Burn Mark by Laura Powell

Goodreads Summary

Glory is from a family of witches and lives beyond the law. She is desperate to develop her powers and become a witch herself. Lucas is the son of the Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition—the witches’ mortal enemy—and his privileged life is very different to the forbidden world that he lives alongside.And then on the same day, it hits them both. Glory and Lucas develop the Fae—the mark of the witch. In one fell stroke, their lives are inextricably bound together, whether they like it or not . . .

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I was really excited about this book. Covens living in modern day council estates? The medieval inquisition still alive and well and operating as a bona fide government agency? The concept was brilliant, in actuality; the book fails to deliver on it.

I think the main problem with Burn Mark is the number of characters in it that actually have very little importance and just make getting into the book extremely difficult – at the start we are introduced to the wasters of Glory’s coven, Lucas’ school mates and people at parties. Names come and go, you worry you’re going to forget who they are if they crop up later and end up being important.   Ironically, the hero and heroine who do get the adequate attention in terms of character build up ultimately don’t have much input or control over the action at the end of the book. It’s like they’re the coach that take us to the theme park then the main attraction kicks in with a whole load of people we’ve barely met.

Having said that, I did like the book. I didn’t feel the need to read it alongside something else – I generally looked forward to picking it back up at lunchtime or in the evening. It didn’t fall in the ‘can’t put it down’ category but that doesn’t often happen to me so I wasn’t expecting this. I think the saving grace of the book is the hero Lucas. Despite the ‘well to do’ upbringing and slightly snotty attitude, he is also embedded with a fantastic moral fibre right from the start. Even as a child, he knows right from wrong and is against any form of cruelty, against witches or anyone else. He’s a true hero in every sense.

I grudgingly liked Glory by the end of the book, but until about two thirds of the way through I mostly wanted to slap her. But it was kind of refreshing to have a ‘bad-girl’ heroine and small scenes, such as those with her father, give her character more depth of feeling. I think the main disappointment for me was that the connection between the dream Glory experiences every night and the disappearance of her mother was never resolved. Perhaps there will be a follow-up, but the ending could equally point at a stand-alone novel.

The other aspect of the book which sets it apart from others in the genre is the way in which witchcraft is portrayed. The clue is in the name (‘craft’) and Burn Mark returns witchery to its roots. There is no waving of wands and instant action here. Spells take time and materials to complete, and as such, the reader knows that the witches are not guaranteed to win just by virtue of their powers.I’ve seen a few reviews stating the change in point of view is confusing. I’m wondering if this is because so much YA fiction is written in the first person. I didn’t find the change in perspective hindered the story in any way. It is too complex a tale not to be told from the point of view of multiple main characters and I feel a young adult audience is more than capable of handling this method of storytelling. The novel does however, need a high degree of attention to keep up with, so not one for those looking for a light story they can easily dip in and out of.All in all, a worthwhile read with some innovative themes and likable characters.

Geekhood by Andy Robb

Goodreads Summary

If you haven't worked it out yet, girls don't do this. They don't come to the Hovel. They don't like goblins and dragons. They don't paint miniatures. They don't play role playing games or re-enact fictional battles. And they don't talk to Geeks like me especially if they're pretty. And this girl is pretty. What do you do if you're a fourteen-year-old Geek, and a Beautiful Girl has appeared in the midst of your geeky world? And she seems to like you... For Archie, the natural reaction would be to duck and cover ... run for the hills ... buy a new model elf... Anything but risk stepping into the Real World. But even Geeks have to put their heads above the parapet at some point. With his mum barely able to contain her excitement that her son is about to join the human race, and his step-father, Tony the Tosser, offering crass advice, it's time for Archie to embark on a daring Quest to win the Beautiful Girl's heart and shake off his Geekhood for good...

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One Sunday afternoon it was time to choose a new book to read. With some barely disguised glee, I had finished a somewhat confusing book on my kindle – seriously, I’ve never been so close to not finishing a book! – and was on the prowl for a new adventure. I have a lot of unread books around my house. A LOT. Luckily my partner can’t see the other unread books on my kindle though I suspect he knows they’re there. ‘Gollum-like,’ to steal a slice of Geekhood, I prowled my shelves. There were two books in particular that I’d been itching to read. I seized one and settled down. Meh, it just wasn’t grabbing me. Flinging it behind the sofa, I reached for the other (that’s for dramatic effect, I actually replaced it lovingly on the shelves, who could harm a nice new book??!). Again I was disappointed! This isn’t to say that these are bad books, I’m sure they’ll prove awesome, but I think because I’d just finished something kind of mediocre, I just couldn’t bear to be reading anything else that wasn’t immediately seizing my attention.

Enter Geekhood, with its bright orange cover and a slogan nodding to that cult movie all geeks adore. Within a few pages, I was thrown into my younger days, but with a slightly more masculine element. Where it’s RPG gaming for our hero Archie, I had World of Warcraft and competing with model horses. Where Archie and his friends spend their weekends hidden in the Hovel deciding which miniatures to buy and paint up next, I spent mine lodged in book shop aisles figuring which I should choose to buy with my oh so valuable – and limited - funds.

It’s a stunning portrayal of a young male teen geek. It doesn’t take itself seriously – there’s more than the fair share of self-mockery in there that one can’t help thinking is too accurate to possibly not stem from real life author experience. And undoubtedly that’s what makes it both believable and frustrating for an older reader – I wanted to say ‘hey, Archie, relax! When you grow up, people are more forgiving – they’ve got over their own inadequacies and ego’s and moved on to more important things.’ But for a young reader, this book will have them saying ‘wow, it’s not just me.’

The true beauty of this book lies in its supporting cast; Archie’s fellow geeks remind us to thank God for friends who will forgive and forget when we’re acting dumb and ground us when we forget who we really are – where would we be without them? Matt in particular, shows true maturity in the level of peace he has reached with himself and what he is. Stepfather Tony is also a gem – don’t get me wrong, if I were Archie, I’d definitely think he was a “Tosser™” - but as an outsider looking in on Archie’s story, he seems like a good guy, making the best effort he can. Surprisingly, the object of Archie’s affection does nothing for me throughout the book, but then I think ultimately this just goes to show the depths of a geek – or indeed any – mind when it’s in love for the first time.

Three-quarters of the way through the book I got angry with Mr Robb. I was overtaken by righteous betrayal by Archie’s apparent transformation into non-geek! I mean, what’s wrong with being a geek? I took it like a personal insult! I mean I know plenty of geeks who have grown up just fine decent people, and yes married, with kids, all that ‘normal’ stuff. Was the author trying to suggest Geekhood was wrong?! What’s going on here?!

Luckily, and with a huge sigh of relief, normality was resumed and I was very pleased with the way the relationship between Sarah and Archie was left by the end. Not because Archie’s a geek and it was ‘inevitable,’ but because that’s life and very few first loves work out. After all, it takes time for true soul mates to find each other, and I’m really hoping there will be future books when we can see Archie fall in love with the girl he really deserves.

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clark

Goodreads Summary

Ananna of the Tanarau is the eldest daughter of a highly-ranked family in the loose assortment of cutthroats and thieves in the Pirate's Confederation. When she runs away from the marriage her parents have arranged for her, they hire Naji the assassin to murder her. When a mysterious woman in a dress shop offers her magical assistance for dealing with the assassin, Ananna accepts. She never went in much for magic herself -- she lacks the talent for it -- but she's not quite ready to die yet, either. Unfortunately, the woman's magic fails. Fortunately, Ananna inadvertently saves the assassin's life in the skirmish, thus activating a curse that had been placed on him a few years earlier. Now, whenever her life is in danger, he must protect her -- or else he experiences tremendous physical pain. Neither Ananna nor the assassin, Naji, are pleased about this development. Follow Ananna and Naji as they sail across the globe, visiting such mysterious places as the Court of Salt and Waves, in their desperate effort to lift the curse. Soon they will discover that only by completing three impossible
 tasks will they be able to set themselves free.

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 I’ll start off by saying I’m not a book reviewer, this is my first attempt. My reading also extends far and beyond young adult novels, though I do read a fair few of them. Having won an ARC of The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clark through Serendipity Reviews and publisher Strange Chemistry, I felt that I should give something back with a review... so here goes! Firstly, the cover of The Assassin’s Curse is stunning, it will stick out from the sea of Gothic pretty-girl covers a mile off at the book shop. It was the cover and synopsis that actually got me to enter the give-away (I’m not really an enter-everything kinda gal, I figure if I’m not that fussed and I happened to win, I’d be disappointing someone who did really want it!). I am a sucker for pretty covers, but hey I’ve discovered some fantastic books this way and The Assassin’s Curse is no different.

Onto the story itself, I was nearly bowled over at the word ‘tits’ two pages in, but then our heroine is a pirate, so what did I expect? I’m just so used to the niceties of most YA novels, it was actually quite refreshing as I sure as hell hear worse from real life kids standing at a bus stop.

The start was maybe a little lacking on emotional background, almost like the author was eager to start on her heroine’s adventure – why is Ananna so against marrying Tarrin of the Hariri? Throughout the book she seems so in love with her family, the sea and life as a pirate that it seems a bit ‘out-there’ to do a runner in a town slap bang in the middle of a desert with no supplies or cash. But it’s soon apparent as an impulsive act, one which is key to Ananna’s character throughout the rest of the book. It sets her apart from most YA heroine’s who, with the same use of first person perspective, treat us to an endless stream of over-analysing teenage angst when decision making. In true pirate style, Ananna sees a problem, acts and bares the consequences.

The hero is slightly on the moody secretive side, but you can’t help liking him as he gets a pummelling through the book. To stop you dismissing him as weak however, there’s a great part on board ship where he reminds the crew (and the reader)not to underestimate him and his profession. I think I was expecting more seafaring action, but what I actually got (and was by no means disappointed), was to delve into a city reminiscent of Arabia – markets selling pots of gold make up, bolts of fine fabrics, the scent of roasting goat meat skewers on the air. We get to experience the desperate heat of a desert, the cool relief of finding water and through their journey, the growing respect and trust between our initially suspicious hero and heroine. Both lead characters by profession can handle themselves in a fight, but ultimately it is Ananna that gets them through the book with her upbringing as a pirate, intuition and negotiating skills.

It’s such a pleasant change for a female lead to do the rescuing - if you’re a fan of the age old ‘knight in shining armour’ fantasy, prepare to be turned on your head. Personally, I hope The Assassin’s Curse sets a new standard for YA heroines! I initially thought this was a stand alone novel but am overjoyed that it looks like the characters will be returning. The Assassin’s Curse is a true stand out in today’s YA market.