Pretty Twisted by Gina Blaxill

When Jonathan's girlfriend Freya moves to London to study music, he feels left out, and jealous that she's living the life that he wants for himself. He misses her too, and jumps at the chance to visit her when he can. Things don't go to plan though, and after a big row, Freya decides enough is enough and sends Jonathan away.

When he doesn't hear from Freya for a few days, Jonathan assumes that she's ignoring him. It's only when he discovers she has missed work and hasn't been in contact with any of her friends or family, does he realise she's gone missing. Knowing that there has been a recent spate of murders in the area, Jonathan sets out to find out what's happened to Freya. With the help of Ros, a young girl he meets in an internet chat room, he traces Freya's last known movements and makes a shocking discovery. Will Jonathan and Ros find Freya, or is it already too late?

Pretty Twisted is a great crime thriller for age 14 plus. Gina Blaxill has managed to create a plot full of tension, and characters that you can really believe in. Well worth a read.

Age group 13+
Published by Macmillan Children's Books 06/05/2011

Department 19 by Will Hill

Department 6 is the Army.
Department 13 is MI5.
Department 19 is the reason you're alive.


And so begins one of the best debut YA novels so far this year.

Jamie Carpenter's life is thrown into turmoil when his mum is kidnapped by a group of bizarre and terrifying creatures.  Before this moment, Jamie knew nothing about the supernatural threats that we humans are protected from by Department 19, even though, as it transpires, his dad was a Department 19 operative himself.

Jamie sets out on a mission to save his mum, and pretty soon is being trained in the art of vampire slaying. Forget the garlic though, these vampires are tougher than that, and Jamie gets to use some seriously high-tech weaponry. With the help of some larger-than-life characters, including Frankenstein and an escaped, apparently reformed vampire, Jamie gets closer to finding his mum and closer to finding out the truth about his dad. The problem is, who can he trust along the way, and who will reach their goal in one piece?

Will Hill's debut novel is a seriously action-packed ride through the history of vampires to the present day. It's full of blood and gore, but actually has a heart at its centre and this is what makes it such a well-formed story.
Department 19 is a perfect read for 13 and up (and when I say up, I mean adults too). There's plenty of blood and exploding vampires to keep boys entertained, but enough warmth and personality to appeal to girls too. So if you're normally put off by the whole fang-love thing, rest assured, there is not a sparkly vampire in sight.

Age group 13+
Published by Harpercollins on 31/03/2011

The plus side of commuting...

Since I moved house, my journey to work has increased from a pleasant ten minute walk, to an hour and a half commute from NW to SW London.  As you can imagine, this leaves a lot of time for reading, if only to avoid making eye contact with some of the weird and wonderful characters one encounters on the tube. As a result, I am now speeding through my unread books, so here are the first few reviews...

A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness 
The original idea for A Monster Calls came from the late Siobhan Dowd, a brilliant writer of teen fiction who sadly passed away in 2007 before she had time to write this book. Award-winning author Patrick Ness was asked to take Siobhan's spark of an idea and run with it. He has certainly done that.

"The monster showed up after midnight. As they do"

Conor is visited nightly by the monster. It comes from the graveyard behind the house

he shares with his mum, but this is a different kind of monster from the one in the nightmares he's been having since his mum became ill.

The monster from the graveyard tells Conor stories from long ago, and these tales lead Conor to confront his nightmare head-on, with life-changing consequences.

A Monster Calls is a beautifully written (and illustrated) novel of two parts. The tales told by the monster have the traditional feel of folk stories - with a twist, while Conor's story is a heartwrenching journey through his mother's illness and his own attempts to deal with the difficulties that brings. The interaction between Conor and the monster is funny and touching and brings the story together seamlessly. The two parts blended together create an intensely moving and gripping book, the only criticism of which is that it's impossible to put down.

Age group 12+
Published by Walker Books 03/05/2011

Begin the Begin

And so begins my attempt to review some of the MANY books I have. Some are already read, others yet to be explored. They are in tottering piles next to the bed, languishing in corners of the house in varying quality 'bags for life', double-layered in my floor to ceiling bookcases and overflowing from the proof copy shelves at the bookshop I work in.

Having recently moved house and been forced to hire a removal van for the sole purpose of moving my books, I have decided that the time has come to give them the attention they deserve and hopefully give someone (anyone?) some great recommendations in the process.

So here goes...