Bunheads - Sophie Flack

Bunheads – Sophie Flack
Pages: 294
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 1^st March 2012

As a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward is living her childhood dream. And while she might not be a prima ballerina yet, she’s moving up the ranks and surely if she works hard enough she can make it happen.

But devoting her whole life to ballet leaves very little time for anything else: friends, family, school have all fallen by the wayside. Hannah doesn’t mind, until a chance encounter brings Jacob into her life. He’s cute, plays guitar and he’s offering a whole future that Hannah never considered. And now she must choose between her lifelong dream and what could be the love of her life...

Bunheads didn’t immediately grab me when I first heard about it, but when it arrived and I read the first few pages, I knew I was going to enjoy it. I didn't realise I would love it, though.

There’s a certain charm surrounding ballet for every girl. I think every six-year-old goes through a phase of wanting to be a beautiful ballerina and wear a tutu when they grow up, especially those with no grace, balance or coordination (i.e. me). That ambition never left Hannah and after twelve or so years of brutally hard work, she’s dancing with one of the world’s best ballet companies. And it’s nothing like we dreamed of as little girls.

Before reading Bunheads I knew that being a ballet dancer is an incredibly difficult and challenging, both mentally and physically, career, but I had no idea to what extent. The girls in the corps abuse their bodies with punishing exercise routines on top of a day full of dancing and put very little back into it all to fight for a solo and get promoted. But for the dancers, it’s completely worth it for the utter euphoria Hannah feels when she’s onstage. I’d love to have something like that in my life.

One of my favourite things about Bunheads is that Hannah is nineteen. There are very few protagonists in YA that are this age, What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen is the only one I can call to mind right this second. It was so nice to read about a girl who is the same age as me who was still only just falling in love and having an adventure and those typical teenage life-changing moments. It’s a breath of fresh air for those of us who are older than the usual YA main character.

Bunheads is a fascinating glimpse into the world of ballet and I can’t wait to see what else Sophie Flack has up her sleeve.

For my 2012 Contemporary YA Challenge and 2012 Debut Author Challenge

Thank you to Atom for providing me with a copy to review.

Sophie

Blog Tour: Siobhan Curham (Dear Dylan)

Back in 2010 I was the first to review Siobhan Curham’s first novel for teens, Dear Dylan, which she self-published, and I loved it. Two years later, Dear Dylan won the Young Minds Award and is being republished by Electric Monkey and I’m honoured to be kicking off the blog tour with a guest post from Siobhan. Read my review of the book and then read on to find out why Siobhan wrote Dear Dylan.

 Day One ~ So Many Books, So Little Time

 My Personal Reasons for Writing Dear Dylan

When I was a teenager I mainly read books for pleasure, but every now and then a novel would come along that became more like a life-line. One of the most difficult times of my teens was when my parents split up. Back then, divorce wasn’t as common as it is now and I didn’t know any other kids whose parents were separated. I felt scared and upset and alone. But then I read It’s Not the End of the World by Judy Blume. The book is about a character called Karen whose parents are going through a break-up and how tough she is finding it. Even though her fictional family was very different to mine, the emotions Karen was experiencing were almost identical, and I drew so much comfort from that.

Fast forward to my early thirties. I was now author of several novels for adults and Writer in Residence at a local school. As I started running regular writing workshops for young people I was reminded of what a difficult and painful time the teenage years can be. Then, one week, I ran a drama workshop in a local youth centre. One of the girls who came along had really had it tough. Her family had come to the UK as asylum seekers and she was now living in foster care. In spite of all this she had a wonderful spirit and lust for life, and was determined to one day be an actress. At the end of the workshop she asked me which of my books she should read. When I realised that she can’t really read any of them as they were all for adults it was a real light-bulb moment. Why wasn’t I writing books for young people like her? About characters facing the same kind of issues? Books that would hopefully help and inspire readers the same way Judy Blume’s helped me all those years ago.

And so I made the transition into YA fiction. Dear Dylan is my first novel for teens and it is about a 14 year-old girl who starts emailing her favourite actor because she is so unhappy at home. Through the resulting online friendship she gains the confidence to stand up to her bully of a step-dad and pursue her dream of becoming an actress. I initially self-published Dear Dylan, and, when it went on to win the Young Minds Book Award, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I had set out specifically to write fiction that in some way helped young people, so to have Dear Dylan recognised in this way was thrilling. Now it is being traditionally published I hope it will reach many more readers. And if any of them get as much from it as I did from It’s Not the End of the World then it will make me the happiest writer on the planet!

Dear Dylan also includes a sneak preview of Siobhan’s next YA novel, Finding Cherokee Brown, which looks at how a teenage girl finds a novel way of standing up to her high school bullies.

A massive thank you to Siobhan and make sure you all keep up with the tour!

Sophie

In My Mailbox 110

This meme was started by the fabulous Kristi who was inspired by Alea. Check out their blogs for more information. All summaries are from the book jackets unless otherwise stated.
As well as a few books I got throughout the week, I came home on Friday to find a pile of packages. I’ve written up the ones I’m most excited for and just listed the rest.

For Review:

172 Hours on the Moon – Johan Harsted

There’s a reason we never went back to the moon.

It was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. Mia, Antione and Midori had different reasons to enter NASA’s competition for a seat on the first shuttle to go to the moon in over forty years.

But while they all wanted to escape earth, they never realised there might not be a chance to come home...

I’ve read the prologue and I know I’m going to love this. Thanks, Atom!

Dead Rules – RS Russel

Heathers meets Romeo and Juliet in this wickedly funny read that will keep you guessing to the end.

Sometimes falling in love means you have to kill somebody

Jana Webster and Michael Haynes are in love: The school’s perfect couple, they’re destined to be together forever.

But Jana’s destiny is fatally flawed. And now she’s in Dead School, where Mars dreamcote lurks in the back of the classroom with his beguiling blue eyes, mysterious smile and irrestistibly warm touch.

Jana is sure Michael wll rush to her side soon. And she is willing to do anything, anything, to make sure he does...

Never heard of it before, but it looks awesome. Thanks, Quercus!

All Fall Down – Sally Nicholls

A deadly contagion races throught England...

Isabel and her family have nowhere to run from a disease that has killed half of Europe. When the world she knows and loves ends forever, her only weapon is courage.

The Black Death of 1349 was the deadliest plague in human history. All Fall Down is a powerful and inspiring story about survival in the face of real-life horror.

I loved Sally’s first two novels and I've had my eye on this for a while – so pleased to find it waiting for me at home! Thanks, Scholastic!

The Last Echo – Kimberly Derting

In the beginning

Violet’s morbid ability to sense choes from the dead led her to uncover dark murders and long-buried secrets. The only people she told were her supportive parents and boyfriend Jay.

Now she can finally be honest

Violet hopes that working with a special investigative team will give her the chance to save lives – or at least catch more killers. But the instant connection she feels with mysterious partner, Rafe, is both confusing and unsettling, and their unique bond creates tension with Jay.

In the end, all thats left is an echo

When she discovers the body of a student murdered by ‘the collector’, Violet is determined to solve the case. With her own relationship on the line, Violet doesn’t realise that the serial killer is looking to add to his collection, and that she may have caught his eye.

Will the next life Vio;et has to save be her own?

I really need to catch up with this series! Thanks, Headline.

Ghost Flower – Michele Jaffe

I am an imposter. A fake. A fraud. But everything that follows is the truth and nothing but the truth. I have no reason to lie anymore.’

Eve has been living hand-to-mouth, trying to forget old scars from her foster homes and to avoid getting any new ones from her sleazy boss. So when she’s offered a way out – ahuge sum of money to pretend to be somebody she’s not – she knows she’d be a fool not to take it.

But it soon becomes clear that her lfie will be at riskunless she can work out exactly what happened to the girl she’s been asked to impersonate. Trapped in a web of lies and deceit, Eve is desperate to learn the truth. Even if it means facing up to a past filled with murderous secrets.

I’d never heard of this before I opened the package, but what a beautiful cover! Thanks, Atom.

I also received:

A finished copy of Bsrk by Michael Grant
Paperback copy of Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
Serafina, Rachel Hartman
Torn, Amanda Hocking
Silver, Andrew Motion
Poison Heart, SB Hayes
The Joshua Files: Apocalyse Moon, MG Harris
The Calling, Kelley Armstrong
The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind, Meg Medina

Bought:

Goddess, Interrupted – Aimee Carter

Fate brought them together

The underworld wants to tear them apart

After surrendering her mortal life, Kate’s about to be crowned queen of the mythical Underworld, home to the Gods.

Her king – dangerous, mesmerising Henry – the boy she sacrificed everything for, is becoming ever more distant and secretive.

Then he is abducted in the midst of her coronation.

Forced to take up jer role in a bitter war between the Gods, Kate battles to save Henry’s life. Worse, her only hope of victory measns turning to Persephone, henry’s first true love...and the greatest threat to Kate’s future.

Kate now knows that rescuing the one she believed to be her destined soulmate could mean losing him forever.

I sent this home by mistake so I’ve only just got my hands on it! Can’t wait!

Sophie

All These Things I've Done - Gabrielle Zevin

All These Things I’ve Done – Gabrielle Zevin

Pages: 351

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Release Date: 29^th March 2012

Other Titles by this Author: Margarettown, Elsewhere, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

For Anya, love will become a life-or-death choice...

New York 2082. When Anya is arrested for attempted murder, the District Attorney offers her a choice: stay away from his son or watch helplessly as he destroys her family. it should be a straightforward decision. Except that the DA’s son is the boy Anya loves, and her family is at the dark heart of the city’s criminal underworld.

Anya must choose between love and loyalty, knowing that whatever she decides will have shatterng consequences: heartbreak or a gangland war that will tear the city apart.

All These Things I’ve Done is a dystopia that’s very different to lots that are out there at the moment. And I adored it.

In Anya’s New York City, most of the things we don't give a second though to are banned or severely restricted: chocolate, coffee, paper, showers and yet alcohol was available to anyone! It was a little mind-blowing really. I loved how it reflected the 1919-1933 American Prohibition on alcohol and turned it on its head as well. One of my favourite elements of this was the coffee speakeasies that were scattered throughout the city and the mafia families making their money on illegal chocolate. I thought it was an extremely clever way to create a future almost-dystopian world without the usual tactics of war, disaster or an apocalypse. I have to admit that there’s no way that I’d want to live in Gabrielle Zevin’s 2082 though – paper books are the things of rich collectors and everything is now read on slates *shudder*.

Anya, or Annie as her family call her, is a very intriguing protagonist. She has been left in charge of her dying grandmother, little sister, and less-able older brother after the murder of her parents. She is strong, closed-off and still very, very easy to love. I really enjoyed the flecks of Russian that dotted her speech whenever she was angry and the sayings that her dad had taught her that Anya pretty much lives by. Anya was surrounded by some other brilliant characters too: her sassy, sweet little sister, Natty; adorable Leo who was determined to look after his sisters, the diva-esque Scarlet, Anya’s best friend and the gorgeous Win who would do anything for Anya. With Anya, Leo and Natty’s grandmother, you have an incredibly old dying women who it’s said was born in 1995. That would make her three years younger than me, and that blew my mind a little bit, I have to admit.

I loved the way that Gabrielle Zevin approached telling the story in All These Things I’ve Done. She went with the unusual style of direct discourse. Anya was telling me her story from quite far in the past, often noting on how things were when the story was taking place back then and there was the sense that it is a lot different where she is now. There were a few asides and N.B.’s that I loved which can easily alienate you from the story but Zevin hit the nail on the head – I loved it.

I thoroughly enjoyed All These Things I've Done and I can't wait to read the next instalment of the Birthright series.

For my 2012 Dystopia Challenge

Thank you to Macmillan for sending me a copy to review.

Sophie 

The Flappers: Vixen - Jillian Larkin

The Flappers: Vixen – Jillian Larkin

Pages: 386 (ARC)

Publisher: Corgi (RHCB)

Release Date: 1^st March 2012

Three girls. One city. Who’ll be the last Flapper standing?

Chicago, 1924. Born into American high society, Gloria is the girl who has it all. Living the debutante dream along with her best friend Lorraine, Gloria is just a trip down the aisle away from her future life as Mrs Sebastian Grey.

But surely there’s a little time for partying before she settles down?

With an illegal speakeasy on every corner and mobsters rubbing shoulders with the city’s most sensational flappers, Chicago’s jazz-fuelled underworld is certainly not the kind of place for a society princess like Gloria.

And she’s never had so much fun.

I have a soft spot for fun, fast-paced, scandalous historical YA novels and Jillian Larkin’s debut met my criteria perfectly.

The era of 1920s America captivates me. The glamour, the rebellion, the danger, the scandals and, of course, the Flappers. The leftover Victorian sensibilities clashing with the new-found freedom of societies debutantes causes a delicious atmosphere that I love to be enveloped in. Jillian Larkin created a vibrant, pulsing atmosphere in the speakeasies that was made effortlessly authentic with her casual use of 20s slang that I admittedly did have to look up occasionally. As much as these bits made me want to live like Gloria, there were elements to the time that didn’t really occur to me until Vixen really got going.

Prejudice against black people was still rife in the 20s and even contact between a black man and a white woman was forbidden, let alone a relationship. It shocked me how they were treated by society because it would be so unforgivable now. This wasn’t the only thing about the time that put me on edge. Obviously, part of the allure of historical novels is the triumphing of love over money, status and family, but I’m still always horrified at some of the relationships women are in through duty. And then you have how women are still treated like possessions: it made my usually calm and satisfied inner feminist rear up in anger. One character who I won’t disclose, made her growl particularly fiercely. For that, I am very glad I don’t live in a world where this is still rife (generally speaking).

Written is split narration between Clara, Lorraine and Gloria, Vixen shows us three different examples of life as a socialite: the reformed Flapper, the wannabe/newbie Flapper and the desperate Flapper. When I first began reading Vixen, I fully expected Gloria to be my favourite character. She was branching out and breaking rules, finding her freedom, but she actually irritated me for the first half of the novel. Lorraine, well, if you’ve read Vixen you’re very likely to know what I mean without me having to say anything and that leaves Clara. I didn’t imagine I would like her very much at all, but she was by far my favourite. She has an intriguing past and a spark that jumps off the page. I was constantly wondering what she left behind in New York and what had happened that would cause mysterious, threatening notes to follow her to Chicago.

I loved Vixen and I can’t wait to read the next book, Ingenue, and catch up with the scandalous antics of Gloria, Lorraine and Clara.

For my 2012 Debut Author Challenge and 2012 YA Historical Fiction Challenge

Thank you to RHCB for sending me a copy for review.

Sophie