Elegy by Tara Hudson

I actually preferred the second book Arise in Tara Hudson's Hereafter Trilogy to the first, so I decided to pick up book three, Elegy not long after, hoping it would be even better. Unfortunately, it was not. In this final book Amelia is threatened by the demons of high bridge that unless she turns herself over to evil forces, one person she knows will die every week. She and her friends plot to destroy the bridge-- and stop evil from crossing over for good. However, Amelia has a plan of her own, and she's not telling anyone until it's too late to stop her.

I felt like a lot of Elegy was a bit of a mess. The plans the teenagers make don't always make sense, like showing up at prom to recruit people for a secret plan. With alcohol. It just felt random and like a bad idea, created only to cause tension that didn't come across as authentic. The ending also felt like it was really trying to tie up all the loose ends and as a result it came across as forced and wasn't overly satisfying-- nor did it really tie many of them up. Despite getting some enjoyment out of book two, I was just really tired (and bored) of this series by the time I finished Elegy.

Release Date: June 4th 2013 Pages: 386  Publisher: HarperTeen  Buy It: Book Depository

Through to You by Emily Hainsworth

There are a lot of recent young adult novels with crossways into parallel universes, and I actually own a couple of them, so I figured it was time to start reading. Through to You by Emily Hainsworth is one such novel, and it captured my attention partially because of male narrator. Camden's girlfriend Viv has died, in an accident he blames himself for. She was his world, and when he sees a girl appear at the site of Viv's car accident, it turns out she's from a parallel world--one where Viv is still alive. However, as Camden travels to this alternate universe, he learns things aren't exactly perfect there either, and the window between the two worlds is quickly closing.

Through to You is an incredibly easy to read book mainly because of Hainsworth's writing which is clear and straightforward. However, it is kinda annoying how it takes so long to get to the point of the book that is promised in the blurb, where Cam actually travels to the other universe. I also feel like there wasn't anything I really loved about this book, there were plenty of things that were okay, but I figured out 100% how it ended almost as soon as it started, so that plot wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be. I think it's a cool premise, and it's not even one I'm bored of yet, but I didn't feel like it was used to its full potential in Through to You.

Cam is also not as interesting a protagonist as I would have liked, pretty much everything bad has happened in his life but he is still kinda annoying at times. That said, even though it was very obvious where the story was going, it was still fun to read, and for a lighthearted, quick read I enjoyed Through to You well enough and would consider picking up another novel by Hainsworth in the future.

Release Date: October 2nd 2012 Pages: 272  Format: Egalley
Source: Edelweiss  Publisher: Blazer + Bray  Buy It: Book Depository

Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose by Gillian McCain & Legs McNeil

It's really hard to critic the diary of a girl who has died, but that's what I have to do in order to review Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose by Gillian McCain & Legs McNeil. Dear Nobody is the story of Mary Rose, collected from her diaries (although the entries are not dated, nor is the book all of her writing). Mary Rose is a teenage girl with drug and alcohol addictions, as well as cystic fibrosis. Her home life includes a neglectful mother who often has an abusive boyfriend. Basically, things are so horrible, it would be hard to believe if it wasn't the truth.

This is a real story, and Mary Rose isn't perfect either. She claims to love somebody, but often treats them horribly. She treats herself horribly. Awful things happen to her, but she also does awful things, and that's what makes it feel so real. This isn't a happy story, from the beginning, from the back of the book, that is immediately clear. This is the sort of storyline that would not be out of place in an Ellen Hopkins novel, but even without that thread of hope her stories usually provide.

As heartbreaking as Dear Nobody is, there were still a few things that bothered me about the book. Mary Rose writes a bunch of letters to another character that isn't really included in the book, so it's unclear who she really is and if she wrote back or not. Mary Rose is spilling her guts to her, and I know this is her story, but some context would have been useful. Also, likely because this is a diary, it was confusing and unclear at times, and despite being revealed absolutely everywhere I have read about this book, cystic fibrosis is seem as some kind of secret, which I found to be confusing. Dear Nobody is an unedited diary, and while that sometimes means it is confusing, ultimately it is also what makes it so heartbreaking and real.

Release Date: April 1st 2014 Pages: 330  Format: ARC
Source: Publisher  Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire  Buy It: Book Depository

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Sometimes there are books you might pick up because of hype, and sometimes there are books you avoid. Although I have pretty much enjoyed everything I've read by John Green, over the last two years it was impossible to escape The Fault in Our Stars hype everywhere, pretty much becoming the novel representing contemporary YA. And I love contemporary YA. I even bought a copy of this book as soon as it came out. But then I got sick of hearing about it and only picked it up this year.

If you've somehow managed to stumble across this review and not know what The Fault in Our Stars is about, it's the story of two teenagers who both have cancer, Hazel and Augustus, and find each other in a Support Group. It is an emotional, well-written book and definitely had me near-tears at some points even though I knew how things ended because in the time since the book was released the ending has been spoiled for me. That said, it didn't change how much I was on the edge of my seat, desperately hoping that things would work out for Hazel who has overcome so much. That said, I really enjoyed the ending and thought it fit the book perfectly.

I don't think I loved The Fault in Our Stars quite as much as all the hype, but that's unfortunately the problem with hype. Even though there was a romance element to it, the most memorable part of the book was Hazel's journey for me, and that, as well as her relationships with other people, was what I enjoyed most. Gus and his friend Isaac also had an unexpected emotional moment for me. Where the book struggled was with how literary the characters could be at times, to the point that they seemed pretentious. It does seem to be intentional given the characters' interests, but it sometimes made them come across less authentic, especially when it was Gus and Hazel talking, which is probably why I struggled most with the romance.

Overall, The Fault in our Stars was a really emotional book that reminded me how little my problems are and how beautiful life is, and for those reasons Hazel is an unforgettable narrator.

Release Date: January 10th 2012 Pages: 313  Format: Hardcover
Source: Personal  Publisher: Dutton Books  Buy It: Book Depository

Plus One by Elizabeth Fama

Elizabeth Fama's first novel in ten years, Monstrous Beauty, was easily one of my 2012 favourites so I was incredibly excited when I learned she had a new release coming out, and I picked up Plus One almost right away. In terms of storyline itself, like her previous book about mermaids, the concept of Plus One wasn't the most exciting or innovative. It's the story of a boy and a girl one of whom is a night dweller, and one who works during the day, in a future America that has been strictly divided into day and night classes. When the night girl, Sol, tries to kidnap her newborn day niece to bring her to meet her dying grandfather, she is caught by a boy, D'Arcy, who soon becomes the only one she can trust, and maybe love.

The alternative history behind Plus One is interesting, and just as with Monstrous Beauty it is seamlessly incorporated into the storyline so that enough is known for the world to make sense without bogging down the plot. There's lots of action but it doesn't take away from the emotion. Sol is a bit of a stubborn, emotional, character, but as a reader I really felt her passion. In many ways D'Arcy is the opposite, analytical and patient. However there was a predictable element to their connection I don't want to spoil, but which I felt was too cheesy and convenient and took away from it. 

As excellent as world-building seemed, there were some issues when you think about too much, but while I was reading I was plenty distracted by an exciting plot and writing that was very easy and engaging to read. However, it was definitely the characters that made Plus One memorable, and although Sol's plan is a bit ridiculous at times, it just seems so perfectly impulsive and emotional and her. Fama's most recent novel isn't flawless, but it definitely reminded me why her novels are so much fun to read and why I will definitely be picking up whatever she writes next.

Release Date: April 8th 2014 Pages: 373  Format: Egalley
Source: Edelweiss  Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)  Buy It: Book Depository