young adult

BZRK by Michael Grant

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I often find myself reading books that are quite similar to one another.  I go through stages where I might read a lot of dystopian fiction or horror and they can end up blurring into each other.  But every now and again I read something that is completely different from everything I’ve read before.  It’s those books that stick in my mind and I remember years later.  I still remember being completely unsettled by The Speed of the Dark by Alex Shearer, which I read probably 10 years ago.  When Michael Grant made the claim on Twitter that BZRK is ‘unlike anything you’ve read before’ I believed him because he never fails to deliver an original story.

First of all, I’m not going to tell you much about the story as I think part of the experience of BZRK is figuring out what the hell is going on.  The story follows Sadie and Noah as they are recruited by a global organization called BZRK.  They are at war with another organization called the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation or AFGC.  Each side believes that they are right and that they are saving humanity.  The war is being fought where no-one can see – inside the human body.

BZRK is disturbing, creepy, action-packed and totally addictive.  Like the biots in the story, BZRK will get inside your head and you’ll constantly want to get back to reading it (that is if you don’t read it all in one go).  No-one writes quite like Michael Grant.  He’s given us a glance inside his dark and disturbing mind with the Gone series (which is one of my favourite series) but BZRK takes it to another level.  Trust me, you will never look at the human body quite the same again after reading this book.  BZRK has the right mix of action, violence, creepiness, and fast-paced writing that makes it a great guys read.  You should hand this book to any teenage male who is a reluctant reader and I guarantee it will hook them in and make them want to pick up anything by Michael Grant.  I will eagerly await the second book in this new series, but in the mean time, I’ll be reading the 5th book in the Gone series, Fear which is due out in April.

5 out of 5 stars

Fast Five with Brian Falkner

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1. Why did you want to be a writer?

Don’t know. Just always did. Maybe because I was a keen reader as a child.

2. What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Visiting schools and literary festivals and meeting your audience. Without that, it would be quite a solitary vocation.

3. What’s your favourite New Zealand book?

Aarrgh! Don’t make me choose. Too many brilliant books to choose from.

4. What do you love most about New Zealand?

The people. The climate. Rangitoto. The beaches. Lots of other things. I miss NZ!

5. What book changed your life?

Any one of the Famous Five books by Enid Blyton. These were a revelation for me. It was fabulously exciting (with lashings of fun) to find a new Enid Blyton book was in the library when I was young. I am sure that these books are part of the reason that I became a writer.

Brian Falkner is the author of The Tomorrow Code, The Real Thing, Brainjack, Northwood, and his latest book, Team Recon Angel: Assault.  Visit his website – http://www.brianfalkner.com/

Fleur Beale talks about I Am Not Esther

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I Am Not Esther is a New Zealand classic and Fleur Beale is one of New Zealand’s best authors for children and young adults.  It has been in print for 14 years and is as popular today as it was when it was first printed.  Random House New Zealand are celebrating Fleur’s amazing story by reissuing it with a great new cover.  I asked Fleur if she would like to write a post for me about I Am Not Esther as part of NZ Book Month, so here are her thoughts.

 

I’ll always remember a phone call I got about a fortnight after the book was first published. The woman on the phone was so excited her words were tumbling over each other. She said I’d written her story and now at last she was able to say to friends and family, ‘Read this, and then you’ll understand.’


People are often surprised to hear that the original idea for the story came from a real incident where a sixteen year old boy was thrown out of home and declared dead simply because he refused to leave school in his final year.


Readers relate strongly to the situation of a person being forced to think, behave and live in a strictly prescribed manner. This isn’t the way we do things in today’s world, yet it is the situation many children are still brought up in.
In a way, Kirby is an orphan and I think stories about young people who are alone and have to battle against the world for their very survival speak to something primal within us.

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

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Beth Revis’ debut book, Across the Universe was one of my favourite books of 2011, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting the sequel, A Million Suns.  Being the impatient reader that I am, I couldn’t wait 2 whole months for it to be released in New Zealand so I bought a signed copy from Beth’s local bookstore, Fireside Books and Gifts.  It was definitely worth the wait to find out what happened next on board Godspeed.

I’m not going to say much about the story as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.  At the end of Across the Universe we were left reeling from Elder’s shocking confession and A Million Suns gets straight back into the story.  If you already thought Godspeed was filled with mysteries and lies, then you better think again because everything in Across the Universe was only the tip of the iceberg.  Elder has to take up the leadership of his people and it’s not long before he discovers a terrible truth about the ship.  Amy also uncovers a mystery that Orion left behind for her, a mystery that will give them the answers they need.  If this wasn’t enough to deal with, some of the passengers on the ship start causing trouble and chaos erupts.

I enjoyed A Million Suns even more than Across the Universe.  Beth Revis builds on the world she created in the first book, amps up the action, and deepens the mystery even more.  I really liked the ways that Amy and Elder’s characters developed in this book.  Elder has to deal with the pressure of being the leader of the ship as well as coming to terms with his feelings for Amy, and Amy seems more gutsy.  Elder is determined not to turn into Orion or Eldest, but has to work out how to lead the ship on his terms.  In some ways this series reminds me of Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking Trilogy, particularly in the personalities of Elder and Amy and the development of their characters.  I keep wondering if this is what Viola’s life might have been like before she crashed on New Earth.

There’s plenty of action and mystery in A Million Suns to keep you reading furiously and find out how it ends.  I loved the end of this book and REALLY can’t wait to find out what happens in the final book, Shades of Earth, coming in January 2013.

Celebrate NZ Book Month throughout March

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March is the month that we celebrate New Zealand books, authors and illustrators.  It’s New Zealand Book Month  – and I’ll  have some special posts and competitions to celebrate our fantastic authors and illustrators.  Stay tuned for:

  • New Zealand children’s authors and illustrators answer my Fast Five questions.  Find out how books have changed the lives of our best authors and illustrators.
  • A special guest post from Fleur Beale to celebrate the re-issue of her NZ classic, I Am Not Esther.

To find out about other events that are happening around New Zealand to celebrate NZ Book Month check out their website – www.nzbookmonth.co.nz

Win The Hunger Games: Collector’s Edition

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The Hunger Games movie is released in 3 weeks and I, like so many thousands of others, can’t wait to see it.  Until last year, I hadn’t read any of the Hunger Games books, but finally told myself I had to sit down and read them before the movie came out.  After finishing them I couldn’t believe I’d waited so long.

Are you a huge Hunger Games fan who can’t wait for the movie?  Are you one of those people who’ve been waiting patiently in reserve ques at the library to get a copy?  Well have I got a giveaway for you!  The lovely people at Scholastic New Zealand have sent me 2 copies of The Hunger Games: Collector’s Edition to give away to 2 lucky NZ readers.  I’ll also throw in a bonus Adults Hoyts Movie Pass with each book.

To get in the draw all you have to do leave a comment on this post with your name and email address, telling me your favourite Hunger Games read-alike (i.e. which book you’d recommend for someone who liked Hunger Games).  Competition closes Thursday 8 March (NZ only).

Thanks to everyone who entered.  This competition is now closed.  The winners are Angela Harden and Stephanie Kaan

My Most Anticipated March New Releases

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BZRK by Michael Grant

One megalomaniacal villain is bad enough. Two might succeed in turning mankind into a hive where individual identity is a thing of the past. With nanobots as their weapon of choice, conjoined twins Charles and Benjamin Armstrong will stop at nothing to evolve the human race in their own image.

Only BZRK can stop them.

Led by the anonymous Lear, the punk organization called BZRK battles the twins and their sinister Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation with genetically engineered creatures… biots.

Created by maverick scientist Grey McLure, biots are fused with human DNA and controlled through the mind. When biots are injured or killed, their host’s sanity disappears forever.

How far are you willing to go to save mankind?

Roll the dice. Take the risk. Go BZRK.

 

Queen of the Night by Leanne Hall

The dark is dangerous. So is the past. So are your dreams.

For six months Nia—Wildgirl—has tried to forget Wolfboy, the mysterious boy she spent one night with in Shyness—the boy who said he’d call but didn’t.

Then Wolfboy calls. The things he tells her pull her back to the suburb of Shyness, where the sun doesn’t rise and dreams and reality are difficult to separate. There, Doctor Gregory has seemingly disappeared, the Darkness is changing and Wolfboy’s friend is in trouble. And Nia decides to become Wildgirl once more.

The sequel to the 2009 Text Prize-winning This Is Shyness is about the difficulty of recreating the past—about how the Darkness no longer sets Wolfboy and Wildgirl free.

 

Crypt: Traitor’s Revenge by Andrew Hammond 

‘We’re coming. The martyrs are awakening. Spirits are gathering. This will be our time…’ In York and London, strange shapes are taking form, emerging from the shadows. And who is the man who lies in a pitch-black room, listening to a voice that seems to speak from the darkness itself? Jud Lester knows that something evil is afoot. He also knows that it can’t be investigated by any normal brand of counter-intelligence…This is a case for CRYPT: a team of elite teenage agents who use their extra sensory perception and arsenal of high-tech gadgets to investigate crimes that the police can’t solve.

 

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It’s been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He’s finally free to enact his vision – no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that’s growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

 

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

Michael Grant’s BZRK book trailer

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Michael Grant is one of those authors that isn’t afraid to take chances.  His Gone series is gritty, violent and absolutely fantastic!  BZRK is the first book in his new series and Michael says ‘you’ve never read anything like it.’

Claudia Gray’s New Zealand tour

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Claudia Gray, bestselling author of the Evernight series, is coming to New Zealand.  To celebrate her visit, she is doing a blog tour.  I’m very excited to be hosting her on My Best Friends Are Books on Wednesday, 21 March and she will also be visiting:

Claudia is doing one public event in Auckland. Come and meet Claudia live on Saturday 31 March 2012 at 2pm at Next Page Please bookstore, 445 Lake Road, Takapuna, Auckland.  For more information please call: 09 486 2453.

The latest book in the Evernight series, Balthazar is coming in March from HarperCollins New Zealand.

If you have any questions you’ve been dying to ask Claudia and won’t get the chance to see her in Auckland, post your questions here and I’ll pass them on.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

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There are many different relationships in the young adult books on the shelves.  There are guys that long to tell their best friend they are in love with them, girls that swoon over the popular guy or loner (who happens to be a vampire/werewolf/shapeshifter), teens who long to come out but are afraid of what others might think, and those whose love of their life is right under their noses.  In Daniel Hander’s latest book, we get a different perspective on relationships and find out why Min and Ed broke up.

Why We Broke Up is the story of Min’s relationship with Ed and how it broke down.   Min delivers a box to Ed, her now ex-boyfriend.  Inside this box is a collection of objects from throughout their relationship and a letter.  Min has written this letter to explain to Ed why they broke up and explain to him why he now has this random assortment of objects on his doorstep.  She tells Ed exactly how she felt throughout their relationship and why each of these objects meant something to her.

Daniel Handler has created characters that teens (and adults) will be able to relate to and told us the story of the ups and downs of relationships.  It’s refreshing to read a story of a relationship that’s not as rosey as those in other young adult books.  You know from the title that Min and Ed’s relationship doesn’t work out and because you’re on the outside, you can see the little signs that it’s not going to last. Min has a very unique voice and it took me a while to get used to.  She’s a very observant person so she sees and hears things that a lot of others wouldn’t take notice of.  At one stage she describes a whole school day and it almost seems like she doesn’t take a breath.   After a while I found myself really liking this about her character because it’s what makes her unique and, I hate to say it, ‘different.’  The remains of their relationship, including two bottle caps, a box of matches, a toy truck and some stolen sugar, are an interesting and original way of framing the story.  Maira Kalman’s art is stunning and makes a perfect match with Daniel Handler’s story.  Min and Ed’s relationship may not have lasted but lets hope that Maria and Daniel’s does so that we see more books from this talented duo.

5 out of 5 stars

Check out whywebrokeupproject.tumblr.com to read other people’s break up stories, including some from Neil Gaiman, Brian Selznick and Carolyn Mackler.