Review: Nona and Me by Clare Atkins

Title: Nona and Me
Author: Clare Atkins
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: Bookworld
Goodreads

Rosie and Nona are sisters. Yapas.

They are also best friends. It doesn’t matter that Rosie is white and Nona is Aboriginal: their family connections tie them together for life.

Born just five days apart in a remote corner of the Northern Territory, the girls are inseperable, until Nona moves away at the age of nine. By the time she returns, they’re in Year 10 and things have changed. Rosie has lost interest in the community, preferring to hang out in the nearby mining town, where she goes to school with the glamorous Selena, and Selena’s gorgeous older brother Nick.

When a political announcement highlights divisions between the Aboriginal community and the mining town, Rosie is put in a difficult position: will she be forced to choose between her first love and her oldest friend?

Review by Nara

2015 Releases I Am Dying For

Obviously there are a ton of books that I'm looking forward to, but I thought I'd give you a list of some of the ones I'm most anticipating (gah it was so tough narrowing it down). 2015 is promising to be a fantastic year in books (as is every year tbh haha. Such a great time to be a reader of YA novels) and most of the novels listed will be YA.

2014: The Year I Discovered My Favourite Author

Those of you who have read this blog for a while will know that my favourite author is Brandon Sanderson. Although he's been writing for quite some time (his debut was in 2005), I only actually discovered his books in January of this year. I suppose that's not true...I'd known about his books for a while, but only bothered reading them this year. Best decision of my life.

2014 Favourites Breakdown

It's almost the end of the year, so I thought it's now time to look at some of the stats to do with my favourite books from this year.

Here's the list of my favourite books from this year:
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan
Traitor's Blade by Sebastian de Castell
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
Cress by Marissa Meyer
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas
Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas
Ruins by Dan Wells
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead
Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Title: All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: 7 January, 2015
Source: Penguin Australia
Goodreads

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.

Review by Nara

Review: Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker

Title: Beware the Wild
Author: Natalie C. Parker
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fantasy, Mystery/Thriller
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads

It's an oppressively hot and sticky morning in June when Sterling and her brother, Phin, have an argument that compels him to run into the town swamp -- the one that strikes fear in all the residents of Sticks, Louisiana. Phin doesn't return. Instead, a girl named Lenora May climbs out, and now Sterling is the only person in Sticks who remembers her brother ever existed.

Sterling needs to figure out what the swamp's done with her beloved brother and how Lenora May is connected to his disappearance -- and loner boy Heath Durham might be the only one who can help her.

This debut novel is full of atmosphere, twists and turns, and a swoon-worthy romance.

Review by Nara

Review: Clariel by Garth Nix

Title: Clariel (Abhorsen #4/Prequel)
Author: Garth Nix
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy
Source: Bookworld
Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not adjusting well to her new life in the city of Belisaere, the capital of the Old Kingdom. She misses roaming freely within the forests of Estwael, and she feels trapped within the stone city walls. And in Belisaere she is forced to follow the plans, plots and demands of everyone, from her parents to her maid, to the sinister Guildmaster Kilp. Clariel can see her freedom slipping away. It seems too that the city itself is descending into chaos, as the ancient rules binding Abhorsen, King and Clayr appear to be disintegrating.

With the discovery of a dangerous Free Magic creature loose in the city, Clariel is given the chance both to prove her worth and make her escape. But events spin rapidly out of control. Clariel finds herself more trapped than ever, until help comes from an unlikely source. But the help comes at a terrible cost. Clariel must question the motivations and secret hearts of everyone around her - and it is herself she must question most of all.

Review by Nara