Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Series: Stand-alone

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Publishing date: August 1st, 2010

Pages: 244

Summary: "Let me make it in time. Let me meet Shadow. The guy who paints in the dark. Paints birds trapped on brick walls and people lost in ghost forests. Paints guys with grass growing from their hearts and girls with buzzing lawn mowers."

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.

His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.

Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.

But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

Rating: 5 stars

ATTN READING MANIACS AND BOOK LOVERS: To all of you who have regular reading slumps, READ THIS. I can guarantee this book will get you out of it. 

So, I finished this book 4 days ago and I'm still trying to gather my thoughts into coherent sentences. 
The writing was so beautiful that I kept stopping to stare at the words. I wanted to crawl across the page and come up to the words and snuggle them. And also hug the characters. 
This is the kind of book that puts a huge smile on your face. The kind of book that makes your day better. Hell, it makes your day, period. 
The storyline was realistic and lovely, the characters had depth and personalities, the banter was perfect and I just wish I could take a swim in this novel and never come out. And hug the characters. Always hug the characters.

I do hope the author will make some kind of companion novel to Graffiti Moon. She has more than enough talent to pull it off, and honestly, I'm not ready to say goodbye to these folks quite yet. I'd even want to read the parents' story (they're actually multi-dimensional! And interesting!) I don't care. JUST WRITE MORE.

I would recommend this book to anyone, anybody who loves good writing and lovable characters. It's right up there with Saving Francesca (review here) and the likes. And if you don't trust me, trust the judging panel of this year's Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards. Graffiti Moon won the first prize in the "Young adult fiction" category. Yup. Go read now.

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Series: If I Stay #1

Publisher: Speak

Publishing date: January 1st, 2009

Pages: 196

Buy it: Amazon

Summary: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...
A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

Rating: 5 stars

I have no idea how to do this story justice. It seems like I could go on and on about it for hours without even getting close to how amazing it is.

This book is bittersweet. Hot and cold, funny and depressing, heart-warming and sob-inducing. It's the perfect roller-coaster, a prime example of how powerful writing can be. I adored everything about it. The plot, shocking and realistic (despite my skepticism at first), the characters, touching and real, the writing, both light and deep... I don't know how Forman managed to put all of that in one book? I'm completely baffled at the enormous quantity of talent she put in those 196 pages. How? I don't get it. Thankfully, I'm not a writer so I don't have to. I'll just keep gushing.

This book has one of the best set of characters I've ever read about in a YA book. You can't not love Mia, you can't not adore Adam, you can't not worship Mia's family. It's impossible. I just... I'm mostly incoherent right now for reasons I can't say because I don't want to spoil readers, so let me just say that this book is a must-read. This is the kind of book you want to have read at least once in your life, because it carries the kind of message you hope to understand but never have to face. Because I can't put my thoughts together even a week after reading it. Because it's that good.

I'm mostly useless in this state, so I'm just going to leave these few quotes and hope you'll magically find your way to this book soon.

Anyhow, she didn't care that people called her a bitch. "It's just another word for feminist," she told me with pride.

"Holy Crud. Is that Brooke Vega?" I hear someone ask in a totally fakey dramatic voice from outside the ICU's automatic doors. I've never heard any of Adam's friends talk so PG-13 before. It's their sanitized hospital version of "holy fucking shit."

He searches around, like he's dropped something and then finds what he's looking for: my hand.

Review: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Series: Stand-alone

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Publishing date: 2003

Pages: 252

Buy it: Amazon

Summary: Francesca battles her mother, Mia, constantly over what’s best for her. All Francesca wants is her old friends and her old school, but instead Mia sends her to St. Sebastian’s, an all-boys’ school that has just opened its doors to girls. Now Francesca’s surrounded by hundreds of boys, with only a few other girls for company. All of them weirdos—or worse.
Then one day, Mia is too depressed to get out of bed. One day turns into months, and as her family begins to fall apart, Francesca realizes that without her mother’s high spirits, she hardly knows who she is. But she doesn’t yet realize that she’s more like Mia than she thinks. With a little unlikely help from St. Sebastian’s, she just might be able to save her family, her friends, and—especially—herself.

Rating: 4.5 stars

What you need to know about this book: This is a character-driven book. No! Don't run yet. Hear me out. It does start out pretty slow BUT that's because Francesca is confused, a little lost and it takes a few chapters for her to wake up (and for you to start empathizing with her). But once you do, you won't be able to stop reading. Her voice is honest, funny (she's hilarious, seriously) and to the point. It's the kind of book you look forward to picking back up, like, you're doing something and think "oh, I still have to finish this book" and it puts a smile on your face.

What I loved: The realism of the book. Marchetta doesn't gloss over Mia's depression, quite the contrary. She portrays very accurately what it's like to be a teenager, to not quite know where you fit in and how it feels to have adults telling you what to do all the time. To look at a cute boy and think "my god, what a disgusting pig" because no, teenage boys aren't all perfect and just because they're not doesn't mean they're one-dimensional, shallow people.

Why you should read it: Because not once did I not understand/empathize with the narrator. It's like the author mixed up all the ingredients to make a perfect character and here I am, adoring Francesca and cheering for her like a demented fangirl.

"I look past them to where Will and his friends are sitting, and he catches my eye for a moment and smiles. It's a weird smile, but it reaches his eyes and I bottle it. And I put it in my ammo pack that's kept right next to my soul. The one that holds Mia's scent and Justine's spirit and Siobhan's hope and Tara's passions. Because if I'm going to wake up one morning and not be able to get out of bed, I'm going to need everything I've got to fight this bastard of a disease that could be sleeping inside me."

Do you love her yet?

Why you need to read it right now: This is the kind of book that goes somewhere, you know? Even if not everything is resolved, you see the characters maturing and it gets you a little teary-eyed because you feel like you were there, right along with them as they tried to make sense of life. And you wish them the best, and you're sad to let them go.

It's a short book, but one that will definitely stay in your heart for a long time.

Review: The Forbidden Game Trilogy by L.J. Smith

Series: #1, #2 & #3 of The Forbidden Game

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing date: June 8th, 2010 (first published in 1994)

Pages: 768

Buy it: Amazon

Summary: To capture the love of Jenny Thorton, Julian--a visitor from a dark world--draws Jenny and her friends into forbidden games; the contest for a human soul. The prize is Jenny's freedom. The stakes are all of their lives. Jenny's friends are determined to help her win. But Julian is the master of the Game. Jenny's most desperate fight will be with him, this eerily handsome boy with electric blue eyes. He knows her deepest secrets, her darkest fears. He has almost infinite power. And the only thing he wants is for Jenny to surrender to him--body and soul.

Rating: 5 stars

Finishing this series gave me that satisfied and sad feeling you get when you close an amazing book and think "there's no more". I stumbled upon it completely randomly, and I'm so, so glad I gave it a chance. The premise seemed really intriguing and after seeing a lot of positive reviews, I decided to dive in. And what a journey.

Because that's what this trilogy is: a journey in another world made of shadows, nightmares and secrets. The first book's atmosphere is secretive, sensual and creepy. Smith's prose is really good, not in an obvious way like Laini Taylor's, but more subtly, like a story that creeps under your skin and makes you remember the monsters and uncertainties of your childhood. Book after book, the author weaves a fast-paced plot packed with adventure and mystery, with a side of delicious romance and heart-warming friendship.

About the main love interest: I don't want to give away too much, but I thought the romance was very, very well done. Smith somehow manages to make us both hate and root for Julian, while still keeping a healthy and lovable boyfriend. No weak alternative here. Oh, and Julian... Sigh. He's both irresistible and impossible, with this dark, calculating edge tinged with softness and a hint of something not quite good, but promising. It draws you in and leaves you begging for more. He's a very well-developed character and I'm really happy we got to know more about him and his side of the story in book 3.

Also, I adore the female lead. She's not particularly strong at the beginning of the book, but she's not the weak damsel in distress type by any means. You watch her blossom and evolve during the whole story and it's a beautiful thing. She's so relatable and lovely and she has this little something, this innocent brightness about her... I can completely understand what Julian/Tom/everyone sees in her. I want her to be my best friend. Someone point her to me in real life, please (this is the moment you can tell Lamia has lost her mind, which is further proven by the fact that she's talking about herself in the third person).

While this trilogy is mainly about paranormal adventures, it's also a very good coming of age story. Every character has their own traits and are useful to the storyline. I know each and every one of them, which is definitely not something I can say for most YA series (empty best friend syndrome, anyone?). As the plot moves along, you witness the characters getting closer, falling apart and putting themselves back together again. You get more insight into their personality and as relationships are made and unmade, you watch them grow and mature, and close the last book with a satisfied sigh and a sense of pride. You feel close to them. It's wonderful. This book is amazing, plain and simple.

In case you couldn't tell, I'd highly recommend this trilogy to anyone. It's a page-turner and all the books are short and succinct, very easy to read. What are you waiting for?

Review: Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

Series: Stand-alone

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Publishing date: October 1st, 2009

Pages: 272

Buy it: Amazon

Summary: A girl who’s always been in the shadows finds herself pursued by the unbelievably attractive new boy at school, who may or may not be the death of her.
Another girl grows up mute because of a curse placed on her by a vindictive spirit, and later must decide whether to utter her first words to the boy she loves and risk killing everyone who hears her if the curse is real.
And a third girl discovers that the real reason for her transient life with her mother has to do with belonging — literally belonging — to another world entirely, full of dreaded creatures who can transform into animals, and whose queen keeps little girls as personal pets until they grow to childbearing age.

Rating: 5 stars

I truly feel like anything I say couldn't do this book justice.
So, in my endeavor to describe my *cough* "feelings", I made a pie chart (I love pie charts).

This book was amazing. Well-written. Gorgeous, gorgeous writing. Touching characters. I just... I loved it. Every story was better than the last. Enchanting, horrifying, beautiful and captivating. The way Taylor writes... Again, I don't know what to say. She pulls you into the universe she created like no others and makes you truly experience the story she's telling. Her writing grabs you and doesn't let you go. You get attached to the characters, feel their joy and their horror, all the while sinking deeper and deeper into the mesmerizing universe she presents you with.

The way she manages to combine such a vast array of emotion into one story is mind boggling. This book feels like a rainy afternoon spent cuddled up in your blankets with an amazing book and a tub of ice cream. It's a treat you've been waiting for, and savor slowly to keep it as long as possible. It's the kind of book you keep reading at night, secretly, while you're supposed to be sleeping simply because you just can't stop reading. 

While the first story was short, sensual and surprising, the second and third ones were longer, and therefore had their own universe and set of rules. And the writing. God. Her prose is lyrical and flows perfectly. She uses recurrent imagery so well that you can almost picture everything. I kept literally stopping in the middle of a chapter to think "wow, this sentence is gorgeous."

Also, I'd just like to point out that not once, while reading this book did I think anything was remotely wrong with the character development, the pacing, the plot or just... anything. This is rare, people. Very rare. Everything made perfect sense. So much sense, actually, that when Taylor later explains her definition of the "Hell" she used in the second story, it wasn't necessary, because she told it in such a way that it was obvious for anyone, even those not versed in Hindu beliefs like me.

If you're still not convinced, here's a quote:

"[...] they thought the same thoughts as completely as if a butterfly traveled back and forth between their minds, bearing ideas on its legs like pollen."

See? So pretty. So cute and perfect. Sigh.

Really. I'm re-reading myself and I have not done this story justice. Don't take my words for it. Go read it. You won't be sorry.