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Louise (64 KP) rated I'll Be Home for Christmas in Books

Jul 2, 2018

I specifically left this book till December to get me into the Christmas spirit.

I love reading short story collections, it’s a great way to find new YA authors and sample their writing.

‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ is a collaboration of UKYA authors and their stories of young adults and what ‘HOME’ means to them. I loved that this book has several genres including science fiction, Horror and Contemporary with such diverse characters. We have refugees, race and sexuality being explored and there was something for everyone to enjoy. I obviously had my favourites in this book and it was surprising that it was the horror, it was so intense and atmospheric and definitely got my pulse racing and that was Claws by Thomas Becker. There was not one story that I disliked in this book and after each story was finished I was left wanting more. I will definitely be purchasing my own copy of this book. There are 15 short stories/poems in this book including a competition winner.

This book is heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time and definitely recommend reading.

Stripes teamed up with the charity Crises for this book to raise awareness of the hardships young people are facing today. This book is definitely impactful and made me think of the people who are less fortunate and homeless, £1 from every sale is donated to the charity.

*I received a E-copy of this book from Netgalley and Stripes in exchange for an honest opinion.*

Kudos

ClareR (5885 KP) rated Distortion in Books

Nov 2, 2018

Distortion

Victor Dixen | 2018 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

An enjoyable YA science fiction novel

Honestly, I wasn't 'wowed' by this book in the same way that I was the first. I feel it would have been much better if it had been about 100 - 150 pages shorter.
I AM enjoying the way the story is going though. The decision to go on to Mars regardless, the insta-love between the contestants shows their youth and sad childhoods, and how much they enjoy their roles. I liked all of that. Serena Bee continues to be a thoroughly foul character - and I love that.
My issue isn't the storyline as such. I think that some descriptions are far too detailed and long-winded (especially the agonising internal dialogue). However, I DID like the descriptions of the advertisements that the 12 competitors made: a true reflection of the money orientated society that they're a part of, and precisely what has driven the predicament that they find themselves in. I DID like the descriptions of the Mars landscape, the living accommodation and the farming area (interesting!). There was A LOT of internal dialogue though. A certain amount is great. Informative, even, but I think that this is where I realised that perhaps I'm not the demographic they're looking for. I'm about 20 years out (I don't care, by the way). BUT I will be reading the next book. I want to see how this goes - and I like the characters and the story being told.
Many thanks to ReadersFirst and the publisher, Hot Key Books/ Bonnier Zaffre for my copy of this book.

Kudos

Christine A. (965 KP) rated The House of One Thousand Eyes in Books

Nov 28, 2018

Felt as if it could have been a glimpse into real people living in East Berlin (0 more)

Story wraps up nicely at the end but it ends abruptly. (0 more)

Realistic, historical fiction YA about living in East Berlin in the early 1980s

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Lena Altmann is a 17 year old girl who lives in East Berlin. After her parents were killed in an explosion, Lena was forced to move in with her aunt. Lena's only respite comes when she spends her Sundays with her uncle, her aunt's brother. One day he is erased. He along with all of his possessions,and his birth records are gone. His published books have disappeared from bookstore shelves. He is just gone, disappearing without a trace.

Lena frantically searches for him but knows government spies are everywhere and she feels alone. Her aunt is a hardcore member of the Communist party. Can she trust her? Can she trust her friends? Can she trust anyone?

Through her story, Michelle Barker shows what it was like to live in the "Better Berlin" in the 1980s. She shows the rigidness, fearfulness, suspicion, and oppression of life in East Berlin.

The House of One Thousand Eyes did not feel like fiction. You could feel and hear Berlin. You could believe Lena, her uncle, and her aunt were real people and this book just captured a portion of their lives.

Although the story wraps up nicely at the end, it ends abruptly.