Welcome to the September YA SpecFic round up! Over the last month we’ve had 8 reviews submitted.
The Psychopath, the Empath and the Genius have figured out what they think they need to do. The three children of The Telling will either end the war that threatens the world or contribute to its ultimate destruction.
Immortal Combat is the third book in The Telling series by Giarratano, which follows three siblings – the three children of the Telling – as they face a choice to use their powers and save the world, or watch it get destroyed. Bree @ 1 Girl, 2 Many Books reviewed it and says “I think that Leah Giarratano has attempted something very new and different here and has managed to pull it off pretty well.” She encourages others to read the series as well: “This series is very clever, very well thought out and very detailed – I’ve thought that since the beginning.” The Telling consists of Disharmony, The Laeduin, and Immortal Combat.
Fin is just an ordinary teenager – coping with his parent’s separation and his father’s subsequent remarriage, struggling his way through high school and crushing on one of the most sophisticated girls in his class, trying to get her to notice him. They study for history together but Fin would definitely like more than that.
But then one day changes everything. A nearby country was supposed to be testing nuclear weapons only they turned them on neighbouring countries, almost obliterating some off the map. Australia is greatly affected by the fallout – the electricity and phones fail rendering most people clueless as to what’s going on. It’s dark, freezing cold and snow is falling. His father, who left to follow his new wife after a family argument, has not returned by the next day. Fin and his younger brother Max are alone. The small amount of warning he was given by his mother that something had gone wrong had allowed him to stock up on some cans of food and fill containers with water. They have enough to get by – for now.
Bree also reviewed Claire Zorn’s A Sky so Heavy this month, an apocalyptic novel set in the Blue Mountains in NSW. This novel is very high up in my To Read list, especially after reading Bree’s praises: “This is a clever, well written book that makes it all too easy for the reader to put themselves in Fin’s shoes and think about what they’d do, how they’d react.”
Lee @ Rally the Readers reviewed the second and third instalments of Melina Marchetta’s Chronicles of Lumatere this month, and she loved both of them. As many other readers often remark, these are two books you really need to read back-to-back to get the full experience. Lee describes Froi of the Exiles (Chronicles of Lumatere #2) as “a mesmerizing fantasy in which the blood of a people sings to one another, some individuals are touched by the gods, and the spirits of the departed are sung home”, and of Quintana of Charyn (Chronicles of Lumatere #3) “I found this conclusion to the series beyond rewarding”. If that doesn’t make you want to read Melina Marchetta’s awesome Fantasy series, beginning with Finnikin of the Rock, I don’t know what will!
Lee also reviewed Shadows by Paula Weston this month, a book that sits very close to my heart because of its sheer awesome. Lee really captures the book in her review – “a captivating take on angel lore but also vividly brings that lore to life all while cleverly unraveling the story of a young woman who doesn’t even realize she’s forgotten who she really is until a stranger with a somehow familiar face appears. Intriguing premise? Oh, yes.” Both Lee and I are really excited to read the sequel, Haze.
Above all else, though I try not to think about it, I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed. There is no loophole.
The final review I’d like to highlight in this round-up is of Jessica Shirvington’s brilliant novel about a girl who lives in two different realities: Between the Lives. Jess @ The Never Ending Bookshelf concludes her stunning review with “At it’s core, Between the Lives is a book about love and life, the need to be perfect and the heartbreak that comes hand-in-hand with life. It’s powerful and beautifully written, but most importantly, it’s a book I wish more people knew about.” I also wish this book gets the attention it deserves, it’s simply superb.
The other books reviewed last month for the YA SpecFic category are:
- The Dragon Box by Katie W. Stewart – reviewed by Brenda
- In-Human by Anna Dusk – reviewed by writereaderly
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About Me
Hi! I’m Shaheen from Speculating on SpecFic, a book blog dedicated to works of speculative fiction – fantasy, science fiction, magic realism, paranormal romance and much more. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love reading and use my blog to peddle my love to others. When not reading (rare times indeed), I can be found completing my PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics.