REVIEW: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Author: John Green
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Penguin
UK Release date: January 2013
Genre: YA

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

The first thing that will probably make you decide whether you read this book or not, is that it is about cancer. That may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I urge you to read this book. I cannot say a bad thing about it.

Being the first book I've read by John Green I completely underestimated what this book would be like. What surprised me the most about his writing is that he can write big sensitive themes and events but also the subtle nuisances of human behaviour. The latter really made the characters feel alive, through their life-like gestures, responses, thoughts, and everyday habits. But on the flip side, John Green can take the often depressing subject of terminal illness and infuse it with empathy, humour, emotion, and joy.

Hazel is the narrator for the story and at first she is isolated and alone, almost hiding away with her illness in order to protect everyone around her from getting hurt. She was so strong and honest about death, that it made her a very brave and brilliant character. But I'm also so glad that she didn't allow her illness to keep her from the world and connecting with other people.

Augustus (Gus) was gorgeous and an absolute star. His personality and wit blew me away. I loved how positive he stayed throughout his, Hazel's and Isaac's treatments. He made me smile and laugh, and I was so glad he and Hazel found each other.

What worked really well was seeing how Hazel's family coped with her illness. This wasn't something I had expected but I think it was important for the reader and Hazel to understand how her parents felt about the situation.

Gus and Hazel were brilliant together and so perfect for each other. Perhaps though they were a little too smart for me, with their existential and philosophical debates and satirical comments. This did allow the sensitive central themes of cancer and dying to be thought provoking but also touched with wit and humour. It also gave me a sense of reality to Hazel's condition and the chances of her survival. The pair's differing views on life and death made me think; and like Gus I would want to make my mark.

I won't lie to you - The Fault in Our Stars is an emotional roller coaster ride. I laughed one minute and the next could be crying. And the end was so unexpected - the plot completely subverted my expectations and the unfolding events came out of nowhere taking me by complete surprise. It just seemed like life was so unfair for Hazel and other young cancer sufferers like Gus and Isaac. And it hit home how lucky I was just to be alive and healthy, and that I shouldn't take that for granted.

A must read - you will truly appreciate every day you have after reading this book.

Rating: 5*

REVIEW: KILL ALL ENEMIES

Kill All Enemies
Author: Melvin Burgess
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Penguin Books
UK Release date: September 2011
Genre: Contemporary YA

Three teenagers growing up in North England each have their problems; family neglect, abuse, school troubles, and bullying. But to everyone else they are troublemakers, causing all the problems around them. When you hear their stories, what will you think?

Review: When I picked up this book I hadn't read any reviews for it and honestly didn't realise what a little gem I was holding in my hands. In Kill All Enemies Melvin Burgess has created the most realistic characters I've ever read about. The story follows four characters with each of their narratives and stories tying into the overall plot. Billie, Rob and Chris all end up in the Pupil Referral Unit, because no-one else wants them and school can't handle them, and it is here that they all cross paths together and work with Hannah, a social worker with a big heart.

The kids' struggles with problems such as parents' abandoning them, being bullied for being different, not getting on in school, and living in care, were told with surprising honesty and insight. So much so that you would think they were real, living, breathing people. To read how badly they were treated by the people that should be protecting them was also heartbreaking, and I completely sympathised with Hannah. Each of the narrative voices perfectly captures their most private and hidden thoughts, their northern roots, as well as an individual sense of personality. Although most people would judge them to be odd, a menace or doomed to fail, I really liked them all. The integrity of these characters is undoubtedly down to Burgess' writing skill, as well as the background research and interviews he conducted with real kids for a Channel 4 project.

The plot line also had me hooked - one moment my heart was in my throat with fear and anticipation, and the next I was laughing at the characters' internal monologue and little jokes. Although I could see where the plot was going to end, the events that happened throughout still kept me guessing and wondering how on earth the kids were going to survive another day.

Kill All Enemies is a must-read book for 2011 that will send you on an emotional rollercoaster deep through the working class lives of northern England.

Rating: 5*

REVIEW: MATCHED

Matched

Author: Ally Condie

UK Publisher: Penguin Group

UK Release date: December 2010

Genre: YA, Dystopian

Summary (from Goodreads): Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow

Review: Matched is set in an alternate future society where everything is designed for optimal health and life. Disease and illness has all but been eradicated, meals are prepared for your optimal nutritional levels, and on your 80th birthday you die peacefully. At 17, Cassia attends her Matching ceremony where Society's officials tell her who optimal partner is to start a family with.

"The goal of Matching is twofold: to provide the healthiest possible future citizens for our Society and to provide the best chances for interested citizens to experience successful Family life. It is of the utmost importance to the Society that the Matches be as optimal as possible."

The impossible happens, and Cassia gets matched to her best friend Xander. Life seems perfect, until another boy's face appears on her home port screen as her match. Childhood friend, Ky. Soon Cassia starts finding herself wanting a life that the Society won't allow, and she is forced to reevaluate her life and Society's rules.

The interplay between Ky and Cassia is irresistible - full of first love trepidation and forbidden trysts. Written from Cassia's perspective we see her learn more and more about Ky and herself, and slowly she starts to fall for him. Ky starts as the mysterious character; we know he's had a difficult childhood and want to learn more about him. As the story progresses, he blossoms in front of our very eyes.

The story is paced exceptionally well; and has a good balance between Cassia's narrative and plot. Through Cassia's narrative you build up an emotional understanding of how her perception of the Society changes. What I loved were the little meetings between Ky and Cassia, where they talk and share rare intimate moments that the society wouldn't normally allow.

Matched looks at issues of freedom, choice and individualism; to make everyone equal there are no personal items except for a few mementos, and everyone wears the same clothes. I enjoyed the fact that you weren't given more background information about who the 'Society' is; this way you are in the same position as Cassia. What you have to remember when reading the book is that we often take our freedom for granted; whilst we are taught to be open minded, to be creative, and to question, none of this happens in Cassia's world. If you learn from birth that life is about rules and to cross those rules means danger, it takes a lot to change this instinct. 

I couldn't find anything that I didn't like about this book: it flowed well, kept me intrigued, and had a heart-wrenching plot line. 

Rating: 5*