“Katherine has moved away from her shattered family to start afresh in Sydney. There she keeps her head down until she is befriended by the charismatic, party-loving Alice, who brings her out of her shell. But there is a dark side to Alice, something seductive yet threatening. And as Katherine learns the truth about Alice, their tangled destinies spiral to an explosive and devastating finale.”

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If you have read the hype regarding this novel , you would believe that Rebecca James is going to be the next JK Rowling. That is a big call, and not really fair to the author. Flattering? Yes. Fair? No. I too, knew sketchily of the details surrounding ‘Beautiful Malice’ – a bidding war at a book fair in Germany – or somewhere. I wasn’t really paying attention because I was, as most wannabe writers often are, too busy being insanely jealous. So of course when I picked up the novel I was expecting to be blown away.

I wasn’t. But what I did get was a solid read that kept me interested, if not utterly engrossed and up reading past 2am. But I must stress, that even though I didn’t love and adore this book, I can see the appeal and why many others would rate it very, very highly.

In this part romance, part thriller, we are introduced to Katherine Patterson, an intelligent girl who is completing her high school career, away from her family and friends. But we don’t worry about why too much, as we are swept up with Katherine’s new friendship with Alice and Alice’s ‘kind of’ boyfriend, Robbie.  Beautiful, sexy, crazy Alice. It soon becomes clear that crazy is definitely a word used to describe her. Spiteful, cruel, arrogant and scary also come to mind. Although Katherine has been dealt some horrifying blows in her life, she still has her wits about her, and when Alice’s behaviour becomes truly inappropriate, Katherine cuts her loose. Doing her final exams, nurturing a new love and finally being happy – an unhinged bestie is the last thing Katherine needs. Of course, that is when the fun really begins. Katherine’s tragic past becomes a focus for Alice; a means to wreak havoc on Katherine and those she loves.

It has been claimed that the novel has a strong ‘international appeal’, which I think suggests that it isn’t noticeably ‘Australian’. I can’t figure out whether that is an insult or not. It is Catch-22 for me. I love teen stories set in America, with the school hallways indoors, the cafeterias, snow, no school uniform and ‘mom’. I suppose that with a tweak of mum to mom, the change a some place names and a bit of a flora readjustment, this story could be set anywhere. Does it matter? I guess not. I am just not sure if it is a sell-out when a story set in Sydney, by an Aussie author doesn’t feel Australian.

‘Neutral’ setting aside, I liked Katherine. She has a good head on her shoulders – she doesn’t fall prey to Alice’s manipulation and has the strength to end their friendship. Alice is just a nasty piece of work, all the things you expect a bunny-boiling villain to be, but you do wonder how she got so far hiding her crazy. That in itself is impressive, if not a plot hole. Robbie, who makes up the third member of the trio is sweet and gorgeous – you want to hate his weakness where Alice is concerned, but well, she’s gorgeous and seductive and fun, and he’s a boy. What can he do in the face of that? He is not totally clueless; he does realise the hold Alice has over him, and he does pull her up on her behaviour when necessary.

While I don’t want to give to much away regarding the plot – as a thriller, you need the surprises – I feel that Katherine went through a hell of a lot to achieve what happens at the end of most teen romance novels. I know this isn’t a teen romance, but if the murder, mayhem and Alice’s crazy was notched down a bit, it could be. With a bit more swearing. When you reach the end of this novel you will feel wrung out and maybe a little hopeful, that the good, decent characters will finally get what they deserve – peace and happiness. Early on in the novel, we know Alice got what she deserved. You just have to read on to find out how.

Pages: 283

Publication Date: June, 2010

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Challenge: Debut Author

Rating: :

Teaser Quote: Robbie’s father puts his hand on Alice’s arm and pulls her in beside him. Alice’s face is absolutely inscrutable – and though she’d looked shocked when she’d first seen us, she now looks perfectly comfortable, slightly amused even, as if this whole situation is just a game, and we are the toys.

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

If you liked Unearthly, you’ll love Hallowed. At the end of Unearthly, Clara made he decision to save Tucker instead of Christian, leaving her purpose unfulfilled. Now, despite the fact that Tucker and Christian are both alive and well, Clara can’t help feeling guilty, confused, and lost. On top of all that, a Black Wing is still stalking her and she’s having more visions, this time of someone’s funeral.

I didn’t know what to expect from Hallowed. After finishing Unearthly, I thought of so many different directions Cynthia Hand could take the series, but I had no idea which she would choose. And still, she manages to surprise. Like Clara, I believed the issue of her purpose was now a moot point. She didn’t fulfill it, but everything turned out okay in the end, so no harm, no foul, right? Except maybe her purpose isn’t finished after all. Poor Clara — her mom continues to keep everything from her, despite how desperate Clara is for answers. But as frustrating as that is, at least Hallowed proves just how important it is for some of these secrets to remain secret. And Clara’s mom does finally give into Clara’s request for information, revealing a lot of shocking truths and interesting angel lore. Hallowed deftly explores the legend of the Nephilim and Hand puts her own spin on it so that the second book in the series is just as eye-opening and engaging as the first.

In addition, each character is much further developed in Hallowed. Jeffrey is insufferable and annoying and awful, but there’s a surprising motivation behind his actions. Christian is willing to just be Clara’s friends, though he is undeniably drawn to her. And while Clara loves Tucker with her entire being, she can’t deny that she and Christian seem to be destined for each other. Personally, it’s hard for me to pick favorites. I love each boy for entirely different reasons. In the first book, there wasn’t really any reason for Clara to like Christian other than the facts that he’s hot and she kept dreaming about him. Her slow-blooming relationship with Tucker was much more natural, the product of an adorable friendship formed over a long summer. But in Hallowed, it’s easy to see just how much Clara and Christian get along. They get each other and they have this one huge thing in common: they’re both angels. So how can she possibly decide between these two great guys? I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes.

Hallowed is one of those rare sequels that is just as good as, if not better than, the first book in the series. These characters are smart and lovable, more than willing to seek out the answers to all the questions the reader is just as eager for answers to. They’re easy to respect, the kind of characters you want to be best friends with. Cynthia Hand’s beautiful world is captivating, from the beautiful descriptions of rural Wyoming to the fascinating explanations behind angels and their purposes. If you were at all wary or suspicious of another angel series, like I was, cast your fears aside. You won’t want to miss Hand’s masterpiece.

Pages: 416
Publication Date : January 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Challenge: N/A
Rating :

Teaser Quote: “Warm fingers enclose mine. I look up at Christian. He squeezes my hand. I shouldn’t be letting him hold my hand, I think. I belong to Tucker.“

What girl doesn’t want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t just surrounded by hot guys, though – she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there’s a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team… and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

Jordan Woods is Captain and starting Quarterback of her high school’s football team. Football is and always has been her entire life. She has dreams of playing football for the University of Alabama, the best college team in the entire country. All she has to do is keep playing like she’s been playing and they’ll give her a full ride, for sure. Enter transfer student and Chace Crawford look-a-like Tyler Green. From the very first moment he steps onto her field, Jordan knows he’s a distraction. Even worse? He may just be gunning for her position.

I liked the setup and unique premise of this book, at first. Jordan is very serious about football. She plays well, better than most guys, and she’s respected. She’s just one of the guys and instead of her teammates constantly berating and ostracizing her, as you might expect, they accept and defend her. Jordan’s teammates are her friends and Sam Henry, in particular, is her best friend. He eats dinner with her family several times a week and often sleeps over, even sharing a bed with Jordan like they have since they were little. Jordan’s so focused on football and friends from the team that she doesn’t really have much time to think about boys or even consider having girl friends. But Ty changes everything. She finds herself falling for them and while she feels like she can confide in her guy friends, it soon becomes clear that she needs a little female insight.

Basically, I liked this book up until Ty showed up. Ty sucks. And I have a hard time believing that someone as smart and independent as Jordan can just fall for Ty so easily. One look at his Chace Crawford-esque good looks and Jordan’s a limp noodle. But his looks and football skills are really all he has going for him. He’s controlling, rude, and he and Jordan have virtually nothing in common. He freaks out about every aspect of Jordan’s life that he can’t control, even when they’ve only been dating for five days. Then he blames his neurosis on the fact that his parents died in a car crash, which evokes our sympathy, but doesn’t excuse his behavior. At least, I wouldn’t excuse his behavior. Jordan’s just so happy to be dating a male model that she overlooks all his flaws.

But sometimes people are blind to warning signs right in front of their faces, so I can forgive Jordan for that. What I can’t forgive her for is how annoying she becomes throughout the book. She starts off as this fun, strong character who won’t take crap from anyone. By the end of the book, she’s a sobbing mess. Literally, each chapter has her breaking down and crying about something. It’s exhausting. And it quickly becomes apparent that she’s not just blind to the fact that Ty isn’t right for her, but she’s blind to everything: Henry’s true feelings, her future at the University of Alabama, the motivation behind her father’s actions. She’s just completely oblivious and this becomes increasingly frustrating as the story progresses.

Despite my major problems with Jordan, there were a lot of aspects of Catching Jordan that I liked. For instance, Sam Henry. He’s adorable and lovable and the kind of guy I want for my best friend/secret crush. I also liked the way Kenneally worked in Jordan’s poetry. While she’s not the greatest poet, that’s kind of the point, and it’s nice that other, hidden layer of Jordan. It was also nice to see Jordan grow into her friendships with Carrie and Marie (though the similarity between the two names is awfully confusing), demonstrating that not all cheerleaders are stereotypes.

Basically, there were things I loved and things I hated about Catching Jordan. It’s a light, quick read so if you’re interested, don’t hesitate to pick it up. This book will definitely appeal to sports lovers. I’ve never been interested in football, but I found myself intrigued by all the descriptions and thorough explanations of the game, so much so that I think I’ll actually understand and care about the next game I watch. And while Jordan may not be the most likable or relatable main character, there are a ton of interesting secondary characters to keep your attention.

Pages: 281
Publication Date : December 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Challenge: N/A
Rating :

Teaser Quote: “Ty’s eyes seem to fill with pain, and he looks down at the ground. I’ve never seen a QB act like this before. Most are cocky, full of attitude. Leaders. I can’t imagine following a guy whose eyes give so much away.“