Review: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

4 stars for Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

Howl’s Moving Castle is a heart-warming story about love, courage, magic, and self-discovery. The is a story that caters to all age groups.

I want to stress that though I give the novel a 4-star rating, the Japanese animation movie created by Studio Ghibli (co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki) warrants a 5 stars rating. The animated movie is rich and strange, and the animation is beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful.

Of all the Japanese "animated movies" I have watched over the years, Howl's Moving Castle has always been my favourite and still is. I cannot remember how many times I have watched it, I only know that each time I watch Howl's Moving Castle again, it always comes across as amazing and captivates me as if I am watching it for the first time. I remember first watching Howl's Moving Castle in 2006, around August to October time, and I was greatly charmed by wizard Howl. There are two scenes that I adore much in the anime. One is where Howl made his first appearance to protect Sophie and together they walked in the air before safely reaching the bakery. The other one is where Howl made his second appearance; he returns to his castle and he took over from Sophie to cook a breakfast of bacon and eggs.

All those years, I have always assumed that this animation movie was the result of some Japanese standalone manga or series. I have no idea that the anime originates from a novel, that is, until I saw the story book available for sale in a big bookstore during my trip to Tokyo last November.

It has been many years since I watched the movie, and Howl charms me still when I read the book where it all originates from. The novel is written with a dazzling plot and the spectacular team involving Howl, Sophie and Calcifer is brought to life through the unlimited imagination of author Diana. All three characters have magic - strong magic, one of a kind magic - which they use in very different ways, and that makes the reader in me adore them so.

What I like most in this fantasy novel is that, Howl as the hero, is not what we expect to see in most conventional novels - Howl is a flawed hero. Due to his flaws, Howl turns out to be even more of a compelling hero character. Because no one is perfect, not even heroes. Flawed Howl is made interesting because we never know what he is going to do next. I think it will be interesting and exciting to live under the same roof with a wizard of his calibre. 

For my own reference sake, I will provide a brief summary of the characters and a few items of importance.

Howell Jenkins mainly known as Howl
Sophie Hatter, the heroine in the story
Calcifer, the fire demon
Michael Fisher, wizard Howl's apprentice

The characters live in an enchanted castle with four doors - each opens on a different dimension.
There is a square wooden knob above the moving castle door, set into the lintel, with a dab of paint on each of its four sides.

The green blob goes onto the wide, moving moorland and the hills.
The blue blob goes to Porthaven entrance - the inside of it is really just Howl’s old house in Porthaven, which is the only real part.
The red blob leads to Kingsbury entrance, where the King lives.
The black blob leads to Howl's private bolt hole.

Later on, the doors are changed as follows:

The yellow blob leads to the street in Market Chipping.
The orange blob leads to an empty mansion at the end of the valley.
The purple blob leads to the edge of the Waste.
The black blob remains unchanged.

Review: A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson

Did Not Finish A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson.

I did not expect this, but the fact is, at 40%, this book has joined my limited repertoire of Did Not Finish. Still, I will like to say something, hence posting this short review.

This Young Adult fantasy novel is remarkable in its originality. I am lulled into reading the book on the promise that it involves art-based magic, romance, and murder.

True to its word, there is the combination of all three in the aforementioned, and then some. The protagonist, 18-year-old Myra Whitlock, possesses the unique ability to alter reality with her painting. She does portrait painting with a wondrous touch of magic healing. Because of this rare ability, she is offered a highly challenging job, one of its kind. To accomplish what she is tasked to do, Myra needs to unravel a mystery. And in seeking the truth, romance happens in its most unexpected form.

In truth, I have nothing against this book, the characters and the story. I know for sure, if I am to read this book at a different stage in life, I will have latched on to the story and not let go. It is a beautiful enchanting story where there is a hero and there is a heroine.

I like to think it is a matter of time and space that I am unable to finish reading the book. Still, this is a good story and one that I will recommend to read.

Review: Freaks: Alive, on the Inside! by Annette Curtis-Klause

2 stars for Freaks: Alive, on the Inside! by Annette Curtis-Klause.

This review is overdue. I should have posted it two weeks ago, but I didn't look forward to writing it, so I keep procrastinating until I am almost done with my current book and can wait no longer.

Not only does it seem to take forever for me to sit down and write this review, I feel like it is also taking me forever to read the book. Truth is, I did not like the story much.

This book is about a group of performers who use their unusual physical difference to trade for a means of livelihood. It is also a story of these human oddities trying to find their self-esteem and worth in the midst of their search for identity and a sense of belonging.

While I have all the respect for unusual people who against the odds, fight and create lives for themselves, make the best of what they can to earn a living, have family and children, sorry to say, I find it difficult to like this fantasy of a story weaved with these people as a focal point.

Review: The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis-Klause

4 stars for The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis-Klause.

This is a story about family, friendship and dealing with life-changing events. The main characters are Zoe, a 17-year-old girl whose mother is stricken with cancer, and Simon, a 300-year-old vampire who, turned at the age of nineteen, still looks like a young adult.

The first half of the story is slow moving, uneventful and overly filled with repetitive thoughts of loneliness and how Zoe feels about her family and facing off death that I almost wanted to stop reading for good. I am glad that I did not give up as the second half of the story is where the plot thickens and there is even an unexpected twist.

To put it simply, Silver Kiss is a story about the dying, the undead and the living. I was all ready to give it a 3-star rating until the plot twist and ending change my mind. The bittersweet end to the story is just so right.

Review: Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis-Klause

5 stars for Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis-Klause.

I have finally read this Young Adult Fantasy novel - Blood and Chocolate. Some of you may find the title kind of weird, but not for me, simply because the book has been on my reading list for more than fifteen years. I never get down to reading it for the reason that the hard copy cannot be found in the library in those early pre-ebook days. I can still feel the frustration I felt then when I could see that the book was showing as available in the library system, yet it was nowhere on the shelf where it was supposed to be. In the blink of an eye, years passed, but the book has never been forgotten.

Blood and Chocolate is a story about identity, family ties and friendship. Though written in third person point of view, the story focuses mainly on 16-year-old Vivian Gandillon who feels torn between two worlds - the wolf part and the human part of her. The sweet courtship between Vivian, the werewolf girl and Aiden, the human boy, reminds me of how it feels to be young all over again.

This standalone novel with supernatural elements and forebiddden romance is a highly addictive story. The world building is fantastic and the story well paced. Not only that, the author uses imagery to create lyrical emotions such that the pain of hiding one's true identity from a different world is as heart wrenching as is revealing it. Then there is the suspicion, mistrust and discord in the pack that keeps me on the toes. There are also more than a few heart stopping moments which I do not foresee coming from a book written in the 90s.

A human boy and a werewolf girl. Homo Sapiens against Homo Lupus. To the werewolves, the human is considered an incomplete creature who has only one form, yet the shifters have to learn to live with them - to quote "Homo Sapiens is everywhere, they outnumber us, and Homo Lupus must live beside them. As much as we might crave to, we cannot kill them." - and at the same time, fear for their lives. To quote "Homo Sapiens can be very attractive. The need to dominate is bred into us, and they are easy to dominate. It’s seductive, this power over them. And they’re so fragile, there are those you almost want to protect. But they’re dangerous. They’re desperately afraid of things they can’t understand, and there’s more of them than us. They can’t fight us fairly so they gang up on us with fire and blades, or betray us from the shadows with silver bullets."

Can there be good ending between a werewolf and a human? Is it possible? Read the book and find out for yourself.

Just so you know, this wolf-kind of story is my cup of tea.

Review: The Giver (Giver Quartet #1) by Lois Lowry

5 stars for The Giver (Giver Quartet book 1) by Lois Lowry.

This is a remarkable coming-of-age story. The lessons that Jonas - the protagonist boy of eleven years of age going on twelve - learn throughout the book are applicable to all human beings. It is especially of importance for adolescents to know what they are facing when growing up and to overcome those difficulties and fears by themselves.

The Giver is a novel that intrigues me right from the start. One chapter into the book, I find that there are strange goings-on in the story. Everything is normal. But yet, nothing is. The setting, the community, the family unit, the adults, the children, the behaviour. Something is amiss.

And then, my suspicions are confirmed as I read on to find out more. The community is meticulously ordered, and choices are carefully made. Any infringement on the community's sense of order and success is frowned upon. Everything in the community is performed with ceremony to mark the event. To name but a few, there is the Ceremony of Age (from One right up to Twelve), Ceremony of Loss, Ceremony of Release, Ceremony of Murmur-of-Replacement. To quote "The first Ceremony began right on time, and Jonas watched as one after another each newchild was given a name and handed by the Nurturers to its new family unit." Yes, everything has its place in the community. But too orderly to a fault.

The world building is unusual and unnatural, so much so that I am absolutely riveted to the story. For a book that is written more than a quarter of a century ago, it is certainly ingeniously crafted with no lack of originality. I can never know for certain what to expect except my own emotions that play out as I read on. Emotion and memory play a major part of everything in our world. It is hard to fathom a world where people are conditioned not to know what these are.

The Giver, book 1 of the Giver Quartet series, starts off incredibly well and hit all the right notes with "what's going on" and "what's next" that it lures me to keep the pages turning until I gobble the story up in two days' time. It is so good that I am not sure if the next book in line will be able to match up to my expectations. Well, I guess there is only one way to find out.

Review: Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan

4 stars for Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan.

There are many books I want to read and many others I want to reread. It is not for lack of want but rather the lack of time that I always choose new reads over old. There is just that much time, that many hours we have in a day which can possibly be allotted to exploring new authors, new books that reading a book all over again takes on a secondary role. Not that I am bragging, but by revisiting this book and finishing it one more time, I think it is by all means no small feat.

I first read this book in my early teens. If I have not read it then, I doubt I will have enjoyed it as much when I read it now. I believe some stories, especially the Young Adult novels, are best read when you are young, say in your teens, when you are still a long way off from being jaded by reality.

Glad as I am to read this story again, to undergo the horrors and spine-tingling moments drawn out by author Duncan's superb writing, especially at the end of each chapters, I regret to say that I am not able to find the original edition of the story, the one which I have indulged myself in so many years ago.

For practical reasons, the author feels the need to revise her story by incorporating the changes - mobile phone, internet access, messaging, etc - in technology since her story was first written in 1974. Yes, I can understand all that, but still, I will have preferred the old version as it is what I have grown up reading. For the past many weeks, I have tried in vain to secure a copy - whether new or used - of the original book. It will be really nice to own the first edition version to keep my memories of the author who has passed on three years ago.

Review: The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics

1 star for The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics.

It is never my intention to rate books poorly in a row. But as fate would have it, bad things come in twos, and so this book ends up with a 1-star rating.

The Women in the Walls. The title alone gives me the creeps and sends chills down my spine. After reading the first chapter, I decide to continue with it as the initial horror has captured my full attention. Time ticks away and before I know it, I have covered three-quarters of the book in a single day.

Unfortunately, three-quarters of the book is also where the stars start to wave goodbye one by one and fly away of its own volition. This story will have impressed me all the way from beginning to the end if I am still in my teens and ready for a good scare. As it is, I am not, and the more I read on, the more far-fetched the story becomes. The plot degenerates to such a fluff at one point that I wonder why I am still reading it.

Some people awake to escape their nightmares. I awake into one; the horrors of reading a horror story gone awry. I have never been more glad to reach the end of such a tale. To this end, I shall happily put it all behind me now.

Review: Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher

5 stars for Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher.

▶

There is always a first time, for everything. In this case, a story that is not meant to be read but listened to. Right.. it does not feel as if I have finished reading this book, rather, it feels more like I have finished listening to a bunch of audiotapes the moment the last tape reaches the end of its spool.

Seven cassette tapes. Six double sided, one single. Thirteen sides in all. Thirteen sides to every story. Thirteen reasons why.

If I didn't know any better, I will say this book is based on a true story. One that has been converted from voice recordings of a girl to merely words printed on pages, leaving life-changing moments in its wake for whoever the reader.

How many secrets can there be in one school? How is everything related? Do we see people around us as who they truly are? How much of our friends do we really know? This is emotionally exhausting.⏸

▶

I have no answers to the above questions. But one thing for sure, I know why this book has its appeal. Guys will like it. Girls will love it. It certainly resonates with me.

Listen to the cassette tapes and you will understand why.

⏹

Review: Tin Star (Casablanca recast #1) by Cecil Castellucci

3.5 stars for Tin Star (Casablanca recast book 1) by Cecil Castellucci.

Tin Star is an interesting read with an unusual story albeit a bit slow moving.

Beaten and left for dead on a space station called Yertina Feray, 14-year old Tula Bane finds the will and the means to survive among the aliens. And everything is so much bigger and more interconnected than it is thought to be.

Docking bay. Space travel. Space station. Planets. Galaxy. Humans. Aliens. Politics.

This book will appeal much to readers who like traditional Science Fiction stories.

Review: The Master Magician (Paper Magician Trilogy #3) by Charlie N. Holmberg

5 stars for The Master Magician (Paper Magician Trilogy book 3) by Charlie N. Holmberg.

The Master Magician is a captivating follow-up to The Paper Magician and The Glass Magician.

I absolutely love the Paper Magician series, a series which will enchant readers of all ages, and am sad that this is the last book in the Trilogy,

Review: The Glass Magician (Paper Magician Trilogy #2) by Charlie N. Holmberg

5 stars for The Glass Magician (Paper Magician Trilogy book 2) by Charlie N. Holmberg.

The Glass Magician is an enchanting follow-up story to The Paper Magician. While this trilogy is not exactly a romance story, the feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love is brilliantly interwoven in the magical world of magicians that ultimately lead to heart-warming moments and heart-stopping action.

Thoroughly engaging and irresistible, I read the book in one dreamy sitting and am all smiles by the time I hit the sack in the wee hours.

Review: The Paper Magician (Paper Magician Trilogy #1) by Charlie N. Holmberg

4.5 stars for The Paper Magician (Paper Magician Trilogy book 1) by Charlie N. Holmberg.

The Paper Magician is a charming Young Adult Fantasy set in a world of magicians who animate man-made materials such as glass, metal, plastic, rubber and yes, paper. It is beautifully written to convey the message that life is worth living and there is hope - and love - yet to be.

I bought this book from Amazon Kindle First on 3 August 2014, yet for one reason or another, I did not read it until 5 days ago. Oh, how I love this story and chide myself for not reading it earlier. On the other hand, perhaps it is a blessing in disguise that I have procrastinated in reading this book which I thought is a standalone at the time of purchase, for three years later, the trilogy is completed and I can have the luxury to read them back-to-back.

Review: Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

4.5 stars for Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan.

This Greek mythology is certainly a welcome change from my last book. In fact, I feel so mentally exhausted after my last two trips to the Andes mountain and back that I am not sure if I can finish reading any book within the next thirty days. I do not know about you, but I do find reading non-fiction to be more intense and draining.

How to describe Percy Jackson's Greek Gods? One word. Uplifting. My mood literally soars as I smile and laugh my way through the short stories with each of the Greek Gods. Also, it helps that I have background knowledge of Greek myth in the first place which makes for an even better dry sense of humor.

Review: Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

Did Not Finish Red Queen (Red Queen book 1) by Victoria Aveyard.

This book comes highly recommended two years ago. The good reviews and high ratings tempt me to start on this new Young Adult urban fantasy series amid my long list of to-be-read. Two years later, I finally delve into reading that which everyone has been raving about. And I am sorely disappointed.

The story starts off well, what with the Reds and the Silvers, and the division between them. I thought I will enjoy the story through and through until I reach the part where the protagonist is - figuratively speaking - forced to be a sheep pretending to be a wolf. And that is where the plot starts to crumble. Still, I struggle on. There must be good reasons for all the great reviews, right? Hang on there. 30%.. 40%... 50%. Argh! I give up.

Review: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

5 stars for Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.

Our time on Earth is anything but finite. But what if...

Tuck Everlasting, a timeless story, will always hold a special place in my heart. I do not think I will ever get tired of rereading it. Cross my heart and hope to die.

I first read this book at the tender age of fourteen, at a time when I feel as if I have all the time in the world and there is hope yet to be. Even then, the story has made a deep and impressionable impact on my young mind and I remember with vivid clarity the sense of loneliness and sadness that descends upon my whole being when I finally finish reading this enchanting novel.

Years pass and still, the story remains in the back of my mind. Rereading the novel now brings back an achingly familiar yet strangely distant feel. Familiar because fundamentally, I experience the same sense of loss and sadness as I did years ago when I finish reading the book. The distant feel, I guess, stems from the fact that though it is the same story, I see things in a different light now.

I am glad that I have read Tuck Everlasting when I am younger, at an age of wonder when I can easily connect to the characters which enable me to really appreciate the content. Because of that, I believe that the story will live on in my heart for a long long time - and perhaps forever - as it is truly a novel that is hard to be forgotten. Never mind that the book may be out of sight because it will not be out of mind.

Tuck Everlasting has fascinated me when I read it the first time and I trust that it will continue to intrigue me as and when I read it again.

Review: Kalahari (Corpus #3) by Jessica Khoury

4 stars for Kalahari (Corpus book 3) by Jessica Khoury.

In all its originality, this urban science fiction fantasy novel has a good beginning, a great plot and an ingenious wrap up.

Filled with rich, colourful imagery, the story not only transports me to the wildnerness of Botswana, into the arms of the Kalahari Desert, it also transforms me into Sarah, the first-person narrator of the thrill ride battle for survival.

With the roots of science fiction dipped generously in a theme of mystery and suspense complete with a wealth of factual information on the Kalahari Desert, this book is likely to appeal to a wide range of readers, young people and adults alike.

Review: Hourglass (Hourglass #1) by Myra McEntire

Did Not Finish Hourglass (Hourglass book 1) by Myra McEntire.

The story has a great start with untold potential to be had on revelations about the unknowns, mainly the supernatural and paranormal. Unfortunately, the plot fizzles out after a couple of chapters and it turns out to be yet another mediocre Young Adult romance with superficial, cardboard characters.

I can understand all too well why the author tries to retain an air of secrecy over her story by holding back information and disclosure. Which author doesn't? Do it well and the book will be a blast. Sadly, in this case, it backfires on the author. If you ask me, she puts in too many secrets and then proceeds to drag out the truths way too slowly such that reading the story feels like having a constipation and is a pain in the a**.

Review: Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz

4.5 stars for Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Project 17. This is one book I set my eyes on right after I have finished reading the Dark House series - book 1 Welcome to the Dark House and book 2 Return to the Dark House - by author Stolarz. For the reason that I so enjoy the Dark House series, I search for and read up on the blurb of all the other books penned by this same author; among which is this book, Project 17, which simply screams at me to be read. And so, I tell myself that the next book by author Stolarz that I shall read will be Project 17. By sharing this review, I am glad to say that I have not let myself down.

In terms of story presentation and way of narration, I will say that Project 17 is very similar to the Dark House series. But as much as similarities go, that is just about it. Project 17 is very much a story on its own with no lack of originality. The first-person narratives – by the six different characters – are well thought-out and take the reader on a journey from Salem High School to a place which is closed down more than ten years ago. Slowly but steadily, the author builds the story towards its climax while at the same time, does a great job keeping the reader deep in suspense. Yes, I get hooked to this spine-tingling story from the moment I start reading.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Six of them; each with a different reason. They go to Danvers State Hospital (DSH), the old abandoned asylum at the peak of a hill, with the intention of spending one night there before the place is demolished to make way for condos and luxury apartments. Little does any of them know how haunting the experience is going to be; how the experience will come to change their lives. Forever. For there is something bigger going on there than just abandoned huge brick buildings with tons of pointed roofs and steeples, and debris.

Credit Roll
Derik LaPlaya LaPointe
Elizabeth Blackwell Miller aka Liza
Miriam aka Mimi aka Halloween
Greta aka Ashley Barbosa
Tony Cassis
Chet

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; Reprint edition
Publication date: 9 Jun 2009

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High atop Hathorne Hill, near Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. Locals have long believed the place to be haunted. They tell stories about the unmarked graves in the back, of the cold spots felt throughout the underground tunnels, and of the treasures found inside: patients' personal items like journals, hair combs, and bars of soap, or even their old medical records, left behind by the state for trespassers to view.

On the eve of the hospital's demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their adventures. For Derik, it's an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents' diner. For the others, it's a chance to be on TV, or a night with no parents. But what starts as a playful dare quickly escalates into a frenzy of nightmarish action. Behind the crumbling walls, down every dark passageway, and in each deserted room, they will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and the spirits who still might.

*Blurb from author's website*

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Review: Awaken (Awaken #1) by Katie Kacvinsky

4 stars for Awaken (Awaken book 1) by Katie Kacvinsky.

What will life be like in 45 years’ time?

Remember the movie Back to the Future II, a 1989 American science-fiction adventure comedy film? It is the sequel to the 1985 film Back to the Future and the second instalment in the Back to the Future trilogy. After repairing the damage to history done by his previous time travel adventures, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd) travel to 2015 to prevent McFly's future son from ending up imprisoned.

2015. We are now living it. Many of the futuristic things the movie makers put in 1989's Back to the Future, which at that time seem like impossible feats, have in fact turned into reality. So, life in 45 years’ time may well be what we envision it to be now. After all, are we not already living in the Information Age as characterized by the shift from traditional industry to an economy based on information computerization? So, at any rate, how hard is it to visualize the Computer Age in another four or five decades?

These bring me to the book at hand. I read it because I am deeply intrigued by the beautifully written – and touching – prologue on digital technology that changes the way of life.

Fast forward 45 years. It is now 2060. The world is changed; altered to give way to simplicity, convenience, hassle-free and instantaneous results. Gone are the days where real trees are grown in cities and paper books are made. Welcome to the new age world where synthetic trees are preferred to living ones and digital is the way to go where books are concerned and audio learning is supposedly a better way to attain and retain information.

Computers have turned living into a digital world and people are so used to the convenience of it all that they no longer mind losing that interpersonal touch. Friends are made around the world within the safe confines of homes, without ever stepping out the front doors. With equality in the virtual world, social status, wealth, looks, clothes and jobs no longer matter.

17-year old Madeline Freeman aka Maddie is used to living behind her avatars – self-created flawless digital façade – which have over the years transformed into protective walls to mask her insecurities. Then she gets to know Justin Solvi in a live chat room where students help one another on homework assignments.

Through their friendship, Maddie finds herself awaken to the truth of what it means to live. The questions start rolling. What is the use of having extensive digital friendship where there is no depth? Are the friends who are on her list of online contacts really her friends? Or are they there because she likes their online profiles and the way they advertise themselves via the layout, design and font? Does Maddie really know herself and the people around her anymore? Does she see them as who they really are or what they want her to see?

Interestingly, I like the story and even agree with the concepts that the author puts forth because it hits really close to home, to what currently is happening in our society, to what our lives are becoming with the influx of digital technology. It calls to mind memories from the past to compare against the present and possibly the future. Many of the digital issues cited in the story are real life concerns. In the years to come, what will become of us with the deeply embedded technology in our daily lives? Will there be a day when digital technology completely replaces the need for face-to-face communication? What of the people; will we become less humane and less compassionate?

Another thing I like much in the story is the way the author handles and presents conversations in Maddie's family. Though Maddie's parents, especially her father, seem controlling and demanding, they do not come across as unloving and unreasonable. In fact, I agree with the message that the author subtly puts across that there are always reasons behind the actions taken by a parent. Perhaps it is because Maddie's parents love their only daughter so much that they show their love for her in the wrong way, by making decisions for her: who she can be friends with and where she can go.

There is much maturity and depth in the writing and consequently, the characters even though this is a young adult novel. It is definitely not one of those stories where the more you read, the more juvenile and preposterous you find the plot becoming. My only grievance is, at the point in time of my reading, I am no longer a sweet eighteen; should I have been one, I will have loved the story – especially the forbidden romance – to bits.

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition
Publication date: 17 Apr 2012

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Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

*Blurb from author's website*

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