Book review - Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

In their words:
'Auden has always felt like the odd one out. Since her parents’ divorce she’s shied away, studying lots and staying out of the party scene. But now Auden’s realised there must be something more and, just like that, she changes everything. Moving to her dad’s house opens up a whole new world of beach parties, food fights – and simply having fun. As she starts to get to know herself – and a secretive boy with dark, brooding eyes – can Auden begin to let go and finally feel like she truly belongs?'

In other words:
Auden’s grown up pretty much all work and no play, but the summer before university she has nothing to work towards – she’s already been accepted to her preferred uni, but in the meantime, has a summer to kill. Staying with her dad in a small town, she gets to know the teenage population. For Auden, who’s more at home behind a textbook, this summer is all about learning to let go.

Sarah Dessen’s books tend to follow not exactly the same formula, but similar themes. Family, friendship, love, and the main character is on a journey of self-discovery and growing up. She’s a master at writing books not only for teens, but books about teens. Each book, though similar, brings a new character with authentic issues and an authentic story.

So where does Along for the Ride fit into this strong repertoire? In my opinion it’s solidly in the middle. Auden is a character easy to relate to – she’s a product of her parents and her upbringing, slowly learning how to become her own person. The cast of characters are interesting – those who you’d least expect it of seem to be the most insightful. I did have a quibble: everyone in the town is essentially good – there are those with faults, but these are usually people from Auden’s past.

Eli is an interesting love interest, but I actually didn’t feel that I got to know him. Similarly, he was just too nice; going so far out of his way for a stranger reads as a little bit unlikely to me. Maybe I’m just too cynical. This small issue aside, I’m constantly amazed at Sarah Dessen’s ability to weave a story from almost mundane events and little action. She manages to do so without ever letting the story become stagnant or dull.

So where does it rate? I’d put it on a par with Lock & Key. A solid new read for any Sarah Dessen fans (especially as you will recognise cameos of characters from previous books). If you haven’t read anything by Sarah Dessen before then this is still worth reading, but my advice is to get yourself a copy of The Truth about Forever to read – one of my favourite contemporary books for teens. These books lean more towards a female readership, but I'm sure lads could enjoy them too.

Pages: 424

Category: Contemporary teen fiction

Book review - Dark Life by Kat Falls

In their words:
'When the oceans rose, entire continents were swallowed up by the rising water. Now humans live packed into high rises on small tracts of land, while those willing to forge new frontiers settle deep beneath the waves. Ty has lived under the sea his entire life, helping his family to farm the ocean floor. But when outlaws attack, Ty finds himself in a fight to save the only home he has ever known. Joined by Gemma, a girl from Topside who is looking for her missing brother, Ty ventures into the frontier’s rough underworld – and discovers some very dark secrets. Secrets which threaten to destroy everything ...'

In other words:
Dark Life is set in a future in which Global Warming has swallowed up most of the land. Some people cling to the small remaining patches of land in ever-increasing sky-scrapers. Others take to the seas.
The science of this is mostly glossed over; people breathe in ‘liquigen’ just before leaving air. This allows them to breathe and also appears to alleviate effects of water pressure. In short, anyone can go underwater. The dangers arrive with what is an alien environment.

Dark Life actually manages to make a life under the sea sound tempting. In a world we know so well, the sea is a whole new frontier. Complete with some underworld pirates, an unsympathetic government and a group of children with strange secrets, it is a clever, exciting and compelling read. There is a relatable and diverse cast of children and teens, fighting to protect the homes that their parents have worked so hard to create. I loved the government cover-up aspect and the elements of mystery, though some parts are predictable.

I loved this world that Kat Falls has created and hope she’ll revisit it soon. With its unusual setting, interesting characters, layers of secrets and surprising powers, Dark Life is a book I would heartily recommend. It’s accessible to young teens while not alienating older readers. It actually makes me wish I’d been born under the sea myself a little bit!

Pages: 304
Publication date: 29th April 2010
Category: Slightly futuristic dystopia

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing me with a review copy.

Top 100 Poll

Adele of Persnickety Snark is compiling a list of the top 100 YA books of all time. Go here to find out more and vote for your favourites.

Book review - Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

In their words:
Brittany Ellis seems to have it all; wealthy parents, the perfect boyfriend and the “right” group of friends. But when Brittany is forced to become lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the wrong side of town, her perfect life starts to unravel. Alex is a bad boy, and he knows it, so when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it.
But as Alex and Brittany grow closer, sparks begin to fly and they both realise that sometimes appearances can be deceptive. Will their emerging feelings be enough to keep them together when the world is determined to tear them apart?

In other words:
Perfect Chemistry is most definitely a story that has been told before – that of the age-old star crossed lovers –in this case, rich white girl meets poor Latin-American boy. As to whether it offers something new? Possibly.

In terms of plot it was predictable, even formulaic, but where this book shines is the characters. Brittany and her family are believably flawed, Alex and his fellow gang-members are realistically conflicted. At the start of the book both are carefully maintaining their reputations, but as the story progresses each realises that the other is far more than the facade that they present to the world. Chemistry teacher Mrs Peterson completely steals the show despite relatively little page-time.

I did find it overlong – towards the end I was rushing my reading, hoping for the conclusion to come sooner. Though the last third of the book drags on, the epilogue redeems this somewhat. Slightly too much angst and a little too formula driven, still the message of the book is one which will never, I believe, grow old.

Pages: 357
Guidance: Contains some violence and sex
Category: Modern life

Publication date: 1st April 2010

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy.

Perfect Chemistry has the best book trailer I’ve seen to date

Giveaway - Dark Life by Kat Falls

The lovely Simon and Schuster UK have donated two advance copies of Dark Life by Kat Falls for a giveaway! I really enjoyed this book - my review will not be going up until closer to the publication date, but I can tell you that it is positive!

The synopsis:

‘When the oceans rose, entire continents were swallowed up by the rising water. Now humans live packed into high rises on small tracts of land, while those willing to forge new frontiers settle deep beneath the waves. Ty has lived under the sea his entire life, helping his family to farm the ocean floor. But when outlaws attack, Ty finds himself in a fight to save the only home he has ever known. Joined by Gemma, a girl from Topside who is looking for her missing brother, Ty ventures into the frontier’s rough underworld – and discovers some very dark secrets. Secrets which threaten to destroy everything ...’

I'm afraid that this competition is only open to UK readers. For all of you international people, I'm sorry but I do believe that my next giveaway will be open to you.

UK readers, you have a chance to win one of two advance copies of Dark Life; all you have to do is comment below telling me in ten words or less what you'd like best about living under the ocean. I'll pick my favourite answer and that person will win one book, the other will be selected randomly. You will get an extra entry if you Follow this blog (please remember to tell me in the comments). You don't need a google account to comment, but please leave an email address so that I can contact you.

Alternatively, if you're not comfortable with commenting, you can email your entry to me at bookshelfbabble(AT)yahoo(DOT)co(DOT)uk.

This giveaway will close on the 15th March.

Book review - The Splendour Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

In their words:
'Sylvie Davies is a ballerina who can’t dance. A broken leg ended her career, but what broke her heart was her father’s death, and what’s breaking her spirit is her mother’s remarriage. Still reeling, Sylvie is shipped off to stay with relatives in the back of beyond. Or so she thinks, in fact she ends up in a town rich with her family’s history ... and as it turns out her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys she can’t stop thinking about. Shawn Maddox, the resident golden boy, is the expected choice. But handsome, mysterious Rhys has a hold on her that she doesn’t quite understand. Then Sylvie starts seeing things – a girl by the lake and a man with dark unseeing eyes peering in through the window ... Sylvie’s lost nearly everything – is she starting to lose her mind as well?'

In other words:
Ex-ballerina is sent to the country, where she finds out that her dad has buried a long family history. Paranormal adventures ensue.

I’m not usually one for ghost stories, but for The Splendour Falls I have to make an exception. It’s creepy without being scary and more importantly, the creepiness comes without a sacrifice of the plot. The supernatural aspect seems to take a backseat to the characters – it’s very present throughout the story, but the characters are just as, if not more, interesting.

While a little predictable in some places, and sporting a couple of characters who seem to have come straight out of a formula machine, The Splendour Falls still manages to be original. I loved the idea that the supernatural can be BAD. Many books nowadays like to give characters supernatural powers, but this one explored the idea of the balance of nature.

The Splendour Falls is a compulsive read, an entertaining, almost Gothic novel, with an interesting cast of characters and an exciting mystery element. I really enjoyed it, though I’m not enamoured of the cover.

Pages: 528
Category: Modern-day Paranormal

Thank you to Random House for providing me with a review copy.

Book review - The Dragon Book edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois

The Dragon Book is a collection of short stories featuring dragons. It includes prolific fantasy authors such as Diana Wynne Jones, Tad Williams, Bruce Coville, Tamora Pierce, and Naomi Novik.

I was eager to read the dragon book because of the authors attached to it – either I had read their work and enjoyed it, or I had heard good things about them and wanted to see for myself. I also wanted to see how all of these authors dealt with dragons in new and interesting ways. There was certainly a spread of genres and writing styles, from alternate reality to historical fantasy to present day. Each author took a completely different approach to dragons, creating an interesting variety of creatures in a mix of genres that I don’t usually read.

However, just as the dragons varied, so did the quality of the stories. Many were awkward and rushed, some were downright cheesy and painful to read. The vast majority of the stories were spectacularly mediocre. They weren’t particularly memorable – they were clever in their use of dragons, but that seemed for some of them to be their only aim. Those didn’t have enough plot to sustain even the short length of their stories.

There were of course exceptions. Tamora Pierce’s The Dragon’s Tale stars Tortall’s Skysong, aka Kit. It was an entertaining story and up to her usual high standard of writing, but I wonder how accessible it would be to readers who hadn’t read her ‘Immortals’ series. On a side note, I have to say that ‘kraken spit’ may be the best fantasy expletive I have read to date! The definite highlight for me was an author I hadn’t read before, Mary Rosenblum’s Dragon Storm. Of all of them, it had the best premise and an actual plot, one which could have sustained a longer story. I’ll definitely be reading more by this author

To be fair, several others were fairly good and most had at least some good points. Some were simply not my style, as you should expect in any collection of stories. It’s an interesting look at the various takes on dragons, it’s inventive in most cases, and probably worth reading. But I found that there is definitely chaff there. If you are an ardent fan of dragons, this may be worth reading for you. If you like collections of short stories, likewise. Overall, the book is ok. There will probably be several stories that you like. Maybe even one or two that you love. Whether you think that makes it worth trying is up to you. Perhaps one to borrow rather than buy.

Thank you to Anderson Press for sending me a copy.

Pages: 448
Category: I think some stories are for children/teenagers, but some are adult. I’d rate some of them at a 12+
Authors: Cecilia Holland, Naomi Novik, Jonathan Stroud, Kage Baker, Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple, Liz Williams, Peter S. Beagle, Diana Gabaldon and Samuel Sykes, Garth Nix, Sean Williams, Tad Williams, Harry Turtledove, Diana Wynne Jones, Gregory Maguire, Bruce Coville, Tanith Lee, Tamora Pierce, Mary Rosenblum, Andy Duncan