The Ghosts Of Nagasaki

The Ghosts Of Nagasaki by Daniel Clausen

"All Fact-Seekers Beware"

From memories comes monsters from childhood, a dragon from misspent days and a girl in red shoes. With a stone for a heart and a host of friends, enemies and others to haunt him, this is a journey across time, through sea and over land to discover life, love and a brand new heart. .

The Ghosts Of Nagasaki recounts the past from memories real and re-imagined. When faced with returning to the scene of his youth, the memories and ghosts of the those he once knew invade his present, all in an effort to make sense of a life unlived and unfulfilled. A refreshing and entertaining story that is not to be read lightly.

Daniel Clausen Webpage

On sale: 08 December 2012
Price (US): $15.00
ISBN: 9781478314479
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Ghosts
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

 

'You Poor Creatures'
   

This is not your ordinary story of a girl growing up. It is a story of one girl in particular, one very special, very different girl growing up with many other very special, very different children in a time when there was learning, understanding and hope. This is a life remembered, filled with laughter, friendships, loss and regrets. This story belongs to Kathy H. It is the story of her youth, her relationships and her hardships, and it is her story to tell.

Never Let Me Go embraces from the first page and shows how even a predestined life can be a full and emotional existence. This is not a story of science and technological advancement in the area of medical health, this is not a discussion on cloning and its moral and ethical implications on the individuals involved. It is a story of a girl brought into a world she doesn't understand, a world where she will never be accepted. A beautiful and tragic tale of a girl who, to most people, never really existed.

Kazuo Ishiguro @ Allen & Unwin

On sale: 01 May 2006
Price (AU): $23.95
ISBN: 9780571224135
Recommended age: 16+
In a word: Kathy
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

Delirium Trilogy Book 1

DELIRIUM:
Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Love Sick!

Love is violent, dangerous, unpredictable, and painful. Love hurts. Anyone is capable of love, that's the scary part, that this disease can capture anyone at anytime without warning. That's not entirely true, there are warning signs, but once a person is infected with love there is only one cure. The Cure. At eighteen years of age all citizens are given the cure, it's too dangerous to perform the cure before that age, but until that age all are susceptible.

Her whole life she has known the dangers of delirium, of love. In the past people would die for love, they'd kill for love, they'd beg, lie, cheat and steal for love. But without love there has been less chaos, less fighting and crime. Yet with only months, days left until her own cure, she is discovering all the things they don't tell you. That without love, without the pain, there is no joy, no happiness and nothing to connect you to those around you. Nothing to connect you to the world.

Delirium is a world where love is outlawed; a disease that can be cut out and removed leaving behind a shell of a life, compliant, unquestioning and uncaring. But as one girl begins to question all that she knows, all that she has been taught, she learns the hardest lesson of all. That love is all that matters. An interesting and intriguing story that may take a little too warm up, but once it gets rolling sets up a most compelling beginning to a new series.

Lauren Oliver Webpage

Lauren Oliver @ Hachette

On sale: 01 February 2011
Price (AU): $27.99
ISBN: 9780340980927
Recommended age: 15+
In a word: Love
Re-read it: probably
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
xx

Shift

Shift by Em Bailey

A Friendship You'll Die To Have!
 

Ever since the incident, and since her father left, Olive has looked at the world differently and has not liked what she saw, especially about herself. Cutting herself off from her former friends, from Alison, and throwing out everything about her old self, her old life, she has replaced it all. From new friends to a new wardrobe and a bedroom makeover, she has finally found a new version of herself that she is happy with. Unfortunately so has someone else.

When she first discovered the shapeshifter she feared no one would believe her until it was too late. But when her life was shattered and her perceptions changed she realised that believing in shapshifters was something only a crazy girl would do, and she was not crazy, at least not anymore. So when the so called 'shapeshifter' befriends her she no longer holds the crazy fear of losing her identity or her life. However she may be crazy not to fear.

Shift mingles together all aspects of friendship from loyalty, acceptance and encouragement to misunderstandings, manipulation and malaise. Not all friendships are healthy, and while some are only fleeting and created out of need, others can be down right dangerous. However it is a true friend who will stand by you when you need them most. A genuinely engaging story that surprises and leaves you wondering.

Em Bailey Webpage

Em Bailey @ Hardie Grant Egmont

On sale: 01 September 2011
Price (AU): $22.95
ISBN: 9781921564390
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Shifters
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
xx

Secrets of Carrick Book 2

SECRETS OF CARRICK:
Tantony by Ananda Braxton-Smith

This Is What I Am For!

Fermion and Bolson were twins, but despite there sameness they were very different. Though they shared the same face and the same heart, it was Fermion who was older, always in a rush, never believing what she couldn't see and always working for others. Bolson on the other hand always took his time with things, he saw whole worlds were others saw only a drop of water; he believed the birds spoke to him and he worked only towards fulfilling their wishes.

But when Fermion found her brother, the life drained from his cold body, her life was suddenly changed as was that of her whole family. Losing Bolson meant losing a piece of herself, but it was also a loss to everyone at home. Everyone in her family was changed by his absence and for Fermion nothing could make sense again until she could discover the reason why he had died and accept that he was never coming back.

Tantony is a journey through grief and loss, a journey across land and sea, a journey to find your own path in life and what you believe. As one girl struggles with her life, her loss and what she believes she learns to accept others for who they are and herself for who she needs to be. Written with a raw and edgy language that reflects the uniqueness of this country and the quirkiness of its people, this down to earth story is one that settles deep within you and refuses leave.

Ananda Braxton-Smith @ Walker Books

On sale: 01 May 2011
Price (AU): $18.99
ISBN: 9781742031668
Recommended age: 13+
In a word: Monsters
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
xx

In The Arms Of Stone Angels

In The Arms Of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane

'Darkness Is My Blanket'

Two years ago when a girl died, she betrayed the boy she loved and she lost everything. Although cleared of any involvement in the murder by the police, that didn't stop her small town of assigning her the guilt. After all it was well known that she was close with the Indian boy who had committed the crime. A white girl should have known better then to get involved with an outcast half-breed Indian, so any trouble she got she brought on herself.

Having spent the past two years in Carolina she had done her best to run from her past, from what had happened to her and what she had done. Now with her grandmother's death she is forced to return to the small town that was once home, that was once hell. Returning she has found many ghosts from the past waiting for her and without facing her fears, without her willingness to sacrifice for those she loves, she will never escape her past and nor will the boy she loves.

In The Arms Of Stone Angels Brenna has always found a peace, a second home where she can lay her head and find comfort amongst the dead. A girl who has always felt like an outsider, shunned and scorned will find strength in her uniqueness and an ability see what others can not. A dark mystery of murder, betrayal and jealously that is emotionally charged and completely absorbing. A must read for all ages.

Jordan Dane Webpage

Jordan Dane @ Harlequin Teen

On sale: 01 May 2011
Price (AU): $19.99
ISBN: 9781921793110
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Acceptance
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet by R J Anderson

I Can Taste A Rainbow!

When she woke it was to a bare room, alone with no memory of how she came to be there. Soon however she realised she was in a hospital. However her stay was a short one, or so it seamed, for upon waking she was soon escorted by police to a new destination. A place where she is told she will be with patients her own age, a place where she will be able to get the treatment she needs. And the handcuffs, she is told, is just a formality.

Being abandoned by her mother to a place like Pine Hills should not have come as such a shock to her. Her mother had always been a little wary of her, a little to quick too judge her insane. Now however she had to try to prove to others that not only was she not insane, even though she could taste words and see sounds, but that she was innocent, even though she had no other explanation for a girls disappearance other then the fact that she disintegrated.

Ultraviolet is more then just a story of a girl coming to accept herself for who she is, forgiving her family for what they have done and gaining new understanding of others. It is a story of a girl falling in love, a girl discovering she is stronger then she thought she was, a girl who although different is no longer alone. A compelling and engaging contemporary read with a delightful sci-fi twist.

R J Anderson Webpage

R J Anderson @ Hachette Children's

Ultraviolet

On sale: 01 June 2011
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9781408312759
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Synesthesia
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

The Narrow Escapes of Ves Asirin #1

THE NARROW ESCAPES OF VES ASIRIN:

Tower Of Parlen Min by Matt Xell

Can He Escape 'The Shadow'?

Ves is a boy with no past and no memory. Before the orphanage there is no record of his life or where he came from. He himself has no memories of his life before the orphanage, nor has he any memories of the previous years, months, weeks or days. Ves suffers from a rare condition that wipes his mind clean every 10 to 15 hours. Without his scrapbook to remind him of who he is, where he is, he would not remember anything at all.

With the opportunity of a life time to visit the Tower of Parlen Min, Ves finds himself thrown into a world of new friends, extreme challenges, werewolves, witches, ghosts, murderers and a chance to win twelve million dollars in the Sword Challenge. However surviving the Sword Challenge will be nothing compared to surviving the serial killer stalking the inhabitant's surrounding the Tower.

The Tower Of Parlen Min is an epic children's story with violence, death and a lot of history lessons. For a story of a boy with a faulty memory who happens to be somewhat of a daredevil, he has no trouble remembering when he needs too. Through all the danger Ves faces and puts himself through he comes through little scathed but in a curious position. A very long and jam-packed story that's not too bad for a self published story.

eBook @ Smashwords
Ves Asirin

On sale: 23 July 2010
Price eBook (US): $2.99
ASIN: B0058EALC0
Recommended age: 14-18
In a word: Ves
Re-read it: possibly
Recommend: possibly
Star rating: two out of five
xx

Forgotten

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

'I Remember Forwards, And Forget Backwards'

She had no warning for the day ahead and she should have, it should have been in her notes. He should have been in her notes. Instead she was blind sighted by a new boy she has no memories of ever meeting, and since she can only remember the future she has to assume he is not a part of her future.

Reading through her notes she realises she had seen this boy before, both yesterday and the day before. It is evident that she will most likely see him again tomorrow, but for some reason he does not appear in her memories. However the presence of a new memory, one dark and foreshadowing death is about to turn her life upside down.

Forgotten is a past scribbled on notes and a future remembered before it is lived. While her mother is not around, her father is not in her life and her best friend is not speaking to her, the one person there for her is the one person she can't remember. A simple yet touching story of a girl who, although having no past, can see the future bright and clear. However despite her uniqueness she is just an ordinary girl falling in love and finding hope for the future.

Cat Patrick Webpage

Cat Patrick @ Hardie Grant Egmont

On sale: 01 June 2011
Price (AU): $22.95
ISBN: 9781921690624
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Forgotten
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: three out of five
xx

When We Have Wings

When We Have Wings by Claire Corbett

'Flight Is A Powerful Dream
But Sometimes Dreams Should Stay Dreams'

When private detective Fowler took a kidnapping case from a flier client, already he realised he was in over his head. But not until he was bugged, followed, ransacked, threatened and maimed did he finally realise just how over his head he really was. What started out as a simple kidnapping, a nanny disappearing with her charge, soon turns into a flight for survival and a search for the truth.

From the start Fowler knew there were secrets being kept from him by his new employer, too many things just didn't make sense. How did a poor girl from RaRA-land end up working for a prominent family in the city? How did a nanny afford the impossibly expensive operation to gain her wings? Why would a girl with everything to lose just up and leave with someone else's child?

When We Have Wings is the story of Peri's determination to obtain her lifelong dream of flight. A dream she gave everything to achieve, only to realise too late just what she really gave up for it. With amazingly vivid imagery and a cast of characters you can't help but care for, this absorbing story will have you dreaming of flight while simultaneously questioning the ethics, morals and evolutionary repercussion of such a dream turned reality. Peri is an extraordinary girl, although you won't know just why until you have experienced her story.

Claire Corbett Webpage

Claire Corbett @ Allen & Unwin

On sale: 01 July 2011
Price (AU): $32.99
ISBN: 9781742375564
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Flight
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

The Flight Of The Silver Vixen #1

THE FLIGHT OF THE SILVER VIXEN:
The Flight Of The Silver Vixen by Annalinde Matichei

An Action Of Impulse, Or Divine Intervention!

These are not your average teen hoverbikers. These blondes and brunettes are tougher, smarter and more fearless, though some might argue reckless, then your average hoverbikers. Determined to pull of the biggest jink ever these joy-riders have decided to swoggle the Navy's new and experimental space-craft the Silver Vixen. However when a simple turn into orbit becomes a speedy getaway through an aethyr crease these seven simple hoverbikers soon find themselves changed.

Far from home these teens are no longer an anonymous gang of misfits; the crew of the Silver Vixen have, through necessity, established order into their ranks. Most notably is the newly appointed Captain Antala who is as dashing as she is fearless, but more importantly is Mela, the wise and regal Princess of the Blood Imperial. However these titles are little more then formalities until a life preserving action taken by this crew leads to far flung consequences on a strange, yet oddly familiar new world.

Flight Of The Silver Vixen is more then just an intemorphic space odyssey, it is an epic adventure of danger involving space pirates, corrupt politics, demons and a band of teens who find themselves accidental heroines. An all girl aethyr adventure on a planet where both sexes are female, this unique and compelling story holds alien terms, spiritual beings, philosophical thoughts and an appearance by a strange race of beings who possess both female and males sexes. This rare and exhilarating book is undeniably a must read.

Annalinde Matichei @ The Sun Daughter Press
Paperback @ Amazon
eBook @ Amazon

On sale: 24 March 2011
Price (US): $14.99
ISBN: 9780615464794
Recommended age: 16+
In a word: Daughter-Knights
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

Before I Go To Sleep

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

Who Am I?

When she woke it was to a room she had never seen before, to a man she didn't remember and to a version of herself that she believed could not exist for at least another twenty years. Every morning she would have to be told her name, Christine, that the man beside her was her husband, Ben, and that over twenty years ago in an accident she had lost all her memories. Every morning she would have to be told who she was and where she was, and then she would sleep and lose another day of her life.

When she woke it was to a room she had never seen before, to a man she didn't remember. Every morning she would have to be told who she was and where she was, every morning was the same. But recently things had been changing. Little things she remembered told her she had a past, a history. However these memories would conflict with what she was being told. Was she being lied to, was her mind playing tricks on her? In the morning she wouldn't remember, but right now she needed to remember before she goes to sleep.

Before I Go To Sleep is a psychological thriller that questions what it is to be, what it is to love and what it takes to survive. As it looks at how our memories shape us and our ability to interact with the world around us, it also plants seeds of doubt in the gapes left behind between what we know to be true and what we have been told to believe. A chilling mystery of lost memories, hidden truths and enduring love that has to be read to be remembered.

S. J. Watson Webpage

S. J. Watson @ Text Publishing

On sale: 02 May 2011
Price (AU): $29.95
ISBN: 9781921758157
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Memories
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
xx

Banana Kiss

Banana Kiss by Bonnie Rozanski

Crazy In Love!

There are voices in her head, voices no one else can hear. They tell her not to believe Whitecoat, not to believe anyone but them. They tell her she is God and they are right. She is God. She created the world, by observing the world she allows it to exist, and yet people do as they please without her commanding them. But this too is her doing for she created free will.

Whitecoat tells her that the voices in head are not real, that they do not exist. But if they do not exist, if they are not real, then how can she hear them in her head? Whitecoat tells her that she should trust him, that he is here to help her. But being asked 'how she feels' about everything does not feel like help, waking up in a fog and being strapped to a bed does not feel like help.

Sometimes when the voices in her head contradict the voices without it is difficult at times to know who to listen to, who to believe. With medication the voices in her head quieten but she does not feel herself. Without medication she is free to be herself but finds it difficult to know who she is with so many voices in her head telling her who she should be.

Banana Kiss is a story of Robin, a girl who has lost herself amongst the voices in her head, a girl who converses with her long dead father on visits he makes into her mind. Robin has had to deal with a number of losses in her life. Disappointments and heartaches have left her broken, despondent and disenchanted with those who have claimed to love her. Through betrayal, love, death and pills Robin must find a way let go of her past if she is to have hope for the future.

eBook @ Amazon

On sale: 08 December 2010
Price eBook (US): $2.99
ISBN: 9780889842762
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Voices
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
xx

Entangled

Entangled by Cat Clarke

He'd Be A Great Boyfriend, If Not For The Kidnapping!

Grace is impulsive, reckless, selfish and a flirt. Just your typical seventeen year old with a fiery temper and hair to match. She doesn't believe in turning down a drink or a kiss from a boy if he's not half bad looking, actually there isn't much she wont say no to, except her mum of course. But while on the outside Grace is doing her best to hide the hurt, on the inside she is desperately trying to hold on to the only two people who mean anything to her.

When Grace left home for the park with a knife in her bag and bottle under her arm she wasn't expecting to ever return, but nor was she expecting to wake, especially not to a white room with white furniture and dressed in a strange white surgical gown. With an abundant of pens and paper available Grace finds little else to do with her days then write. As her story flows the reason behind her kidnapping becomes clear, but when it comes to her life, can she find anything that's worth living for?

Entangled is a unique and intriguing story of a girl struggling with the tangled mess her life has become. A raw yet vibrant story that pulls you in, all the time wondering how a girl could come to be trapped in a white room and how it will ever be possible for her to ever escape. Through the complexities of life, where friendships are destroyed by secrets and relationships are broken by betrayal, the lies holding her life together begin to unravel leaving behind a girl with nowhere left to hide from the truth or from herself.

Cat Clarke Webpage

Cat Clarke @ Pan Macmillan

On sale: 01 March 2011
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9781849163941
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Grace
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

Genesis

Genesis by Bernard Beckett

Identity Shaped By History!

In 2075 one girls survival triggered events that were to change the course of history. But it is not the girl that history remembers, it is Adam Forde, the boy who defied society to save her. But there is more to this event then the famous actions of one afternoon in 2075, of the one life taken and another saved, it is the consequences of those actions and the choices made afterwards that have had the greatest impact on the world and on the future.

Anaximander has spent the last three years studying those events in 2075 and the consequences that followed. She has spent three years studying her hero Adam Forde, his life and the impact his actions have had to her present, in preparation for her exam into the Academy. But there is more to these events then history remembers and the impact this will have on Anaximander will change her life forever.

Genesis is a complex and thoughtful tale about how history shapes the future and about the changing face of society. A stimulating story on consciousness, identity and the individual. But more then this it is a story of how ethics and morals shape who we are and how technology and human evolution impact what we are meant to be. A simple yet brilliant science fiction story that is a powerful and deeply philosophical look at humanity and what it is to be human.

Bernard Beckett @ Text Publishing

On sale: 31 January 2011
Price (AU): $19.95
ISBN: 9781921758034
Recommended age: 16+
In a word: Thought
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

August

August by Bernard Beckett

Life Is Unpredictable!

Tristan's tale is one of hardship, discipline and learning. Growing up somewhat sheltered his determination and capacity for learning drove him from his home and towards the church, there thought, prayer and higher learning were open to him. His life was all planed out ahead of him, a life full of promise and God. Then one night something happened that made him question all that he believed. One night he met Grace and his life was changed forever.

Grace's tale is a story of misunderstandings, mistreatment and loss. Her childhood was strict and rigorous but also sheltered. As a naive girl Grace was easily led by her heart and an eagerness to please others, and as fate and circumstance conspired against her she was cast out from the protection of her childhood home and left to her own devices. As her life spiralled away from her control she at least could hold on to one thing, her angel.

August is largely a philosophical debate on the soul, what it means to have freewill and what it is to be free. A deeply thoughtful look at the way religion, society and circumstance shape who we are and how at our very essence we are beings of instinct as shown through our actions. Theology, love and life clash in this thrilling tale of chance, destiny and the chaos that is the human mind.

Bernard Beckett @ Text Publishing

On sale: 28 February 2011
Price (AU): $23.95
ISBN: 9781921758041
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Freewill
Re-read it: probably
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
xx

Rosebush

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe

Friends Don't Try To Kill Friends, Right?

She looked like something out of a fairytale, a beautiful princess lying dead amidst a rosebush. Luckily she wasn't dead, but she soon would be if one of her 'friends' had anything to say about it.

Waking up in hospital Jane found she could remember nothing of the night before, slowly over the next few day however her memory was returning to her, but her memories were not matching up to the story her friends had told her about that night. Was she going crazy or where her friends lying to her?

It's hard to believe that Jane, the popular girl who everyone loves, could have boyfriend troubles or a stalker or someone bent of killing her. Her mother certainly doesn't seem to believe it and neither do the doctors who when drugging her up doesn't work decide it might be best to lock her up. Jane can't decide what's worse, thinking you're crazy and no one is trying to kill you, or thinking you're sane and someone is trying to kill you?

Rosebush is a psychological thriller full of mean girls, lost memories, phone calls and kissing. Jane has spent so much time and energy building her popularity and trying to be liked by everyone that she has ended up hurting those closest to her. As hard as Jane tries, not everyone is happy with her and as a result she risks losing those closest to her, not to mention her life. This book is definitely one to read.

Michele Jaffe Webpage
Michele Jaffe @ Hachette

On sale: 01 March 2011
Price (AU): $18.99
ISBN: 9781907410383
Recommended age: 16+
In a word: Memories
Re-read it: probably
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
xx

Persistence of Memory

Persistence of Memory & Token of Darkness
by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

It's All In Your Mind!

Persistence of Memory
Erin is not your average seventeen year old, as much as she would love to be, she has a team of doctors and a purse full of pills that she must take or bad things will happen, bad things named Shevaun. Shevaun is dangerous and violent and exactly who Erin becomes in times of stress and anxiety.

Erin has kept her alter ego at bay for long enough to be trusted out among the general population. However when Shevaun finally becomes aware of Erin she is none to happy about it and with two people inhabiting the one body disaster is bound to follow. One of them has to go, but will it be the frail seventeen year old Erin or the deadly vampire Shevaun?

Persistence of Memory is a true mystery story that will have you questioning Erin's sanity, Shevauns existence and the possibilities that exist within dreams. As two lives collide the consequences for Erin and Shevaun will be life changing as past actions, persistent memories and old friends come together. This is a fascinating world where love crosses boundaries and nothing is as it seems. This story alone is worth buying this two story book.

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes Webpage

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes @ Random House

The Den of Shadows

On sale: 04 January 2011
Price (AU): $24.95
ISBN: 9781742750774
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Identity
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
xx

Zelah Green

Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis

Alert, Alert, Alert!

Zelah's name was given to her by the place of her conception as she was told by her mother; her mother told her a great many romantic and happy stories surrounding her birth and upbringing. But Zelah learnt all too soon that these stories were just stories and that the reality of things was much different. But when that reality became too hard to cope with and Zelah's whole world shattered, Zelah began her rituals.

With so much that has happened to her, so much that has gone wrong, Zelah controls her life in the only way can, her rituals. Zelah has a number of odd rituals that she must perform daily or her day just doesn't go right. There is a proper term for what she has, what she does, but she prefers to call herself a cleanaholic then be labelled with any formal terms.

Zelah Green is a girl who through her rituals has found a way to cope with the tragedy in her life. But now her rituals are running her life and Zelah's not so sure she want a life without them, or if she can live without them. Her rituals of washing and cleaning everything around her, of not touching anything without a tissue, of not eating anything without her own cutlery or completing her day without her jumping might leave others thinking that Zelah is crazy but when it comes right down to it aren't we all a little crazy. An insightful and endearing read.

Vanessa Curtis @ Hardie Grant Egmont

On sale: 04 January 2011
Price (AU): $16.95
ISBN: 9781405255059
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: OCD
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
xx

Bleeding Violet

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Its Normal To Be A Little Crazy!

Hanna ran away from home. To her it wasn't much of a home, being raised by a woman who dislikes you isn't at all where you'd like to live, unless of cause that woman was your mother. Then you might put up with almost anything, and hope she was willing to do the same. But Hanna had never before met her mother and to ask a total stranger for love and acceptance was not going to be easy.

Living with bipolar-disorder and hallucinations, Hanna is long used to standing out. But in the small town of Portero, all the craziness in her head has found form in the real world. In this little town her strangeness is nothing compared to the locals and what she founds is a town crazier then she is and, finally, a place where she can call home.

Bleeding Violet is the story of a maladjusted teen that, after dishing out one too many blows to the head, has to deal with the consequences of her actions, as hurtful as it may be to herself and those around her. Dysfunctional families, acts of redemption, and a whole lot of monsters come together wacky little tale that is somewhat disturbing and just a little freaky.

Dia Reeves Webpage

Dia Reeves @ Simon & Schuster

On sale: 01 January 2010
Price (AU): $24.99
ISBN: 9781416986188
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Purple
Re-read it: possibly
Recommend: possibly
Star rating: three out of five
xx