Hollow Earth - John and Carole E. Barrowman

From Captain Jack Harkness (that's John Barrowman to all you non-Doctor Who fans) and his sister, Carol, comes the story of two highly gifted children who are in deep, deep trouble. In this world, there are people called Animare who can bring their drawings to life, and there are Guardians, the people who are sworn to protect their individual Animare from harm. Matt and Em are the forbidden children of both an Animare and a Guardian, and have therefore inherited both of their powers, making them more powerful than any other that has come before them. They have developed their powers at an alarming rate, and one day, they go a step too far; they animate themselves into a drawing in the middle of a public gallery. Soon, they are running from organisations bent on binding their powers. Their only hope is to go to their grandfather in Scotland, to a safe house where they will learn to control their powers and find out who they really are.

This idea of having the power to animate drawings is a great concept, but sometimes you can't help feeling that it could have been slightly better executed. Elements of danger in the plot mean that they use their powers quite often, but hardly any of the animations make you think 'Wow, I wish I could do that'. There are more ideas that wrap into the story; the idea of Hollow Earth, a legendary place where all the terrible things that have ever been imagined are caged, and the Societies that have been built to protect the Animare and the unleashing of Hollow Earth.

Although the twins are in very real danger, most of the book is spent doing what they like and slowly learning new things. While there is a certain degree of danger (in the way that strangers appear and attacks happen), it is not apparent at every moment and the children certainly don't feel that. A very good point is that you never quite know who is in the wrong or not. You feel that all the characters have a point in their beliefs and many do bad things for good reasons, or make the wrong decisions based on their flaws, particularly in the case of the children. In a YA book, that area of grey in morality is very difficult to come by; mostly a character is good or bad, and there is no argument against it. Harry Potter seems like the best example here; Harry is good, Voldemort is bad, Dumbledore is good (no matter how slurred he gets in the press), Bellatrix is bad. You get the drift.

Hollow Earth, as mentioned before, is a book for children and teenagers and so the main characters (Matt, Em and Zach) are all rather young - 12 and 13, to be exact. It is therefore difficult for an adult to empathise with the characters; they sometimes seem a little too lost in their own little world and unthinking when it comes to danger or rules. However, hats off to Carol and John, who have created realistic 12 year-olds who their readers will love.

One idea that was quite interesting to read was when the book went back to the monastery as it was when it was besieged. The way this small story and the main adventure melded together was rather nice, and it added more history to a very contemporary tale. All in all a good little read that kids will love.

However, there is one little thing. It is a trend that is sadly growing stronger as authors try to engage more readers to buy their books and gain a sturdy readership; the story doesn't end. There are still so many questions left unanswered that you just know there will be another book. It leaves us undeniably hanging. yes, there is an excellent and quite surprising climax, which is very well written, but when it then doesn't complete the story with the climax, you finish feeling a little bit scammed.

Still, this book is exciting, magical and a really great concept. It is a great book to read for a child who immerses themselves in magical fiction. 7 out of 10.

Johnbarrowman.com

Enchanted - Alethea Kontis

This is the story of Sunday, the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter, doomed to be blithe and bonnie and good and gay. She is the daughter of a woodcutter, and spends all her time in the woods, writing stories. One day, she meets a frog in the forest, and soon they become great friends. What she doesn't know is that her frog is actually the hated Prince Rumbold, who, by way of his fairy godmother, killed her eldest brother.

And it gets more complicated. When her kiss turns him human again, Rumbold goes straight to the Palace, leaving her to think that her beloved Grumble is dead. Meanwhile, Sunday finds out that there is more to her than she thought.

This story is a masterpiece. It spins together the threads of several fairy tales to create something that transcends them all. You will see Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, The Princess and the Frog (of course), the Princess and the Pea and many others subtly, and not so subtly, filtered into the story. The writing style is good, it draws you in with lovely descriptions and fun conversations. The characters are well-built, and there is a reason for the way each of them are.The books narrative flows perfectly with the character it is focusing on, and it is nice to see both perspectives.

There is a even a little bit of mystery, with strange voices in Rumbold's head that leave you to wonder if he's crazy, or if there's something more magical involved. And then there is the ghost, and the King, both of whom are woven into the plot wonderfully.

This is no ordinary take on a classic fairy tale, this is a wonderful new story of the likes of Reckless and Wicked, both of which are highly recommended.

If you love fairy tales, or just love a good read, this book will make you cheer for joy. It was a pleasure to read.This book is also part of a series, though it can be read as a stand-alone book, The next book, Hero, is out on the 1st October 2013.

Five stars. You can't put it down.

Peaches for Monsieur le Cure - Joanne Harris

The third book in Joanne Harris's Chocolat series promises another beautifully written adventure from Lanquenet-sous-Tannes.

It has been 8 years since Vianne Rocher left Lansquenet, and things have changed drastically. Les Marauds now houses a huge population of Magrebins, and the minaret of their Mosque looms above the houses. The catholic church is in disarray, and Reynaud is in trouble. And then there is Ines Bencharki, whose prescence in the village distrubs everyone - French and Muslim alike.

One of the most wonderful things about Harris's writing is the way that her characters are so realistic and compelling. Vianne Rocher is a much-loved character who we can really sympathise with, and it is brilliant that the author has once again given her legions of readers another story with her in it. The writing style is also exactly what we have come to expect from Joanne Harris. Her decriptions caress your senses and the plot is just fast enough to  keep your interest without becoming actiony.

The plot and the ending will keep you on your toes. The plot builds slowly but keeps forming questions in your head, but the cresendo is fast and keeps you turning the pages. There are a couple of lovely twists in there too; the mystery surrounding Ines Bencharki is interesting and it is only revealed at the very end of the book. You never guess who she is until she tells you, and her story is compelling, startling and emotional.

The themes of this book are interesting too. There is a lot of emphasis on religion, which is a theme she has delved into before in 'Holy Fools' and in 'Chocolat'. A theme that recurs in the series is prejudice, as the people of the village seem to have so many of these, this time against an unmarried woman with a child. Sound familiar?

However, this book was not quite as engrossing as the first two. There is not as much 'magic' and  it is not as much to do with the food as to do with the people of the village this time. Hardcore Harris fans may miss this, but for the rest of the population, this will be an excellent book full of human interest.

For the most impact, read the first two books. References to the past are plentiful, so if you havn't read them, chances are that you won't get the whole picture or why certain things are so distressing.

Even though the plot isn't quite as enchanting as the other two, this book still gets an 8 out of 10 from me. My favourite is still 'The Lollipop Shoes'.

Crossed - Ally Condie

WARNING: This is the second novel in this series. Please don't read on unless you've read the first one because I guarantee this content will ruin the first one for you.

I tried reading this after I'd read Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. It was the second in that series too and it totally put me off of this book because they are so different. My advice to you is to read the books in the same series one after the other, and to read them with different books and genres in between to differentiate better.

So anyway, the point is that I may be a little prejudiced because I was so into the other story that I wasn't ready for this one. The plot is good, but in my opinion it is a little too slow going. The first book was great, but you can definitely tell that this is the middle book - often the most difficult to write. Here, Ky and Cassia have been separated by the Society and are desperate to find each-other again.

The plus side is that we find out so much more about Ky. In this book, he has a voice and along with it comes a lot of extra information to process. We understand him so much better, and I think this is a good thing. Sometimes, though, I found that the voices got confused. I flicked back through to the beginning of each chapter a few times just to check who was speaking.

We also have a few new and exciting characters who are quite likeable, as well as some information about the Rising... and not forgetting a very interesting secret.

So overall this book wasn't particularly enthralling, and nor was it awful. Until the third book comes out, I think I'll reserve judgement on the series as a whole; the end seems promising though.

As for this book, I think it's a 5/10.

Reached is out in November 2012

Runemarks - Joanne Harris

Five Hundred years after the end of the world, and the goblins had been at the cellar again.

This is everyday life for Maddy, who was born with a strange coppery symbol on her hand, known as a runemark. It marks her out in her simple village as an outsider and someone not to be trusted. Her only friend is an old man called one-eye, who suddenly wants her to travel into Red Horse Hill, where the goblins come from. Maddy's world is soon ripped apart as secrets are revealed, enemies and allies resurface from the old world and all Hel breaks loose.

If there's one thing Joanne Harris can do and do well, it's to tell a great story. This book is no exception. But what we have to remember is that this is her first novel for Young Adults, and is therefore slightly less sophistiated than what we are used to from her. As a result, her characters are lacking a little in complexity. The protagonist, Maddy, doesn't really star as much as she should, instead making The Captain (don't worry, you'll work it out when you read it) a much more prominent character in the readers eyes. She also does what she's told most of the time, which isn't the most spunky attribute in a protagonist. However, she is so integral to the plot, I can almost forgive this minor lapse. And anyway, I've always had a soft spot for The Captain.

However her plot is, as always, beautifully thought through. The action is in place from the beginning, which gets you right int the plot. Her descriptions perfectly capture imagination and the imagery puts you right in the middle of the story. Fantasy teen fiction is usually to do with education, groups, a selfish streak and almost always has a love interest. 'Twilight' is a nice example of this, as is the likes of 'Matched' or 'Divergent'. 'Runemarks', like the popular 'Hunger Games' trilogy, is so much more than a simple teen story. It turns away from angst and romance, and into the fray instead. It talks about religion, mythology, family, betrayal and a battle of wills. Maddy has so much more on her shoulders than your usual teen heroine - ie: the end of the universe.

Finally, I have to comment on the subject matter. Norse mythology is something that I haven't really taken a great interest in compared to the likes of Greek and Roman myth. When 'Thor' came out, I took a bit more interest in the matter, but now I think I definitely need to read up. I commend Joanne Harris for choosing this mythology as her basis. Not a lot of people are educated in the liked of the World Tree and Ragnarok, but I certainly hope that this book helps with that.

Oh, and one more thing.. this is no Percy Jackson.

8 out of 10. Only because I wasn't quite prepared for the amazing contrast to her other works and the change to her style because of the teen genre.

Runelight, the sequel, is out now.

Fever - Lauren DeStefano

I was casually walking around an Oxfam bookshop, not really wanting to buy anything in particular, when I saw this little beauty. The first one was great, and I was waiting for the oppurtune moment to pick this one up on the cheap from Amazon. But at a meagre £2.00, I just had to snap it up. It was so much cheaper than anything else I would ever find.

In my experience, trilogies always have one downfall: The second book is never quite as thrilling as the other two. The first one tends to be a story in itsself, and the third one is the huge climax. The second, therefore, is the build-up. There are only a few exceptions, and I'm sad to say that Fever is not one of them.

While the storyline was very good, I found that it lacked the goal that we had in Wither. Although I absolutely loved the characters, I found it harder to sympathise with them in this book.

However, the plot was very good. It has intrigue, love, loss, and it always keeps us wondering what is going to heppen to our beloved characters. Their time is running out, and their mortality is more pronounced. This time, you really can't see where it is going to lead you. I thought the ending in Wither was rather obvious, but here there's a twist that you don't see coming. Again, the cover perfectly encapsulates the story, though you don't see it at first.

A little review, this one. As there's not so much more to say about the writing, the characters or the themes that I didn't already say in my review for Wither.

7 out of 10 this time. But I have more hope for the final book, Sever, which should be out early in 2013.