Book Review | The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma.

"Ori's dead because of what happened out behind the theatre, in the tunnel made out of trees. She's dead because she got sent to that place upstate, locked up with those monsters. And she got sent there because of me."

The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices - one still living and one long dead. On the outside, there's Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement. On the inside, within the walls of a girls' juvenile detention centre, there's Amber, locked up for so long she can't imagine freedom. Tying these two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls' darkest mysteries.

We hear Amber's story and Violet's, and through them Orianna's, first from one angle, then from another, until gradually we beging to get the whole picture - which is not necessarily the one that either Amber or Violet wants us to see.

Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and innocence, and what happens when one is mistaken for the other." (synopsis and cover from (x)

When I saw that Nova Ren Suma had a new book coming out, I clicked the request button without even reading the premise. That is how big a fangirl I am about Nova Ren Suma. Unfortunately I was left with very mixed feelings.

Violet is a ballerina on her way to Julliard, her whole life ahead of her. Amber is in jail for allegedly murdering her abusive step-father. She also happens to be dead. The two are linked by one person: Orianna. Violet's best friend, and Amber's cellmate. But Orianna shouldn't be in jail, and only through Violet and Amber are we able to learn why.

The Walls Around Us opens with a bang and it took me a fair few chapters before the shock would stop. Ok, I will admit that perhaps I should've read the premise. But the cacophony of words left me with a lot of lingering confusion.

I'll start with the one thing I utterly adored. The writing. This comes as no shock to anybody who knows me. Suma's style is remarkable and her writing still manages to make me speechless, even after three books. Its lyrical quality is something I very deeply aspire to. If there's anything you should read this for, it's the writing.

And this is where the positives end, unfortunately.

Pacing-wise, The Walls Around Us was something I found very easy to put down. It just didn't capture my attention, and I think it's in part due to my detachment towards the characters.

I wasn't a fan of them. Violet in particular, I found nasty and wholly unsympathetic. This isn't usually an issue for me, but it unfortunately didn't work in this book.

As I mentioned above, I also found the book mildly disorientating. It certainly didn't last the entirety of the novel, but it did last as long as it took me to properly read the premise.

It really pains me that I didn't love this as much as I wanted to. While the writing was a stand-out element, I found everything else to be lacking. 2 stars.

Rating: ** (2 Stars)

Publication Date: 24th of March 2015

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

Goodreads | Nova Ren Suma's Website | Twitter

Want to buy this? You can get it here:

Book Depository | Fishpond | Amazon | Book World

Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC.

Book Review | Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins.

"The cafe is boiling. The atmosphere is clouded with bittersweet coffee. Three years of desire rip through my body and burst from my lips: "Josh!" 
His head jolts up. For a long time, a very long time, he just stares at me. 
And then...he blinks. "Isla?"

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on brooding artist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And, after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer break, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to face uncertainty about their futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Set against the stunning backdrops of New York, Paris and Barcelona, this is a gorgeous, heart-wrenching and irresistible story of true love, and the perfect conclusion to Stephanie Perkins's beloved series." (synopsis from (x)

The time has come, my friends. Isla and the Happily Ever After has finally been released (or, more rather, it finally arrived), and I am here to review it for you.

The first thing you'll notice about this book is that it is different to Anna and Lola. It's different in main character, in tone, in plot. Do not go into this novel expecting something similar to the prior two books. It isn't.

But I think it works.

The things I liked: the characters. This is a no-brainer, because Stephanie Perkins does character and she does it really, really well. Both Josh and Isla become multi-faceted and we see both the flaws and virtues of their characters develop throughout the novel.

I'll start with Isla. Islaislaisla. She's the main character in this little happily ever after (see what I did there?). I don't know why, but I have an unusually high affinity for this girl. This doesn't happen a lot for me. The last time I understood and felt for a character so wholly was Allyson from Just One Day. And no, it's not just because she's a redhead and I'm a redhead. Isla feels like a representation of a younger high-school-attending me.

Where Anna and Lola are sure of who they are as people, and where they want to go in life, Isla is different. She has insecurities - big ones. She's terrified of the future, because she doesn't know where she's going. She's shy. She doesn't like taking risks. Isla got to me in a way I never expected. I loved her (but I was also a little freaked out because I was so similar to her, it's scary).

Josh. Josh made me want a boyfriend. No, let me rephrase that (because let's be real here, I'm always wanting a boyfriend). Josh has made me rethink my stance of being on Team Cricket. I really liked that we got to see a different side to him in Isla. He is adorable. Now, I'm torn between the two, so poo you.

The two together were adorable. Very often, I found myself thinking 'Oh my gosh, you nerds. Stop it, I love you.' There are just a lot of very sweet moments in this book. Another way this book is different? There are some more explicit moments, so you know. Be aware of that. Because it took me by surprise.

Setting, as always, was done to perfection. I loved being back in Paris, and loved being (however briefly) in Barcelona even more. I wished we'd seen more of New York, but obviously, Europe was the place to be.

My main problem with the novel was the placement of conflict. Like I've mentioned a lot, Perkins doesn't keep to the similar formula she uses in Anna and Lola. It sent me into a bit of a loop. Why? Because instead of being one of the first things we're introduced to, it doesn't become a *thing* until we're on the other side of the halfway mark.

I guess it'd be easy to argue that Isla's insecurities are in fact, the conflict, but they're not really present until the *big thing* happens. But because of this, it felt like there wasn't actually much of a conflict. It isn't a huge issue, it's just messing with my mind a bit.

We do get to see some of Cricket and Lola, and Anna and Etienne. However, it is very, very brief. And something happens. But I'm not saying what, because that would be cheating.

Overall, a very sweet final companion novel. Isla, I love. Josh, I love. Conflict placement, not so much. 4 stars.

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

Publisher: Usborne 

Publication Date: 14th August 2014 (or, if you're from Australia, sometime in September)

Goodreads | Stephanie Perkins Website | Twitter

Want to buy it? You can get it here:

Book Depository | Fishpond | Bookworld | Amazon

This review will also appear on Book Nerd Reviews.

Book Review | Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid.

"Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday-- and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings...until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth - sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for it to get lost along the way." (synopsis and cover from (x).

Let's Get Lost is an interesting, unique novel from a talented debut author.

The story focuses on five strangers. Four of whom have no commonalities whatsoever with the exception of the fifth person: a girl whose name is Leila. She is on a road trip and this novel is the misadventures and sidesteps along the way.

To be honest, it's a little difficult to review this one. Why? Because there's two ways of thinking about it.
   1) You can look at and review it in its entirety. Or
   2) You can look at each of the strangers as separate short stories.
Because that's what it is; with the exception of Leila, there are no similarities. They are literally snapshots of one characters life. Whether it's done successfully is something else entirely. I'll get to this in a little more detail later on.

Onward! The good stuff.

Number one: I love, love, love the concept. From the get-go, it's one of those novels that asks all the right questions. On this occasion: how can one person, one perfectly pleasant stranger, affect the life of others? I don't know about you guys, but that is something that I am utterly fascinated by, and I really appreciate that the author decided to explore this.

Number two: Distinct voices. All the characters were very separate from each other. This works well in terms of the reading experience. I never had to go back and double check who exactly I was reading, because it was very clear from the start.

Number three: The writing. Unsurprisingly, given how well the voices were written, the writing itself was very well done. There were definitely lines that I felt were provocative and thoughtful. I just really appreciated the tone of it.

Now, for the negatives. I want to warn you in advance that I'll be referring to things that I mentioned above. Like I said, the novel is fundamentally broken up into five short stories. This would be totally fine, but if we go with the idea to review them as separate short stories, I found them too broad in nature. Short stories are supposed to be a snapshot. However, the author attempts to include a lot of plot and a lot of development. I'd argue that perhaps it's too much.

I also think that it comes across as a little disjointed. The stop and start of the strangers' stories disrupted the flow of the full arc of the story (does that make sense?). Every time I started to truly get involved in it, we'd have finished that character's arc and be onto the next person.

Given this, it was hard to find a huge amount of development within the characters. Alsaid definitely attempted to show it, however I feel he might've failed in some regards. For instance, I wasn't a huge fan of Bree. She definitely was one of the more obvious cases of growth. I didn't particularly like her in the start, and I still couldn't feel for her by the end.

Let's Get Lost is a fascinating concept that has been solidly illustrated by the author. I look forward to reading more of his work. 3 stars.

Rating: *** (3 Stars)

Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia

Publication Date: 1st August 2014

Goodreads | Adi Alsaid's Website | Twitter

Want to buy the book? You can get it here:

Book Depository | Fishpond | Bookworld | Amazon | Harlequin

Thank you to Harlequin Teen Australia and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

This review will also appear on Book Nerd Reviews