unlike herself. Hannah lives hand-to-mouth, reads banned hard-copy books like John Wyndham’s 1951 post-apocalyptic classic Day of the Triffids and conceals herself from those she doesn’t trust behind a red rabbit mask.

When Olivia is rescued and returned to her family she has trouble letting go of Hannah. She also can’t give up her new appetite for books. It isn’t long before Olivia is fleeing her stifling surrounds in search of a life less ordinary.

‘From the depths of factory oppression to the dizzying heights of vigilante rooftops, Olivia travels the margins of society, where the misfits gather and build homes for themselves out of whatever they can get their hands on – and fight to make a life worth living.’

Olivia is an engaging heroine, but I must say that by book’s end, I wanted to know her better than I did. Her relationships with the young people around her are definitely interesting but as a reader there were times when I wished more depth of feeling would come at me from the page. One example is a fleeting reference made late in the book to Olivia’s sexuality. I really felt this could have been an important thread in the story had it been explored. It may have also helped frame Olivia’s sibling-like relationship with Sam, who is one of the key characters.

The book has a kind of staccato feel to it, and for the most part I think this jumpy style works well with the broken and often bleak world Olivia and her loosely-formed tribe of revolutionaries inhabit. A couple of times though I yearned for a bit more flow, or perhaps follow-through.

On the plus-side I really did enjoy Thrive. There were many parts where both the writing and the story simply soared. The author’s interweaving of references to classic novels and literary fairytales was beautifully done,and this made them both poignant and important to the story being told. Olivia’s period as a masked vigilante known as the Candy Butcher who delivers nourishing soup and clever words to those starving in the streets is electric.

If you’re a dystopian/post-apocoliptic YA enthusiast this one is definitely worth a read.

Trent has never steered me wrong with his books, so I rushed to get my hands on his new book, Day Boy, on the day it came out. I begged the sales guy to un-box my copy so I had the first one sold in that store. I was a just a little excited, and now I am very satisfied.

This book dances to the beat of its own drum. It comes waltzing into your life and leaves footprints on your heart.

Midfield is a small town in the middle of nowhere, reached by long rides on horseback or a mysterious journey on the Night Train. Monsters rule the town. They come out at night and feed on willing townsfolk. In return, crime is low and the Day Boys are sent to see to odd jobs once the sun rises.

Mark is the Day Boy for Dain, but not for much longer. It is his moment to decide if he’s man enough to become one of the Monsters, or if he’s monstrous enough to remain a man.

The ‘V’ word (Vampire) is never uttered, though the legend stays pure.

I love the oldy worldy feel of Midfield yet I’m pretty sure it’s set in the future. The characters pull at your heart strings, and you can’t help being sucked in to cheering for Mark.

A one of a kind story you’d be foolish to miss.

http://www.trentjamieson.com/

Paperback, 309 pages

Published June 24th 2015 by Text Publishing (first published 2015)

ISBN13 9781922182838

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night’s experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden? Patrick Carman’s Dark Eden is a provocative exploration of fear, betrayal, memory, and— ultimately—immortality.

Hardcover, First Edition, 336 pages Published November 1st 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN  0062009702 (ISBN13: 9780062009708)

Characters:  We are introduced to Will through sessions with his therapist. We learn he is an introvert who spends most of his time thinking about being at home with his little brother. However, he develops an interest in the other patients and sneakily begins taking files from the therapist’s computer.

Originality:  I found this story to be very unique; the seven kids are taken to a “summer camp” which is a place for them to face their fears. The therapist tells Will that there is some connection between all of them and that this treatment facility will be the only thing that can finally cure them because the therapy sessions for this group haven’t been working.

Plot: Will soon realizes that the “summer camp” is not what he originally thought and becomes paranoid. He breaks off from the group upon arrival and hides in a basement room where he watches the other kids become “healed”, one at a time, through a camera security system. He falls for one of the other patients and wants to try to warn her about what he’s been seeing before she goes to her final “healing” session. But that means coming out of hiding.

Writing:  While I really enjoyed how the story ended (it had a great twist), it took me a while to get through this short book because of the slow pacing.  The story kept a mysterious overtone, but I couldn’t feel a connection to the main character who spent all of his time hiding in a room watching a camera and hypothesizing about what he was seeing, instead of being part of the action.

Krista’s Rating:  It’s definitely a book that I was glad that I stuck with. It’s always nice to be surprised at the end of a story, and this one sure did that!