The Five Most Disappointing YA Suspense/Thrillers Read by the Book Ninja

This post is dedicated to April's edition of the 'Teen Scene' Next Reads newsletter by Auckland Libraries: Thrillers and Suspense. You may have read my introduction to this newsletter:
Ahhh, thrillers and suspense. My most favouritest genre of all. The mystery. The suspense. The need to read into the small hours of the morning just to figure out whodunit. This, ladies and gentleman is my life... It takes me back to my impressionable years as a young child, glued to the television set watching Scooby Doo. I always had my suspicions who the perpetrator of the crime was and, once the repeat episodes were shown, I was always right!

While I am an avid fan of thrillers and suspense novels, and there are heaps of fantastic novels out there, there has been... on occasion... a few novels that have made me feel really cheated and let down. This post is dedicated to those elected few:

1. Mice by Gordon Reece.
Described as 'an electrifying psychological thriller about a mother and daughter pushed to their limits', it was anything but. Yes, the mother and daughter may have been pushed to their limits but the story was tedious and very hard to get into and to continue reading. The moral of the story was an interesting one: Commit murder and you are able overcome your years of persecution.

2. Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck.
Think the Clique with a supernatural twist. Need I say more?

3. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.
I can hear the collective gasp of half the teen population in Auckland... The concept of the book is awesome. The book's main character Violet can sense the echoes of the dead, whether it be a colour, sound or taste... and see the imprints of the death on the killers. The plot is great. It is a definite page turner but why-oh-why does the author have to ruin the awesomeness of this book involving a love story? Jay is over-protective and over-the-top. What happened to the concept of the independent woman? And why can't Jay and Violet just remain best friends?

4. Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks.
Again, another book with a fast-paced, action-packed plot, with a great twist... But, *SPOILER ALERT* Raymond was never found *grrrr*. For me, it's the equivalent of ending a story with "and then I woke up". I like my suspense/thrillers to have a nice, tidy ending, where everything is solved, thank you very much.

5. Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin.
Theoretically this book is fantasy as it involves faeries BUT as the main character did not know that she was being duped into friendship for the sole reason of fulfilling an ancient promise to the fairy queen, which involves death... Therefore, this book is also a thriller (because I said so). Needless to say, Werlin decided to capitalise on her previous novel Impossible (which I adored) but, unfortunately, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing and Extraordinary is that.

You have been warned, dear readers...

Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Genre: YF Suspense/Thriller

I did something bad, Cara....    

Meet Cara Lange. Socially awkward and isolated, Cara earns the unfortunate nickname Choker after choking on a carrot stick in her school's cafeteria. The only plus side is she's saved by her secret crush, and one of the most popular guys in school, Ethan Gray. Unfortunately, Ethan's girlfriend also witnesses the incident and, from then on, Carla is the target of bullying and snide comments.

Then, out of nowhere, Cara's childhood best friend turns up on her doorstep. Something horrible has happened to Zoe's home life and Cara readily agrees to let Zoe stay, hiding her in Cara's room. Almost over night, Cara is transformed, thanks to Zoe. A new look, a new hair cut, new found confidence and... attention from Ethan Gray.

But, just as everything seems to be going well in Cara's life, one girl from her high school is dead and another has gone missing. Could this have something to do with Zoe?

This review is short and sweet for one reason: no spoilers! All I will say is that Choker is Elizabeth Wood's debut novel. It is face-paced page-turner, with an excellent twist that most readers (well, me, anyhow...) won't see coming.

I give this book 4.5 ninjas out of 5.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Genre: Sci Fi

I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.

Delirium was, for me anyway, an eagerly anticipated novel. I read Lauren Oliver's debut novel Before I Fall last year and, overall, I loved it. It was fresh, thought-provoking and provided very powerful moral lessons. Oliver has not disappointed in her latest novel, either...

Oliver's novel takes place in post-apocalyptic America. The state is very much autocratic. Its citizens are 'protected' and separated from non-citizens by guarded electric fences surrounding the state.

From birth, citizens are indoctrinated with the Book of Shh, the State's version of the Bible. The state's number one enemy is love, a sickness called amor deliria nervosa. However scientists have found a way to eradicate this emotion and upon, turning 18, all citizens must undergo the 'cure', a surgical procedure where part of the brain is removed. Once they have been cured, citizens are paired with their life long partner.

Until then, the 'uncured' are monitored by state regulators. Night raids are not uncommon. There are curfews. All citizens must carry the appropriate paperwork, at all times. And never, never, must an uncured female be seen openly talking to an uncured male. 

Lena Haloway has only 35 days until she gets cured. And she is eagerly counting down the days. She has experienced her fair share of heart break. Her mother committed suicide when she scientists were unable to cure her and Lena is determined not to be infected with 'the sickness'... Until she meets Alex... and her whole world turns upside down... and Lena finds herself questioning everything she believes in...

I really enjoyed this book. I especially like the fact that Lauren Oliver is not necessarily one for endings that are happily-ever- after (read Before I fall and you'll get what I mean) and, when readers have the gall to be experiencing warm fuzzies, she slaps you in the face with reality.

If you enjoyed the movie Equilibrium, then you will love this book.

I give this book 4 ninjas out of 5

The Number One Rule of the Ninja

Greetings!

Welcome to blog that's all about me... Well, almost.

Yesterday, I attended the first ever Youth Hui held by Auckland libraries. Youth and Children's librarians from all of our 55 libraries attended and valuable lessons were learned.

The number one lesson for me? The importance of reader's advisory and passing on your valuable skills. Now, without trying to sound too self-righteous, I am an avid reader of YA fiction but I have two HUGE faults:

1. If I am honest, and I really am trying to be, I stick to predominantly one genre: life and friendships which centre on romance. To be fair, I used to read teen angst. But I got tired of the dreary grey cloud that seemed to follow all of the book's characters - I longed for happiness. What better form of happiness is there than predictable, formulaic teen books that focus on friendships and relationships?

While I am confessing, I almost always read books written by American authors, and I KNOW this reflects the websites I use to access up-and-coming, yet to be released YA fiction: Teen Reads and Teens Read Too.

And... I'd hate to say it, but I am not a very patriotic Kiwi. I don't read NZ teen fiction. I blame my years at school for this. Teen books in the early 90s were dry and boring. It is a very hard feeling to shake and one I need to get over.

2. I read. LOTS. At least 2-3 YA books per week (however this may soon change). BUT I do not review them online. In case you haven't guessed, I am a very wordy person and, if I'm not careful, the reviews of the Book Ninja turn out to be miniature book dissertations.

Admittedly, I do review them at our monthly YA meetings and weekly staff meeting. The only downfall is that review slots are very minimal - for our staff meetings about 20 seconds max, so the staff who are not YA readers are quite disadvantaged when it comes to acquiring reader's advisory skills from these sessions.

What are my goals in creating this blog? To provide succinct reviews of all the books I read from here-on; to vary my reading choices...and to incorporate at least on NZ YA book per month (and maybe instil some patriotic book pride while I am at it).

However, the number one rule of the Ninja now applies here: Be Patient and you will be allowed to pass. For the next two weeks I have to be patient and put aside my fiction books in order to concentrate on my upcoming MIS assignment. For, if I am not patient, I may not pass! (a little Ninja humour for ya).

Until next time *Ninja salute*