Review: Thirteen by Tom Hoyle

Title: Thirteen.
Author: Tom Hoyle.
Publication Date: February 13th, 2014.
Publisher: Macmillan.
Format: Paperback, 336 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Born at midnight in London, on the stroke of the new millennium, Adam is the target of a cult that believes boys born on this date must die before the end of their thirteenth year. Twelve have been killed so far. Coron, the crazy cult leader, will stop at nothing to bring in his new kingdom. And now he is planning a bombing spectacular across London to celebrate the sacrifice of his final victim: Adam.

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I have to say that Thirteen is one of the most unusual and strangest books I’ve read in quite a while! Although it took me quite a while to get through this book, about 9 days in total, it was nothing to do with the book itself. After finishing my last read, I found myself in a reading slump, and only managed to read a few pages at a time. However, I persevered and I’m so glad I did! To be perfectly honest, I’ve never read a cult related book before, and was a little reluctant to start Thirteen, as it’s usually not my style. But there was just something so enticing and interesting about the book that I just couldn’t resist (not to mention the cover design and yellow edged pages!). Thirteen is a fast-paced and action-packed book that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat and cringing at some of the dark and diverse scenes.

Adam is our main protagonist, and I have slightly mixed feelings about his character. I loved being able to read in a males prospective, and I thought he was really kind, sweet and innocent. He had this really adorable outlook on life and was fiercely protective of his friends, even standing up to bullies for them! However, I also thought he was really naive for his age of thirteen, nearly fourteen. I think this is mostly because of the fact that he’s a boy – as everyone seems to think they mature slower than girls (not that I’m judging!). Mostly though, I really liked his character, and although he’s probably not going to make it into my top 10 protagonists list, I thought he was a strong and likeable character that I enjoyed reading about and following his story.

Thirteen is split into two perspectives, Adam’s, and Coron’s – the psychotic and murdering cult leader that is trying to sacrifice Adam to cleanse the world of evil for a better world where he and his master shall reign. I loved reading both of their point of views and the whole aspect of this novel was unexpected and pretty brilliant and original! Reading Coron’s perspective was pretty bizarre and I had to laugh at some of the things that he came out with – he’s gone off his rockers and really delusional. I believe that Thirteen shows a really fascinating perspective into the whole theme of Cults. Especially about how easily people are coerced or drawn into these sorts of things. Something that irked me however, was the how abruptly the ending cut off – things seemed to be over in less than a page and there isn’t a whole lot of closure. Everything was building up to this final confrontation and I thought it just fell flat. I have so many questions milling around in my head; how does Adam convince the police of his innocence? What happened to the remaining characters, and what exactly happens to Adam now that the ordeal is over? Apparently there is a sequel in the works, and I’m eager to find out if my questions are answered and to see what might happen next!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Thirteen – it was a really awesome and intriguing book that surprised me at every turn. Although Thirteen is classed as a YA novel, on one hand I’d say that it’s honestly more of a middle-grade novel. I think this mostly due to the characters, even though they’re teenagers. But on the other hand there’s a darker and more sinister side which makes me think it does fit into the YA genre - maybe it’s somewhere between the two? Tom Hoyle’s writing is funny, upbeat and quirky, but he also has the ability to create an air of seriousness to the whole situation. Thirteen is definitely not a perfect novel, but then again, I think they’re few and far between. It has its flaws; with confusing scenes and slightly jerky and robotic writing at times, but I’m very glad I read it. I’d recommend this book to anyone with an open mind, even if you’re not a young adult – I believe you’ll enjoy this book for what it is – an imaginative, thrilling novel with strong characters and a brilliant plot.

Quotes

'By the time he is fourteen, the boy has become a man... Thirteen is the last year of childhood... The boy must be killed before he is a man.' - Page 01.

Keenan spoke. ‘Before you die, I’ll tell you what you are. You are filth, but you are dangerous. Born at midnight at the millennium, two thousand years after the previous Imposter, you-‘
‘I wasn’t. I wasn’t,’ Adam tried to say. But he was.
‘You would stop Lord Coron, who will cleanse this world, from taking his real place, perhaps with me at his side.’
Coron? Cleanse the world? What was Keenan on about? This was mad!
Adam realized that these people where completely crazy. - Page 94.

Words ran around the top of the room: I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skilful to destroy. You shall be the fuel for the fire; your blood shall be in the midst of the land. - Page 150.

Review: The Drowning by Rachel Ward

Title: The Drowning.
Author: Rachel Ward.
Publication Date: May 2nd, 2013.
Publisher: Chicken House.
Format: Paperback, 274 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



When Carl opens his eyes on the banks of a cold lake, his brother is being zipped into a body bag. And a shovering wet girl is being helped nearby.

What happened in the water?

He can't remember. All he knows is that he must find out - before the truth comes back to drown him...

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The Drowning has to be one of the strangest books I’ve read this year, and that’s saying something! I definitely don’t mean this in bad way though; The Drowning was a compelling and wonderfully written novel that I couldn’t put down. I didn’t expect anything less from Rachel Ward, who has the ability to write stories that I’m sure everyone will love. This book is very different from Rachel’s other novel; Numbers, but also very similar at the same time with a fast-paced and action packed plot line. The Drowning is just as good as the other book I’ve read by her, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Right from the first page we enter the action; Carl remembers nothing, not why he was in the lake in the first place, not who the strange girl he’s with is, or what happened in the lake to cause his brother to drown. Carl’s character was interesting to read about, but I’m not really sure if I liked him at all. I thought Carl was a little bland and immature. I know he’s only fifteen, but I would have imagined his brother’s death would have matured him slightly. Unfortunately, he was just like any other teenage boy – a slave to his hormones. I’m not saying this is bad, but it seemed like a hell of a lot of the book was centred around Carl fighting the urge to jump on Neisha. He seemed a little obsessive over her, which put me off a little bit.

Neisha is the love-interest throughout this novel, and I had mixed feelings about her character. She seemed like a nice girl; smart and funny, but she also annoyed me a little bit. Her boyfriend has just drowned, and not even a week later she’s all over his brother. I understand the circumstances, but you’d think she’d need a little longer to move on considering the fact that she never looked twice at Carl in a romantic way before his brother died. There’s nothing else really to criticize about Neisha’s character – but I do think that Rachel Ward needs to work on her character development - two bland and dry characters in one book? That’s a little too much in my opinion!

As for Rob, Carl’s brother who drowned – god I hated him. I think you’re supposed to hate him, but my hate grew stronger and stronger throughout the book! To be perfectly honest, if he wasn’t already dead – I think I would have killed him myself. Rob was an abusive, rude, obnoxious asshole with absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. As much as I enjoyed reading The Drowning, I was put off by how much of a jerk Rob’s character was. Even though hating him has a lot to do with the story, I just wish he was a little better so I could at least feel a little remorse for him. I thought the ending of The Drowning was really quite confusing – I have a feeling, due to the fact that I’m already familiar with Rachel Ward’s writing, that I know what happened - but at the same time I’m really not sure. I don’t know whether the doubt and confusion was deliberate on Rachel’s part or not, but either way I kind of wished it’d had been a slightly clearer ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Drowning – it’s a fascinating, past-paced, creepy thriller that will have you constantly turning the pages to find out what will happen next. Although Rachel Ward’s character development needs a little fine tuning, her writing style is fabulous and such a pleasure to read. The entirety of this book is quite disturbing in a way and definitely freaked out in certain places. I believe The Drowning well and truly deserves the 4/5 star rating I gave it – if it weren’t for the few flaws that I’ve mentioned, I’m sure it would have gotten a higher rating. All the same, The Drowning is an amazing book, and I’d highly recommend anyone who loves a good thriller novel to pick this up. I can’t wait to read more from Rachel Ward in the future; she’s definitely an author everyone should know about!

Quotes

But it's not him. There's a girl in here now. She's looking right at me. Her make-up's smeared down her face from her eyes, like she's melting, but her lips are blue, her arms are covered in goosebumps and she's shivering. She's staring too, staring at me, then she blinks – once, twice – and starts screaming. - Page 2.

I open my eyes a little way, so there’s a narrow slit to see out of, and he’s there, half a metre away. White face, streaked with mud. The face that got zipped into the bag. My eyes open wide. My breathing goes shallow and fast.
I close my eyes again. I’m not seeing this. This isn’t real. - Page 71.

I kiss the top of her head, her temple, her cheek. She’s warm, so warm. She moves a little, tipping her face towards mine, and I find her lips. They’re soft and wet and taste of salt tears. I press my mouth against hers gently, ready to pull back at the first hint of rejection, but after a second of two she responds to me, angling her head a little more, kissing me back. - Page 142.

Review: Pretty Girl Thirteen by Liz Coley

Title: Pretty Girl Thirteen.
Author: Liz Coley.
Publication Date: February 28th, 2013.
Publisher: Harper Collins.
Format: Paperback, 244 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Angie Chapman is only 13 when she gets lost in the woods in the middle of the night.
The next thing she knows she’s returned home, scars around her wrists and ankles, physically exhausted. Her parents collapse into tears when they see her, but Angie doesn’t understand – until they tell her she has been missing, presumed dead, for three years.

Angie doesn’t remember anything from her missing years. But there are people who do – people who could tell Angie every terrifying detail, if only they weren’t locked inside her mind. With help, Angie begins to unravel the darkest secrets of her own past.
But does she really want to know the truth?

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The synopsis of this novel was pretty vague, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I first started it. However, this book turned out to be one of the most fantastic books I’ve read this year! Pretty Girl Thirteen is dark, creepy, intense, scary, gritty and downright incredible. I finished reading this book in two sittings; I was so drawn into the story that I found it really hard to put it down and couldn’t wait to pick it back up again. I’ve honestly never read anything like this novel before, it was so intense and heart-wrenching that it shook me to my very core.

One minute thirteen year old Angie Chapman is camping in the woods with a group of friends, and the next minute she’s standing at the end of her road. Angie has scars around her wrists and ankles and her parents are crying and telling her she’s been missing, presumed dead for three years. Angie can’t remember anything from the past three years, and is more than a little confused. However, there are people who can tell her what’s happened to her, who could tell her every, terrifying detail. The only problem is that they’re locked up inside her mind.

I was worried when I first started reading Pretty Girl Thirteen, that Angie’s other personalities or ‘alters’ would slow down the novel and make it generally confusing and hard to follow. However, this was definitely not the case at all! I loved how only little bits of information were revealed to Angie and the reader, being able to let everyone absorb the terrifying and intense information at a slower pace – rather than bombarding you with it all at once. As the novel progresses, we learn about what really happened to Angie over the last three years and piece together the memories she has locked away. Every new piece of information Angie remembers is completely ground breaking and constantly twists and changes your expectations of the novel.

I really loved Angie’s character – she was a really strong, smart and interesting protagonist to read about. I thought it was amazing how Angie managed to adapt to her new life – her mind was still thirteen years old, but her body was that of a sixteen year old. Obviously, Angie was completely freaked out by the entire situation, but acted really mature about everything and tried to cooperate with everyone. I loved how Angie didn’t behave all angst filled and angry at the world - but was sweet, kind and funny - I think her character was perfectly formed; if she was a person in real life, I’d love to be her friend.

Liz Coley writes about a variety of very sensitive and upsetting topics throughout this novel, but they were all handled with great care. Liz’s writing style is very raw, yet beautiful and amazing at the same time. I felt such a different array of emotions whilst reading this book, with every page; things kept getting darker, creepier and more sinister. Yet there were the higher moments, with Angie feeling such stronger and friendlier emotions – all of these mixed together to create an emotional rollercoaster ride you definitely won’t forget. I raved and talked about this book to my mum so much that she thought she might enjoy it and ended up buying herself a kindle copy! My mum doesn’t read YA books, but she has really loved reading Pretty Girl Thirteen.

Overall, I was completely blown away by this book – and even now I’m still finding myself lost for words. I believe the 5/5 star rating I gave it was well and truly earned, and if I could give it more – I definitely would. Pretty Girl Thirteen is a must read for everyone, whether you’re a teenager or an adult - I can’t recommend it highly enough! I also can’t wait to read more by Liz Coley; she’s an outstanding author that I’ll be definitely keeping tabs on in the future.

Quotes

Angie rubbed her face into Mom’s shoulder. “Do you think I’ll ever remember?”
For a long moment, Mom was silent. Angie pulled back and caught the tortured expression on her face, the mourning in her eyes, a split second before she fixed her expression.
Finally, Mom answered. “For three long years, all I’ve wanted was to know what happened to you. Now ... I don’t honestly know if I want you to remember.” - Page 45.

Angie released a huge, irritated sigh. “Fine. I get your point. I wish they’d all just tell you what they know. They’re like ghosts, hanging around with unfinished business on earth. I wish they’d just spill their guts and move on. Get out of town. I don’t need them anymore. I don’t want them!” Her voice rose again. - Page 128.

“Do you want to put up in a hotel for a few days so they can’t stake out on your front lawn?”
Mom laughed wickedly. “I’ll set up the lawn sprinklers. Let’s see them try.” She would, too.
I could see her turning the hoses on all their expensive video equipment. - Page 316.

Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Title: Fracture.
Series: Fracture, #1.
Author: Megan Miranda.
Publication Date: January 17th, 2012.
Publisher: Bloomsbury.
Format: Paperback, 261 pages.
Source: Bought.
My Rating:



By the time seventeen-year-old Delaney Maxwell is pulled out of the icy waters of a frozen lake, her heart has stopped beating. She is officially dead. Then she starts breathing... The doctors are mystified. But Delaney knows something is very wrong, even thought outwardly she had completely recovered.

Pulled by sensations she can’t control, Delaney now finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her brain predicting death or causing it? Then Delaney meets Troy Varga. Is Troy a kindred spirit who somehow understands her weird and frightening gift? Or are his motives chillingly more sinister...

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Delaney Maxwell is crossing a frozen lake one day when she slips and falls, fracturing the ice and falling into its dark and dangerous depths. Unable to find the surface, Delaney drowns and is rescued 11 minutes later from the water by her best friend, Decker. She should be dead, shouldn’t she? However Delaney breaks the odds, lives but is in a coma for 6 days. Technically she’s brain damaged, she shouldn’t be able to speak, walk or do any of the normal day to day things when she wakes up – but she can. Nothing seems to be wrong with her, but something seems to have changed in Delaney. She finds herself unknowingly drawn to the dying – a new found sense that will change her life forever.

Fracture was a really good read; I read it in only two sittings and was constantly being drawn more and more into the story. However; I did find that it was quite rushed at times. I also felt it could have been written a bit more smoothly and less erratically. It often jumped from one thing to another and I found myself confused as to what was happening. I also have to say I was also a little disappointed in it. However, that’s mostly my fault, because I went into reading this book with really high expectations, expecting an incredible, unforgettable read and it came up short slightly with a few faults that really niggled at me.

Delaney’s character was a bit of a see-saw to me. Some of the time I really liked her, and the rest of the time I found her really annoying. She drove me crazy by the things she did and the way she acted. She makes some stupid decisions and says a lot of the wrong things, but putting that all aside she was a very caring and kind character. Decker’s character was great! He was so sweet, kind, sensitive and caring that you couldn’t help but love him. He also makes some mistakes in the books, but you can tell he really finds himself paying for them emotionally. The friendship Delaney and Decker have is rare and wonderful and I can’t help but feel jealous of their relationship. The pair hit some rocky grounds throughout the book, but when it comes to the punch; they’re always there for each other.

Lastly; as for Troy – I have to say, I never really liked his character from the start. He seemed a bit stalkerish and big-headed. How did he have the right to do what he did? He seemed to genuinely like Delaney, even when he was acting like an idiot. In the end his character was alright, but very erratic and unpredictable. I loved how the ending of the book turned out – it was perfect in my opinion. It had enough drama and suspense to keep me turning the pages quickly, and I had no idea what would happen! I felt like the end of the book could go in multiple different ways. The book was constantly surprising me and I could only guess as to what would happen next.

This is one of those rare occasions where I can't decide between giving a book 3.5/5 stars and 4/5 stars. Seeing as I can't decide, and I’m not usually one for giving half stars; I'm just leaving it how it is. Even if the rating was a bit lower, it does not detract from the greatness of this book and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a relatively short but interesting and creative story.

Overall I really did enjoy reading this book, it had its ups and downs but it was fantastic otherwise. It had such an original and unique plotline and delves into some very sensitive subjects such as depression and death. I believe these subjects were handled perfectly and Megan Miranda’s writing was beautiful. I think that it would have stood perfectly as a stand-alone novel, I’m not really sure what I think of it becoming a series – but I suppose I’ll just have to wait and find out what the sequel brings.

Quotes

My ear was pressed against the surface, so I heard the fracture branch out, slowly at first, then with more speed. Faint crackles turned to snaps and crunches, and then silence. - Page 06.

"I don't know whether you're acting like this because you know I'm going to kiss you and you're anxious or you know I'm going to kiss you and you don't want me too." - Page 138.

Troy looked at me with a slightly sideways expression. He leaned forward and whispered, "You're..." He clenched and unclenched his fists, and I knew what he was thinking. I was the girl who ran when she got spooked. I was the girl who hid in the back of the funeral home. I was the girl who had to be saved from the lake. He hadn't gotten to know me, really. He didn't know I wasn't stupid. I was smart. I knew what I was doing. - Page 240.