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Portraits of Celina

I received my copy from the publisher.9781922077479By: Sue Whiting

After the death of her father Bayley finds herself living in an old family home in the country that has been deserted for years. It was a move she isn’t happy about, neither is her older sister. The house has a history though. Celina O’Malley, a distant relative was 16 when she disappeared forty years ago. Now Bayley is sleeping in her room, wearing her old clothes and disturbingly, starting to hear her voice.

Bayley thinks she might just be loosing it but she can’t get away from Celina. Just what does Celina want? Bayley is driven to find out. As things get stranger and stranger, Bayley’s behaviour threatens a new relationship and she starts to wonder just who will suffer because Celina won’t leave her alone.

Bayley is the heart of this story. She has been her family’s strength but in the process it has left her fragile and it is this fragility that is drawn to Celina’s story. The overarching narrative of a family struggling to come to terms with a loss is painful and it is so easy to identify with Bayley’s anguish. She drives the story along, and you are helpless to pull away from either the modern tale or the forty year old one. Her family provide the colour, the layers to the story as it all spirals out of control. Oliver, the boy next door, gives the story much needed lightness and hope.

This is a ghost story, a revenge story, even a love story. It is dark, enthralling and compelling. Well worth a read.

Recommended.

Publisher: Walker Books Australia

Published: 01 April 2013

Format: Paperback 352 pages

Categories: Ghost Story, Mystery

ISBN 13: 9781922077479

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on the side of the page.

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

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The Anti-Prom

I received this book from the publisher.By: Abby McDonald

Bliss Merino is set for the perfect prom, she has the dress, the boy, the friends. At least she thought she was going to have the perfect night, until she sees her boyfriend making out with her best friend. Then she hears that bad girl Jolene is at the prom and Bliss engages her help for a night of revenge. Meg, always thought she was invisible and somehow she gets swept up into Bliss’s need to get even. It turns out there is more than that on the books for in one night they rebel, party, experience romance, get revenge, and realise what they thought they wanted they didn’t. It was supposed to be one unforgettable night and it becomes one but not for the reasons they thought.

Bliss is not the sort of girl I would ordinarily read about but she was fun. She got to enjoy shining moments and some not so good moments and seeing all this made her more three dimensional, more than just a cheated on pretty girl. Jolene has her own problems, her bad girl reputation makes her the perfect person to turn to for help with nefarious deeds, but like Bliss Jolene has hidden corners. Meg is so reserved, she is pulled into this night reluctantly but through it she learns from both girls and has her own hidden strengths finally coming out of her shell. Sure there may be a few cliches in her but that totally doesn’t matter. McDonald has given us a thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining story. The perfect thing for a light weekend read.

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd

Published: 03 May 2012

Format: Paperback

Categories: High School, Prom, Revenge, Romance

ISBN 13: 9781406337587

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on side of the page

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

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The Catastrophic History of You and Me

By: Jess Rothenberg

Brie is 15 when she dies, literally of a broken heart. For Brie though this is not the end. After her funeral she winds up in a strange version of an afterlife. It seems she isn’t quite ready to move on. There she meets Patrick, a guy who reminds her of a Top Gun era ‘Maverick’. Patrick helps Brie understand a few things about the afterlife and he shows her how to get back to see how her friends and family are doing. Things aren’t how she expected, there are problems at home and she has revenge on her heart for Jacob, the boy she believes is responsible for her state of being dead. She is sure Jacob was seeing someone else and when she thinks she knows who that person is she feels doubly betrayed. Things are not what Brie believes, in her old life or her afterlife. When it all comes it’s climax will it be possible for Brie to put things right for the living and figure out what Patrick means to her in the afterlife?

A funny and touching story. Brie seems like any other teen; boyfriend, best friends, extra curricular activities, then tragedy strikes. She is a likeable character whose arc takes her through the five stages of grief, the bulk of the book is cleverly broken into sections dealing with each of these. At times she is a little frustrating and her choices illicit a sigh, but you go with them because they are totally understandable. Fortunately she is not left alone to deal with the afterlife. Patrick is a character full of cheeky charm, even while he keeps his own secret carefully guarded.

This is a well balanced book as it deals with some much more serious issues under the surface of death and revenge. These ideas of consequences, perspective and the deftly and lightly touched upon topic of sexuality, are woven into an entertaining, funny and touching read. If you are looking for something a little different with touches of revenge and romance, then definitely give this a look.

Publisher: Puffin Books

Published: 02 February 2012

Format: Paperback 400 pages

Categories: Life, Death, Revenge, Romance

ISBN 13: 9780141334479

Purchase: here or use Booktopia logo on side of page

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

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First Kill

I received a copy of this book from the publisher

By: Heather Brewer

Book 1 of The Slayer Chronicles

Joss McMillan thinks he has a pretty perfect life, great parents and a wonderful kid sister. It all comes to pieces the night young Joss witnesses his sister’s murder at the hands of a vampire. His helplessness overwhelms him and his parents are never the same. Then he finds out about his family’s secret heritage. In every generation one of the family is gifted with the traits of a Slayer. They are tested and if they pass they are indoctrinated into the Slayer Society, a group whose mission is to rid the world of vampires.

Earlier than most Joss is bought into his training, his driving force is to get revenge for his sister’s death, something that still haunts his dreams. Training is brutal but Joss is determined. Even when it becomes clear that there is a traitor amongst them and uncovering their identity will shake Joss’s newly discovered foundation to it’s core. If he survives that long that is.

With a plethora of vampire books out there it is important to note that this is more about the darkness of vampires than the goodness of them. As the series title suggests it is about hunting rather than befriending and in this way it will appeal to those who like more of a traditional vampire story than the more paranormal romance type of story.

Joss isn’t your typical hero slayer and his training is far more brutal than Buffy’s ever was. He finds strength within himself though and that draws you in. The things that occur around him; the society politics and his desire to fit in, give the story layers and that makes it more interesting.

I am not sure how it will play out, if my interest will be held by the series but I rather enjoyed this book and look forward to the next. My vampire tastes do tend toward the darker aspect, so if you are looking for a modern story with a more traditional take on vampires then give this book a look.

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia

Published: 28 November 2011

Format: Paperback 240 pages

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Family, Revenge

ISBN 13: 9780143567257

Purchase: here or use Booktopia logo on side of page

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

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