Unravelling is the debut science fiction YA novel from Elizabeth Norris. Ever since I heard about it back at the beginning of the year I’ve wanted to read it. It’s out now in NZ thanks to HarperCollins New Zealand. I’ll be posting my review soon.
science fiction
The Kill Order Book Trailer
The Kill Order is James Dashner’s prequel to one of my favourite series, The Maze Runner. It’s due out on August 14 (probably slightly later in NZ) and I’ve got my copy ordered. The Maze Runner, the first book in the series, is in my top 10 favourite books and I think it’s even better than Hunger Games.
James Dashner is also the series architect of the new multi-layered series from Scholastic, The Infinity Ring, which is due out worldwide on August 28. If you’re a fan of the 39 Clues series you’ll love The Infinity Ring.
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Struck Book Trailer
Struck by Jennifer Bosworth is finally out in NZ! This book trailer for Struck is one of the best I’ve seen and the premise sounds really interesting. Go and grab a copy from your library or bookshop now.
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The Tribe: The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Walker Books Australia have introduced me to some of my favourite books and authors – Brian Falkner, Lara Morgan, and Patrick Ness. When they sent me some information about an exciting new series that they were publishing, called The Tribe, I knew that it would be great. Like many Young Adult novels at the moment, it’s set in a future world, but The Tribe has plenty to set it apart from the rest.
The world has ended. It died in an environmental cataclysm called the Reckoning, brought about by humanity’s abuse of nature.
Three hundred years later, and the society that emerged from the ruins of the old world are obsessed with maintaining “the Balance” between all life. They live in harmony with each other, and the earth. It is almost a perfect world. Except for one thing.
Anyone born with an ability is seen as a threat to the Balance. They are feared, controlled and locked away in detention centres. Ashala Wolf has run away to avoid such a fate. Along with the other runaways she calls her Tribe, she lives in the vast Firstwood. Her Tribe is defying the government –and the government doesn’t like defiance.
Can the Tribe survive their oppressors and transform the world in which they live?
“There will come a day when a thousand Illegals descend on your detention centres. Boomers will breach the walls. Skychangers will send lightning to strike you all down from above, and Rumblers will open the earth to swallow you up from below … And when that day comes, Justin Connor, think of me.”
Ashala Wolf has been captured by Chief Administrator Neville Rose. A man who is intent on destroying Ashala’s Tribe – the runaway Illegals hiding in the Firstwood. Injured and vulnerable and with her Sleepwalker ability blocked, Ashala is forced to succumb to the machine that will pull secrets from her mind. And right beside her is Justin Connor, her betrayer, watching her every move. Will the Tribe survive the interrogation of Ashala Wolf?
The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is a refreshing, futuristic adventure, full of twists and turns. The story is like a puzzle that you have to fit together as you read. At the beginning we don’t know much about Ashala and her life with the tribe, but through her memories we piece together how she came to live in the Firstwood with the rest of the Tribe. The main part of the story concentrates on the interrogation that Ashala faces at the hands of the Chief Administrator, Neville Rose, who is trying to extract information from her about the Tribe. All children with abilities are supposed to be rounded up and imprisoned in detention centres so that the government can keep them, and their abilities, under control. However, the Tribe lives free in the Firstwood and Neville Rose will stop at nothing to find them and capture them.
I really liked Ambelin’s characters, especially Ashala. Ashala is the leader of the Tribe and a mother-figure for the other children. She’s incredibly strong and will do anything she can to protect her Tribe and keep them free, including putting herself in danger. Jaz was the other character who really stood out for me because he’s got heaps of personality.
The main reason The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf stands out from other Young Adult books like it is because of the cultural and spiritual connection that Ambelin has given to her characters. Each of the Tribe has connections to an animal, which means that they can communicate with them. For Ashala it’s the wolf, and other characters are connected to crows, spiders, and even the dinosaur-like creatures called Saurs. When the Tribe first enters the Firstwood they must make a promise to the trees that they will not harm them in any way and that they will protect them if needed. Ashala also communicates with the spirit of her ancestors who offer advice and protect her along the way.
The story comes to a satisfying conclusion, with no specific lead-in to the next book, but there is plenty more I want to know about this world. Why do some children get powers? What is it like in one of the big cities? Is this the last we see of Neville Rose? I’ll be eagerly awaiting book two in this exciting new series.
4 out of 5 stars
You can win 1 of 5 signed copies of The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf right here on the blog. Enter your details here to win.
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The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf Book Trailer
The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is the first book in an exciting new series called The Tribe by Ambelin Kwaymullina, out now from Walker Books Australia. An oppressive future regime, kids with the power to change the weather and alter memories, and a machine that can extract memories – what more could you ask for.
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Slated by Teri Terry
Imagine waking up and having no idea who you are or where you are. You learn that your memory has been wiped because you’re done something bad. You’ve been given a second chance at life but you have what is effectively a bomb attached to your wrist. If you get too angry, sad, or depressed you’ll start having seizures and die. If you step out of line you could disappear and never be seen again, so in order to survive you must be a perfect citizen and follow the rules. This is what life is like for Kyla in Teri Terry’s new book, Slated.
Kyla’s memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost for ever.
She’s been Slated.
The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance – as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?
Slated is a tense, psychological thriller, that keeps you guessing and leaves you hungry for more. In the future society of Slated, teenagers that are considered a danger to society are rehabilitated by having their memories wiped. They have no idea of who they are or what they did to be Slated, and they’re adopted by a new family. Every Slated has a Levo on their wrist which monitors their levels; if they get angry or scared, their levels drop and when they are happy their levels rise. If levels get too low Slateds can black out and even die, so it is important to keep their levels mid-way or higher. Kyla is different though, because she has horrible nightmares that have links to past events and anger has a strange affect on her levels.
If I had a Levo my levels would be pretty low because Teri’s story and some of the characters made me quite tense. Like Kyla, you’re never really sure who to trust or who might be listening to her conversations. Teri keeps you guessing about why Kyla is different, why Kyla’s parents act so strange and what happens to the teenagers that disappear. Teri answers some of these questions in Slated but leaves you hanging so you desperately want to read the next book, Fractured (coming in 2013).
4 out of 5 stars
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Starters by Lissa Price
Imagine a world that is populated only by the very young and the very old. Everyone in between has been killed by biological warfare because they weren’t vaccinated. Children and teenagers who don’t have living relatives survive day by day, living in abandoned buildings and scrounging for food. There is one company who offers a way out of poverty for teenagers who are willing to rent out their bodies to the elderly, who just want to feel young again. This is the situation that Callie finds herself in when we first meet her in Lissa Price’s amazing debut novel, Starters.
16-year-old Callie lost her parents when the ‘genocide spore’ wiped out everyone except those who were vaccinated first – the very young and very old. She and her little brother must go on the run, living as squatters, fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. Hope comes in the form of the Body Bank run by a mysterious figure, known only as The Old Man. The Body Bank allows teenagers to rent out their bodies to ‘Enders’ – the elderly members of society – who want to be young again. But Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party in her body. She intends to commit murder.
I absolutely loved this book! Starters really stands out among all the other young adult science fiction/dystopian books being published at the moment. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and Lissa Price was constantly surprising me. There were so many twists and turns that I gave up on trying to figure out what would happen next. Callie is an intelligent, kick-butt female character that is always putting the safety and health of her brother over her own life. The reason she first goes to the body bank is to get the money she needs to make a good life for her brother, and she is constantly thinking about him and doing everything she can to make sure he’s safe. I liked that the story is told in first person from Callie’s point of view as it helps you understand her motives and you really feel the punch to the gut when she uncovers the truth. I loved the character of the Old Man because there is so much mystery surrounding him. He always seems to be just out of reach and you don’t really know who he is or what part he plays. I can’t wait to find out more about him in the next book.
Lissa Price is an extremely talented author and definitely one to keep an eye on. The sequel to Starters, called Enders, is due out in December 2012 so I’m glad I don’t have to wait long to read the next part of the story.
5 out of 5
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Freaky Futures Giveaway
I love YA science fiction! You’ll probably be able to tell that by reading my reviews. Some of my favourite stories are set far in the future, on other planets or deep in space. One of my favourite science fiction series is The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner (which I think is even better than Hunger Games).
Thanks to Scholastic New Zealand I have 2 YA science fiction book packs to give away, including a copy of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials by James Dashner and Six Days by Philip Webb.
All you have to do to get in the draw is enter your details in the form below. Competition closes Wednesday 30 May (New Zealand only).
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Starters book trailer and giveaway
16-year-old Callie lost her parents when the ‘genocide spore’ wiped out everyone except those who were vaccinated first – the very young and very old. She and her little brother must go on the run, living as squatters, fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. Hope comes in the form of the Body Bank run by a mysterious figure, known only as The Old Man. The Body Bank allows teenagers to rent out their bodies to ‘Enders’ – the elderly members of society – who want to be young again. But Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party in her body. She intends to commit murder…
Starters by Lissa Price sounds amazing and it’s out now in NZ. Check out Lissa’s website for more about Starters and her writing – lissaprice.com. I have 2 copies to give away so enter your details below to get in the draw. Competition closes Wednesday 23 May (International).
Thanks to everyone who entered. The winners are Blake and Sandra.
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Interview with Phoenix Files author Chris Morphew
Chris Morphew is the author of the action-packed Phoenix Files series, about a group of teenagers who have 100 days to stop the world from ending, and he’s also one of the authors who write the Zac Power series (under the name H I Larry) . I got the chance to ask Chris a few questions when he came to Christchurch last year.
What is it like to be one of the authors of the Zac Power series?
It’s pretty cool! Whenever I visit a school and ask how many kids have read a Zac Power book, I’m always amazed at how many hands go up!
What’s your favourite Zac Power gadget?
I think Zac’s Turbo Boots in Volcanic Panic are pretty awesome. Jetpack shoes powerful enough to blast someone out of a volcano? That sounds pretty good to me!
Zac Power books written by Chris Morphew
What inspired you to write your action-packed Phoenix Files series?
This might sound a bit morbid, but one of the biggest things I want to do with The Phoenix Files is tell a story about hardship and suffering. I want to be really honest about the darkness and brokenness of the world. But I don’t want to stop there. I want to suggest that the darkness and the brokenness isn’t all there is, and that maybe there’s a bigger story being told that makes the bad parts worthwhile in the end.
In The Phoenix Files Luke, Peter and Jordan learn that there is only 100 days until the end of the world. What would you do if you knew you only had 100 days left to live?
I would pray a lot. And then maybe see if I could find a super-powered homeless man to tell me what was really going on.
What was the book you loved most as a child?
That’s a tough one! There are so many!
Fiction: The Narnia series, Animorphs, Where the Wild Things Are…
Non-fiction: The Bible and books about dinosaurs.
Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
It’s a toss-up between C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling.
Why did you want to be a writer?
Because I love telling stories! I think fictional stories have incredible power to help us understand the real world in new ways.
What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?
The best thing is having the opportunity to explore interesting ideas. The worst thing is usually my next deadline. I write pretty slowly, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up!
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write about things that matter. If you care about your story, then other people are far more likely to care about it too.
The fifth book in The Phoenix Files, Fallout, is out now. If you haven’t read this amazing series, grab a copy of the first book, Arrival.
My Best Friends Are Books 