Valentine (Valentine, #1) in Aussie Readers

Dec 14, 2016 Rebecca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, loveozya, read-in-2015, genre-fantasy, tyac

Not going to lie, at first I was very disappointed. Every little thing about the first couple of chapters got on my nerves. But I was so determined to keep going, and I am so very glad I did!!

This was crazy enjoyable, with a couple of twists that even I didn't see coming.

One of my favourite reads this year? ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Mar 30, 2017 Lauredhel rated it it was ok

Shelves: australian-women-writers-challenge, young-adult, fantasy, australian, aww2017

YA fae tale. The opening chapters were abysmal, and I only barely stopped myself from DNFing. Self-obsessed POV character, sketchy worldbuilding, "I'm so attracted to my bully", etc. I managed to finish and it maybe partly redeemed itself, but there is far better and more unique Aussie YA. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 20, 2018 Kat at Book Thingo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: australian-authors, urban-fantasy, young-and-new-adult-fiction, speculative-fiction, teen-fiction, vomit-list

I’m probably biased because Jodi blogs at Book, but I love her narrative voice, and the fact that every time I thought I had a handle on where the plot was going, Valentine still leaves room for surprise. Also, there’s quite a bit of kissing and I am so here for that!

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2017 Tracey rated it liked it

Shelves: australian, fantasy-sci-fi, romance, young-adult, 2017

Four people, all born on Valentine’s Day, all in the same year, all attending the same high school is the presumed starting point for Jodi McAlister’s novel Valentine. I say presumed, as two of the four in this novel are pretty much bystanders to the main action as the story focuses on Pearl and Finn.
Pearl is a sassy, headstrong young woman who is smitten for James Cardigan (Cardy) who is also a Valentine, like her. Doing her best to attract Cardy, Pearl attends a party held at out of the way s Four people, all born on Valentine’s Day, all in the same year, all attending the same high school is the presumed starting point for Jodi McAlister’s novel Valentine. I say presumed, as two of the four in this novel are pretty much bystanders to the main action as the story focuses on Pearl and Finn.
Pearl is a sassy, headstrong young woman who is smitten for James Cardigan (Cardy) who is also a Valentine, like her. Doing her best to attract Cardy, Pearl attends a party held at out of the way stables all dressed to the nines. Only problem, Cardy does not show but what does occur is rather menacing black horse makes an appearance. Finn quickly scares off the black horse, the party dissolves and the intrigue begins to build.
To go into detail about what happens would be to give too much away. A disappearance of one the Valentines occurs with Pearl determined to find out the truth and drags Finn into what is happening. The story is part paranormal, murder mystery, teenage romance.
I struggled with Pearl with as the narrator. I had reached page 17 of the book and I was at the bitch slap stage, as she went on and on about how much she detested Finn. It became tiring very early as a reader I was not given the opportunity to discover why there was so much tension between them, I was continually being told. Pearl, for me, worked on two levels of extreme emotion, the leave me alone, everyone hates me or storm the barricades I am coming through. There was little in between. Like all 17 year olds, Pearl has a lot going on in her head and it spills out onto the pages.
With Finn, well, he was reactionary as a character. He in that he reacted pretty much to everything Pearl did until the end when he makes some decisions, that I am sure will lead to the sequel. I don’t think Finn really lifted off the page, there were moments when he came become more than Pearl’s foil.
The other characters are diverse in background, from Cardy being Indigenous to Pearl's sister being a lesbian. McAlister has easily brought to the pages characters that are diverse and relatable.
The world that McAlister has crafted sits on the periphery of the story but this is a character focused novel. I am sure that readers who enjoyed this story will want to see that world teased out and given greater prominence.
While I can see the promise in what McAlister has put down on the pages, the novel did not resonate with me. That does not mean this is a bad novel, it is well written, snappy dialogue, skilfully framed and with characters who will continue to develop. There will be fans who will wait with bated breath for the next book and rightly so.
I should state that I knew Jodi McAlister when she resided in Canberra for a time. She is enthusiastic and that is very evident in the pages of Valentine.
...more

Like · see review