The Loneliness of Distant Beings by Kate Ling

Paperback, 320 pages
Expected publication: May 19th 2016 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
With thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for sending me a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb

"'It is that quick, it is that strong, it is that beautiful. And it is also totally impossible.'

Even though she knows it's impossible, Seren longs to have the sunshine on her skin. It's something she feels she needs to stay sane. But when you're floating through space at thousands of kilometres an hour, sometimes you have to accept there are things you cannot change.

Except that the arrival of Dom in her life changes everything in ways she can barely comprehend. For a while he becomes the Sun for her; and she can't help but stay in his orbit. Being with him flaunts every rule designed to keep their home in order, but to lose him would be like losing herself.

In the end they must decide what is most important: loyalty to the only home they've ever known, or to each other?"

My Review

This book has a really interesting concept which made me excited to read it. Seren lives on a spaceship which is heading deep into space, on a 700 year mission, to investigate a mysterious signal which was received on Earth.

Unfortunately, this book fell a little flat for me both in terms of the story and character development. Seren wasn't very likeable and I did not feel like she developed during the course of the novel and was a little annoying. Although I did empathise with her frustrations about the way her life was turning out.

The society on board the ship was interesting, as were the rules that had been put in place to keep the ship running smoothly and the crew healthy. However, the characters weren't very memorable.

I can't really recommend this as the story never sparked to life for me. Therefore I would give it 2 out of 5.

My Name is Leon by Kit De Waal

Kindle Edition, 272 pages
Expected publication: June 2nd 2016 by Penguin
With thanks to Net Galley and Penguin for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb

"A brother chosen. A brother left behind. And a family where you'd least expect to find one.

Leon is nine, and has a perfect baby brother called Jake. They have gone to live with Maureen, who has fuzzy red hair like a halo, and a belly like Father Christmas. But the adults are speaking in low voices, and wearing Pretend faces. They are threatening to give Jake to strangers. Since Jake is white and Leon is not.

As Leon struggles to cope with his anger, certain things can still make him smile - like Curly Wurlys, riding his bike fast downhill, burying his hands deep in the soil, hanging out with Tufty (who reminds him of his dad), and stealing enough coins so that one day he can rescue Jake and his mum.

Evoking a Britain of the early eighties, My Name is Leon is a heart-breaking story of love, identity and learning to overcome unbearable loss. Of the fierce bond between siblings. And how - just when we least expect it - we manage to find our way home."

My Review

Told through the eyes of Leon, this is a poignant and moving story of a child struggling to understand why his mother can no longer look after him and why one brother may be wanted and the other not.

This book made me cry at certain moments as Leon's desperation and love for his brother shines through. I thought it was well-written when showing Leon's feelings of confusion and loss and how he views the adults around him.

I liked Leon's relationship with Maureen and with Tufty, although I found it strange that some of the adults didn't think to ask Leon more questions in certain situations.

This is an enjoyable book, set against an interesting time in England. I would give this 3 out of 5.

Flawed by Cecilia Ahern

Kindle Edition, 334 pages
Published March 24th 2016 by HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks
My thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb

"Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.

In this stunning novel, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society in which perfection is paramount and mistakes are punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything."

My Review

This is the Young Adult debut by bestselling author Cecilia Ahern and I thought it was a great leap into the world of dystopian fiction.

I found the concept of the book to be really intriguing in that anyone who does not behave perfectly is deemed to be flawed and is branded for the rest of their lives and treated as second class citizens. I did find it strange that there was a different system for criminals in that they would not be branded and once released from prison could continue their lives as normal, whereas a flawed person - whose crime was maybe bring dishonest or making a mistake at work - would be restricted in every way, from what they could eat to having a curfew and not being allowed to be helped by a "normal" citizen.

Celestine has grown up with this system and is determined to be perfect and to fly under the radar without questioning anything until an incident close to home makes her begin to question everything that she assumed was right before. I really felt for her when she made a split decision which could lead to her being branded as flawed. Her thoughts are sometimes quite selfish, but I imagine that living in a society like that you would need to protect yourself in that way.

This book was fast-paced and I enjoyed the questions that the book raised about morality and courage. I can't wait to read the next book in the series! I would give this book 5 out of 5.

About the Author

Cecelia Ahern wrote her first novel, PS. I Love You when she was twenty-one. It was published in 2004, the number 1 bestseller in Ireland for 19 weeks and sold in over forty countries. The book was adapted as a motion picture directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler and released in 2007 in the United States.

Her second book, Where Rainbows End (US title: Love, Rosie or Rosie Dunne) won the German CORINE Award in 2005. She contributed with short stories to charity books and is also the co-creator and producer of the ABC comedy Samantha Who?.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

Published April 7th 2016 by MIRA (first published January 29th 2016)
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Midas PR for sending it to me.

Blurb

"When Arthur Pepper discovers a mysterious charm bracelet in his late wife’s wardrobe, he sets off on a journey to discover, charm by charm, her secret life before they met.

Having been married for over 40 years, 69-year-old Arthur Pepper is mourning the loss of his wife. On the anniversary of her death, he finally musters the courage to go through her possessions, and happens upon a charm bracelet that he has never seen before.

What follows is a surprising adventure that takes Arthur from London to Paris and India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife’s secret life before they met, a journey that leads him to find healing, self-discovery, and love in the most unexpected of places."

My Review

This is a really sweet, charming book, with many funny and poignant moments.

Arthur is a lovely character and I really felt for him as he went on his journey to find out more about the life his wife led before they met. The story behind each of the charms was really interesting and I liked how each one gave clues to lead to the next charm.

I also enjoyed finding out more about his relationship with his children and the way this developed over the course of the book.

Additionally, I liked how Arthur's friendship with his neighbour and her son developed, and how they helped him to see his own worth.

This is a gentle, enjoyable book which I highly recommend. I would give this 4 out of 5.

About the Author

Phaedra Patrick studied art and marketing and has worked as a stained glass artist, film festival organiser and communications manager. She was inspired to write Arthur Pepper’s story by the memories of her own charm bracelet. She lives near Manchester with her husband and son.

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

Hardcover, 416 pages
Published December 31st 2015 by HarperCollins Children’s Books (first published December 1st 2015)
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb

"Parker Grant doesn't need perfect vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances.

When Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart, suddenly reappears at school, Parker knows there's only one way to react – shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough to deal with already, like trying out for the track team, handing out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened – both with Scott, and her dad – the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem.

Not If I See You First illuminates those blind spots that we all have in life, whether visually impaired or not."

My Review

Parker Grant is a really strong character who leaps off the page. She is not always likeable, as she's sometimes selfish but I admire her for her tenacity and determination. There are also a lot of funny moments in this book as she always says what she thinks and she quite enjoys getting a reaction out of people from her blindness; even if she doesn't want to be treated any differently from anybody else.

I also found it interesting to read about what life is like for someone who is blind, it definitely made me think about how much harder some things would be.

The story follows Parker as she navigates high school and tries to live as normal a life as possible with her blindness. She has a few close friends but they go through some difficult patches through the novel and Parker learns a lot and grows up a lot. These were some very emotional scenes in the book that made me cry.

Parker also has a set of rules that she wants people around her to follow and Scott is one person who broke her rules who she has vowed never to forgive. I enjoyed finding out about their history as Parker begins to think more about how reasonable her rules are.

This is an excellent debut novel. 5 out of 5 from me.

About the Author

In addition to writing Young Adult novels, Eric Lindstrom has worked in the interactive entertainment industry for years as a creative director, game designer, writer, and usually combinations of all three. As Editor and Co-Writer for Tomb Raider: Legend he received a 2006 BAFTA nomination for Best Video Game Screenplay, and then as the Creative Director for Tomb Raider: Underworld he received a 2009 BAFTA nomination for Best Action Adventure Video Game and a 2009 WGA nomination for Best Writing in a Video Game.

He has also raised children, which led to becoming first a school volunteer, then a substitute teacher, then a part time kindergarten teacher, then getting a credential to teach elementary school, and most importantly the discovery that YA literature is awesome. It’s pretty much all he ever reads, and now writes, in his house near the beach on the west coast, with his wife and, yes, cats.