Book-review post!

Back to YA for this book review post…

Patrick Ness – More Than This

I have complicated feelings about this book, which are mainly genre-ish: I read this thinking it was going to be about Life After Death, all that ‘what is real?’ stuff, etc, and then found myself slightly disappointed by how overtly sci-fi it ended up being. Even though I like sci-fi. So, yes. This is a tricky one to talk about without dragging in spoilers all over the place, but I suppose what I will say is that trying to figure out what kind of book it was made the experience of reading it less delightful and rewarding. (That being said, it is Patrick Ness. There is bucketloads of great stuff in there.)

Jandy Nelson – I’ll Give You The Sun

Twins, art, and love. This is a gorgeous, if at times a-teeny-bit-too-coincidental-but-you’ll-let-it-slide-because-pretty-language, exuberant story about Noah and Jude, and what happens to them between the ages of thirteen and sixteen, and how things have changed from Noah being the ‘odd one out’ to Jude being the art school girl while Noah is surrounded by ‘normal’ friends. The attention paid to the Californian landscape, and the ultimate hope in love that’s woven throughout the book, echoes Nelson’ first (equally gorgeous) book, and the focus on the adults as flawed but real individuals sets this apart from many YA novels. One of my favourite books of the year so far.

Sarah Crossan – One

I’d been excited about this book for so long (Crossan’s verse novels are things of joy!) so I was delighted to get an advance copy of One, in which Grace relates what happens when she and her conjoined twin, Tippi (the parents are big fans of old school leading ladies) start regular school, after having been homeschooled all their lives. Despite what people might think, the twins can’t imagine being separated from one another – this is their life, their identity. But with new friends, a boy Grace wants to kiss, and the opportunity to raise money by sharing their story with a documentary-maker, there’s the chance they could undergo surgery and lead their own lives, as two, not one. The poetry is gorgeous, the details carefully-selected, the portrayal of how the twins’ medical issues dominate their family life done wonderfully. Do read when it’s out later this summer.