Texas Gothic - Rosemary Clement-Moore

"Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn't as simple as it seems—she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that "normal" doesn't mix with magic, and she's worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds. Not only to protect any hope of ever having a normal life.

Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard work. Only, Amy and her sister, Phin, aren't alone. There's someone in the house with them—and it's not the living, breathing, amazingly hot cowboy from the ranch next door.

It's a ghost, and it's more powerful than the Goodnights and all their protective spells combined. It wants something from Amy, and none of her carefully built defenses can hold it back.

This is the summer when the wall between Amy's worlds is going to come crashing down."

I picked this up on a whim because the title intrigued me. I'm glad I did because I thoroughly enjoyed the story! I'm always a big fan of anything that has ghosts or witches and when you pair both together, it's a definite recipe for success! Not only was the story fast paced but I really enjoyed the quirky characters as well. I kept forgetting that many of them were in their teens because they definitely didn't act like teenagers. The ending was absolutely not what I was expecting. I kept wondering how it would all wrap up and I must say the end felt abit Nancy Drew-ish but at least the book had the good sense to mention and admit it, which I applaud.

Age 13+. Mild flirting and the ghosts aren't scary.

Simon Vs The Homo - Sapien Agenda - Becky Albertalli

"Straight people should have to come out too. And the more awkward it is, the better.

Simon Spier is sixteen and trying to work out who he is - and what he's looking for.

But when one of his emails to the very distracting Blue falls into the wrong hands, things get all kinds of complicated.

Because, for Simon, falling for Blue is a big deal . . .
It's a holy freaking huge awesome deal."

I don't particularly like cutesy romances, LGBT or not. The title is an inside joke that only makes sense after reading the book. Let's be honest, it's always easier to convince me to read books with phrases like "mind-bending twist", "dark secrets" and "twisted characters". The word "cute" doesn't draw me in.

But I took a chance on it and I concede - this book is wonderful. Just so so entertaining from start to finish. I actually snorted aloud (like the sexy beast I am) at some of the hilarious scenes between Simon and his friends. Simon is that perfect mix of delightfully weird and totally normal - he makes us laugh and roll our eyes, but many of us can recognize many of the things he thinks.

I giggled so much at scenes like this:I take a sip of my beer, and it’s - I mean, it’s just astonishingly disgusting. I don’t think I was expecting it to taste like ice cream, but holy fucking hell. People lie and get fake IDs and sneak into bars, and for this? I honestly think I’d rather make out with Bieber. The dog. Or Justin.
Anyway, it really makes you worry about all the hype surrounding sex.

A few minutes later...“Simon, how much did you drink?” asks Leah. I’m twisting the ends of her hair. Leah’s hair is so pretty, and it smells exactly like French toast. Except that’s Abby. Leah smells like almonds.
“One beer.” One most excellent, most delicious beer.
“One beer. I can’t even begin to express how ridiculous you are.”

I know this sounds extremely lame - but this book genuinely made me happy. It doesn't hesitate to portray the reality of homophobia in a high school in the South, but it's ultimately such an uplifting story about friendship, family and the sweetest romance I may ever have read, straight or not.

You can read hundreds, perhaps thousands, of books about the difficulties of dealing with your sexuality and coming out and these are very important, but it was so refreshing to see a warm, fuzzy gay romance where the protagonist is supported by his friends and family.

Very funny and heart-warming. Age Rating 15+. Strong language and some sexual references.  

Into The Gray - Celine Keirnan

“A pacy, chilling ghost story from the creator of the internationally acclaimed Moorehawke Trilogy.


I think the fire changed us – me and Dom. I think that’s how the boy was able to see us. Though he’d been there for every summer of our childhood, we’d only been stupid boys until then. Stupid, happy, ignorant boys. And what in hell would he have had in common with two stupid boys? But after the fire we were different. We were maybe a little bit like him. And so he saw us, at last, and he thought he’d found a home…”

Wow, was this a creepy read!

Well, the first third or so at least had me kind of wishing I wasn't reading it late at night. After we are shown what was going on, it wasn't as freaky, but still, it's one heck of a story!

I loved the setting and language in this one: the place (Ireland in the 70's) was spot-on for the story, and Kiernan has a way with words that pulls you in and paints such a lovely picture of the setting. Both sets of twins were interesting, especially as the story unfolds. Personally, my favourite characters were the mom and the grandmother. I loved their reactions and how inexorably real they felt. And the ghosts? What a story! Not to give anything away, but their story will stick with you for sure. Overall, this was a great read, very atmospheric and chilling, but also a story of brotherly love and friendship.

We get to sit in one boy's emotions and thoughts quite a bit more than in any other character's. This character being a teenager is definitely more focused on himself and his immediate surroundings not that he doesn't love his family. His fear, anger, frustration and helplessness at a time are very raw and true, which is mirrored in his thoughts and inner dialogues. It's all part of the authenticity, which I loved. It is a fifteen year-old boy's perspective.

Age 13+. Creepy, goosebumby, (that’s not a word but should be) with mild infrequent swearing.

 

 

The Boundless Sublime – Lili Wilkinson

“Ruby Jane Galbraith is empty. Her family has been torn apart and it's all her fault.

The only thing that makes sense to her is Fox - a gentle new friend who is wise, soulful and clever, yet oddly naïve about the ways of the world. He understands what she's going through and he offers her a chance to feel peace. Fox belongs to a group called the Institute of the Sublime - and Ruby can't stay away from him. So she is also drawn in to what she too late discovers is a terrifying secretive community that is far from the ideal world she expected.

Can Ruby find the courage to escape? Is there any way she can save Fox too? And is there ever really an escape from the far-reaching influence of the Institute of the Sublime?

A gripping YA novel about an ordinary girl who is unsuspectingly inducted into a secretive modern-day cult”

Okay this was sufficiently disturbing and I admit I couldn't look away. I actually usually avoid cult books because I don’t understand how people can be so stupid, but honestly I was hooked in the sense that I felt like I was watching a train wreck. I couldn't look away.

Cult Leader: I know you're wondering if we're a cult.

Ruby: Kind of.

Cult Leader: Well we're not.

(We just live in a secluded commune, all dress the same, hate the outside world, believe we need to purify our bodies for end times, have a very restricted diet, worship the cult leader as a godlike figure, and abuse members when they don't do what they're told.)

I thought her attraction to Fox, a very innocent cult-grown boy, was adorable...but he to is just a distraction. I felt the book was promoting love can heal depression.

Until her focus changes, to the sickening adoration of the cult leader. Who they all call "Daddy". Like...no.

There were some seriously "NOOOOOO" plot twists at the end that had me shrieking. So yeah, I disliked, yet annoyingly empathised with, Ruby. I was vey invested in finding out if everything could work out. THIS BOOK WAS SO GRIPPING...READ IT.

Age 14+ - Mature content, light language. 

 

Age Rating 14+. Mature themes and ideas.

You Killed Me! - Keith Gray

“Len Grimsby is dead and he blames Toby. When Len's ghost appears at the end of his bed, Toby is taken back in time to see the repercussions of his actions and unravel the series of events that led to Len's death. Can he save Len from being killed? And can he manage not to screw everything else up in the process?”

This is a short, sharp little book. About a ghost who shows a boy how he accidentally killed him. I love the fact that the book is printed on yellowish paper for Dyslexic readers.

The resetting of time intrigued me. Who'd have thought one action could lead to such a massive chain reaction.

It's not a high scorer as there isn't a great deal of depth to it. Still an enjoyable read though.

Age 12+. Someone who has been shot through the head is graphically described in the first few pages.

 

Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake

“Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas's life”

Hi Guys, sorry I haven’t written in a while. I have just moved and as I am sure many of you know it is very hectic and the broadband has only now gotten up and running so I apologise for the spam of reviews. Anyway onto the book, what a disappointing read.

Sometimes you read books that are visibly bad. So bad, in fact, that they make you want to throw yourself head first out a window, but you keep on reading. You might even feel yourself losing your will to live about halfway through. But somehow, by the end of the book, you end up liking it anyway because it entertained you. The badness was just that... entertaining. Then, there are other books that are good, but just do nothing for you. Anna Dressed in Blood was the latter for me. There was nothing wrong with this book and I usually like ghost stories. However...

The three biggest issues I had with the book:

Cas:

For the most part I did like him, but in the beginning I found him to be a bit conceited. When he first arrives in Thunder Bay, Ontario he walks around the school like he's way too cool to be there. To his credit, I guess he really is. I mean, he kills ghosts for a living. But the way those girls just fawned over him, like he was some Grecian god, was just a little over the top.

"I make my way to her table, seeing eyes growing wider as I do. Ten or so other girls probably just developed instantaneous crushes on me, because they see that Carmel likes me."

Then there was the issue with him being the only one able to kill ghosts. He kept repeating, "I'm the only one who can do this" and I kept asking, "Oh, yeah? Why? Why, Cas? What makes you so speshul?" Yes, I realize he comes from a long line of ghost hunters, but why his family? What makes his bloodline different from anyone else? I needed background info and I never got it.

Anna:

This book has a reputation, making me believe I would need to read it with the lights on. Usually, I scare very easily. I wasn't scared one bit while reading. At first, when Cas "runs into" Anna, I was thinking, "Uh, oh. It's about to go down." And for a minute it did. Anna. Oh, Anna. Why couldn't you remain scary?

I wanted you to run around angry, strike some fear in people's hearts, make me afraid of the dark for a few nights, tear some things up. But instead I got Casper the friendly ghost.

For some odd reason you didn't have the urge to hurt Cas, which is never explained. Again, why is this kid so speshul?

The Romance:

This is honestly where the book started to lose me. Killer vindictive girl running around killing people? I can handle that. Cas going all "goo-goo eyes" over a dead girl? Yeah, um...it didn't work for me. I just didn't see where that relationship was supposed to be headed. It was different, I'll give Blake that, but it just didn't work for me.

I Never saw the villain coming. He was confusing and unpredictable.

Age 13+. Violent