Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Title and Author: The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Format: Paperback
Pages: 318
Release Date: January 10th, 2012
Publisher: Dutton Books

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Have you ever read a novel that, from the very first page, captivates you and just holds you there long after you've read the last page? Have you ever read a novel that was so heart-warming and heart-breaking and everything in between? One that made you feel a million emotions all at once? The Fault in Our Stars is one of those novels. I don't think I can describe just how amazing this book was. I laughed with the characters and cried for them when times got tough. I was still sobbing after I'd read it. When my eyes had stopped watering enough for me to be able to decipher the words on the pages,  read it all again. I honestly didn't want hazel and Augustus' story to end ever. 

{Characters}

The characters in this novel are like none I've ever encountered before. They are so full of life it's sort of hard to believe they're only fiction. I found myself getting lost in their stories and forgetting that this was all just John Green's imagination. I think it's safe to say I loved every single character. Hazel Grace, our narrator, is one of the strongest, most amazing females in the YA literary world. Having lived with cancer for four years, a quarter of her life, I would never have expected her to be as pleasant and lovely as she was. Her humour and witty comments had me smiling like an idiot and her many interactions with Augustus left me feeling giddy. Augustus was also just as spectacular with his contagiously radiant nature. he was one of those people that could make you laugh when you felt like all you wanted to do was cry. The two of them were perfect for each other and their story broke my heart. I wished with all my being that they would have more time but sadly, there wasn't much left for these two.

There were other characters besides Augustus and Hazel, of course. Isaac, Augustus' blind friend was a joy to read about. He had me on the brink of tears at some points and at others, laughing out loud. I loved their parents and how realistically they dealt with their tragic situations. 

This book is very much character-based and I'm not sure what else to say except that every single moment will touch your heart and some will leave you in tears. Be warned, it will probably leave a lasting impression in your memories and maybe smash your heart to pieces but it really is worth it. It isn't often you will stumble upon a book as brilliant as The Fault in Our Stars so if you haven't already, please do yourself a favour and read it. 

Review: On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Title and Author: On the Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta
Format: Paperback
Pages: 300
Release Date: August 28th, 2006
Publisher: Penguin Australia

I'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I tell him about Hannah, who lives in the unfinished house by the river. Hannah, who is too young to be hiding away from the world. Hannah, who found me on the Jellicoe Road six years ago.

Taylor is the leader of the boarders at the Jellicoe School. She has to keep the upper hand in the territory wars and deal with Jonah Griggs - the enigmatic leader of the cadets, and someone she thought she would never see again.

And now Hannah, the person Taylor had come to rely on, has disappeared. Taylor's only clue is a manuscript about five kids who lived in Jellicoe eighteen years ago. She needs to find out more, but this means confronting her own story, making sense of her strange, recurring dream, and finding her mother - who abandoned her on the Jellicoe Road.

The moving, joyous and brilliantly compelling new novel from the best-selling, multi-award-winning author of Looking for Alibrandi and Saving Francesca.

Melina Marchetta is one of my favourite authors of all time. I trust her whole-heartedly to create beautiful, captivating stories that anyone can cherish and enjoy. But even with this trust in my heart, I was surprised by the pure brilliantness of Jellicoe Road. This is probably my favourite book of hers. In fact, it is one of the books I hold dearest to my heart. 

I'm not even sure if I can structure this in to a review because my mind is just all over the place after re-reading it for the third time. The novel starts off slow and confusing. Everything felt disjointed and I couldn't connect with Taylor at all. But this passed after a few chapters and then suddenly everything came together and the two story lines became more evidently related than I had originally thought. Jellicoe Road introduces us to a lot of characters and it does feel overwhelming to begin with but after some time, after you get to know them as though they were real, they became important and interesting in their own ways. Every character was complex and had a history. I'm not going to even bother describing each and every one of them for you because that would take a whole novel to do. All I can say is you'll learn to love every single one of them, including Taylor and Jonah and Narnie and Webb and all the others.

The territory wars were a brilliant idea. It was essentially a war for territory between the Cadets, the Townies and the school. The Cadets' leader this year is Jonah Griggs who happens to be a part of Taylor Markham's past. As for the Townies, their leader is Santangelo who has a bit of his own history with one of Taylor's friends, Raffaela. I loved how they formed such tight bonds by the end and everything was just beautifully written. 

In the other story-line that takes place some time ago, there are five kids: Webb, Narnie, Tate, Fitz and Jules. Their story was just as heart-wrenching. I was really attached to all of them and the way their stories were carried out made me sob. Yes, actual sobbing. In fact, Jellicoe Road made me sob a lot. 

I can't stress how much I loved this book and how I think everybody should read it at least once in their lifetime. Melina Marchetta, I bow down to you. Thank you for writing such a heart-breaking, enchanting novel. 

Review: Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Title and Author: Deadly Cool, Gemma Halliday
Format: Paperback
Pages: 303
Release Date: October 11th, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren’t enough, now he’s depending on Hartley to clear his name.

But as much as Hartley wouldn’t mind seeing him squirm, she knows he’s innocent, and she’s the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school’s resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer’s next victim.

I've got to say, this book was a lot of fun to read! From the start to the end, there wasn't a single moment that left me bored. Halliday manages to create an intriguing mystery and tie in some realistic yet fantastic characters who made me smile and sometimes laugh out loud. Deadly Cool was quite a light read that I finished in two sittings. 

{Characters}

Hartley was such a real teenager, she could have been any one of the girls I go to school with. Her sense of humour and moments of embarrassment and awkwardness was such a nice change from all the I've-got-to-save-the-world-or-die-trying martyr sort of female protagonists in the YA books I've been reading. Her thoughts and state-of-mind were really believable and I'm pleased to say Hartley is not a whiny, annoying character. She's just kick-ass awesome. 

The other characters like Sam and Chase were nice and pretty much as humorous as Hartley herself. Sam, as the best friend, constantly supported Hartley and was a good friend all the way through. Chase was a pretty cool dude. He was hot too. Just saying. There was also Josh, the cheating boyfr- ex-boyfriend- who I kind of thought was a total idiot for doing the chastity queen behind the back of someone as brilliant as Hartley. I'm also really glad that Hartley didn't go crawling back to that lying scum-bag and instead held her ground (Yay! Go Hartley!)

{Plot}

The mystery throughout the whole novel was both exciting and interesting. I didn't see the ending coming, to be truthful. Personally, I thought the person and their motives was a bit far-fetched but nevertheless, it kept me on my toes throughout the whole book. I remember the moment that it all clicked and I was like aha! But then stuff happened and everything was pretty intense.

I just really have to mention that scene when she's under Chase's bed and he's taking off his clothes. I could feel her embarrassment and anxiety and could understand why she kind of didn't want to stop him. I was laughing for a solid five minutes. 

{Romance (Kind-of)}

I loved how there was no insta-love or geometrical shapes to be found here and the slow-building attraction between Chase and Hartley was sweet and at times, extremely hilarious. I can't wait to read Social Suicide and any of the books after that to see where Halliday takes these two.

All in all, a fantastic read for those of you who want a non-angsty fix of light-hearted YA. The sequel, which comes out later this month, is definitely at the top of my to-buy list.