Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel is the first in The Infernal Devices trilogy, a prequel series to the Mortal Instruments series (yes, I'm confused too). Set in a dark and eerie Victorian London it begins with the arrival of sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray, fresh off a boat from the big apple. 

A friendless orphan, Tessa has returned to England to live with her errant brother Nathaniel. In his place, Tessa is met by two cold women, the Dark sisters, and soon imprisoned in their London home. Believing Tessa to have special powers they force her to undergo painful magical transformations. It's soon clear that there's something not quite human about Tessa, but how did the sisters know? And where is Nathaniel?

Tessa's London is threatened by a magical underworld of vampires, warlocks, demons - held together by self-appointed peacemakers, The Shadowhunters. Just as the sisters begin to hint at an upcoming forced marriage to their master, The Magister, a shockingly handsome Shadowhunter named Will arrives to sweep her away to safety. 

Installed in the Shadowhunters headquarters Tessa continues to ask questions. Is she safe with The Shadowhunters? What does The Magister want with her? And why does Will mercilessly tease her one moment, then completely ignore her the next?

This is a thrilling, satisfying instalment that definitely made me keen to continue with the series. In some ways it reminded me of the Harry Potter books - multiple characters and sub-plots knocking around a building so old and impenetrable that it's almost a character in itself. Magical beings climbing out of the woodwork and a baffled but likable main character with unwanted power. That being said, I'd much rather have Tessa fighting in my corner than Harry.

There were more than enough twists to keep me reading and Cassandra Clare kept me guessing along with Tessa on which characters to trust. Whilst there are some touching scenes, genuine portrayals of friendships and a little bit of romance, most of the book is concentrated on the action. And this makes it a brilliant read. 

Enough questions were answered in this instalment for it to feel like a complete story, whilst those that went unanswered are intriguing enough to make me impatient to begin the next book. Highly recommend.

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Born into a perfectly ordered world, 16-year-old Adelice has a rare and powerful gift. She can physically weave the fabric of life to control space, time and matter. Having been brought up to respect the mysterious Spinsters that wield this power, you'd expect her to be ecstatic when she finds she can join their ranks. Instead, her first experience reeks of frustration.

Aged eight, Adelice's distress at finding an abandoned bird's nest unearths her ability: 

'As I watched, the golden strands of light flickered slightly, and I realised they were slowly moving forwards, away from the moment in front of me. They weren't simply fibres in Arras's tapestry-they were lines of time. Tentatively, I reached for one of the golden fibres. Encouraged by its silky texture, I took it and yanked it hard, trying to force the time bands back to a moment when the mama bird was guarding her precious babies. But the strands resisted. No matter what I did, they kept on creeping forward. There was no going back.' 

 It's a hard lesson: controlling the world around her doesn't guarantee the safety of those she loves.

Adelice's talent is valuable and those in power will stop at nothing to control her. Once they have her there's no going back. Having been whisked away from her family, Adelice is faced with a terrible choice: work for those that tore them apart or be killed. As her training continues she realises the extent of the Spinster's control over the public. But what exactly does the powerful Guild need Adelice for? And how much leverage does this afford her? Can it keep her own family safe, or is it too late for that?

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 I loved Gennifer Albin's concept of the world constantly changing and being woven around us. The idea of the delicate balance of life being visible and tangible really appealed to me. It's refreshing to picture a completely new type of perception and reminded me of how limited our human sight is in terms of the colour spectrum. This also led to some touching imagery of individual lives being intertwined and woven together. 

Like many novels featuring totalitarian societies Crewel raises the age-old question: should you sacrifice free will for the security of crime-free authoritarianism? Albin's twist here lies in the originality of how that security is created and physically maintained. I also liked Adelice's determination and ability to appear cocky in the face of danger. She's sharp witted and seems to have an enviable knack for banter especially with her nemesis, Guild Ambassador Cormac Patton:

'But they know more than they let on,' I press. His cologne's heavy musk is making my head swim, and I can't hold back the thoughts I've locked in since my arrival.

'They do,' he admits, 'but I have so much more power. It's easier to share little secrets when you're in charge.'

'And you are?' I ask him pointedly. 'Then why tell me? You have no more reason to trust me than they do.'

'No, I don't,' he says, 'but unlike them, I can have you killed.'

'And I thought we were finally becoming friends.' 

Cormac laughs a deep, barking cackle. 'You are delightful. I do hope I don't have to kill you.'

'Finally, something we can agree on'.

Despite these perks, I found I didn't quite root for Adelice the way I have for other YA heroines like Katniss and Hannah Baker. At times she came across as a little too superficial and flirty, without Katniss' steadfast fire and hatred of the enemy. Whilst it could be argued that this makes Adelice a more realistic teenager, I would have liked to have felt that her resistance to The Guild was fueled by universal humanitarian concern rather than self-interest. This alienation was exacerbated by the fact that she struggled to strike up friendships with the other Spinster recruits. Adelice isn't short of potential boyfriends, but she sure could a have done with a few more friends.

Having said that, I couldn't help but respect Adelice's courage, survivor instinct and wit. Gennifer Albin has woven a quirky, imaginative plot throughout this novel and I'll eagerly be looking out for the sequel.  

Crewel is due to be published in the UK by Faber and Faber in October 2012

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

'There's just no such thing as silence. Not here, not nowhere. Not when your asleep, not when yer by yerself,  never. 

I am Todd Hewitt, I think to myself with my eyes closed. I am twelve years and twelve months old. I live in Prentisstown on New World. I will be a man in one month's time exactly.'

Tired of their broken and warring planet, a band of religious settlers travel through space in search of a simple life. Despite their best intentions, things don't exactly get off to a great start when they arrive. Because this new planet has the uncomfortable effect of making your thoughts audible and this doesn't exactly make for harmonious living. 

Todd is born into this New World in a cruel dead-end town full of bitter and broken men thinking bitter and broken thoughts. The women and girls of the town were killed off by the same virus that revealed their thoughts and the only bright spots in Todd's life are his two guardians Ben and Cillian and his daft dog Manchee. On a relatively quiet farm outside the town, the family of three scrape out a bearable living until the day that Todd discovers a mysterious patch of silence. Suddenly, everything changes. The town's sinister elders come for him with rifles and Todd has no choice but to flee. But why won't Ben and Cillian tell him where he needs to go? And how come they already had a bag packed for his departure? What does the silence mean?

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Warning: this book becomes incredibly hard to put down just after the mid-way point. It's a beast of a YA novel, almost 500 pages, and the pace initially took me some getting used to, especially with the cyclical nature of Manchee and Todd's speech. Patrick Ness has positioned Todd's internal dialogue as the narrative voice, and his efforts to represent natural thought processes makes for some repetition and slow going at first. But Ness is also incredibly skilled at creating separate distinct voices which he then weaves into the narrative. And Todd's thoughts naturally quicken alongside fast paced action, in a way that brings the reader right into the thick of the story. The sights and sounds he experiences are vividly described in what feels like real-time, and as the pace built I was truly sucked into the story.

I loved how immersed I became in this book, largely down to the unpredictable action. At one point I was literally repeating 'no!' out loud and committed the sin of skipping ahead pages to make sure I wasn't reading a dream sequence.

Ness clearly has a love of delving into the psyche of dark and creepy characters and some of the most chilling parts of the novel feature Todd attempting to do the same. But at the same time, he has also created other characters that manage to be both likable and multi-dimensional. It's clear that even in the New World, nobody's perfect. I love the fact that there are no perfect heroes in this book as it feels like a much more realistic representation of human nature. In the end, it is hope and affection that sets the characters apart, rather than plain good morals.

So the plot is unpredictable, engaging and shocking enough to satisfy the most blood-thirsty of young readers. It's hard to tell whether the unusual narrative style would put hesitant readers off or engage them. I've been a fan of kooky typography since first reading Jonathan Safran Foer so perhaps I'm biased. But it's definitely well worth a read - I'll certainly be getting my mits on the sequel.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen gets mail. Mail in the form of a series of audiotapes recorded by the enigmatic Hannah Baker. Hannah is Clay's long-time crush and fellow classmate, who commited suicide two weeks earlier. Clay spends one long sleepless night listening to the tapes, and what he hears changes his life forever.

I hope you're ready, because I'm about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically; why my life ended. And if you're listening to these tapes, you're one of the reasons why.

Hannah's witty and sardonic voice is the life and soul of the book, and at times the character of Clay Jensen can seem wooden and under developed in comparison. Nevertheless, this is an easy read with emotional impact which tackles issues such as date rape and suicide in a frank and intelligent way.

Occasionally the switching between Clay and Hannah's dialogues was frustrating, mainly because Clay's voice sometimes lacked authenticity. Their story was genuinely touching however, without being overly sentimental. The premise was concise and convincing, and while the ending felt like it had perhaps stopped too suddenly, for me this just added to the tragic nature of Hannah's story.

One of the novel's best qualities is its ability to open up debate around suicide, as well as causing the reader to question how each of our actions can affect those around us. Definitely one which stayed with me long after I put it down. Worth a read.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Still job hunting for that ever illusive first paid position in publishing. In between working two jobs to save money for an internship and eating tapas with my mad friends, I'm still feeding my obsession for young adult ficiton.

Have also invested in a blackberry which is making job hunting and blogging a hundred times easier than before :D

Here's another review I've just posted of one of my favourite ever YA titles. Warning: contains spoilers! do not read if you have not already read the incredible first novel in the series, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Not only are we in the districts forced to remember the iron grip of the Capital's power each year, we are forced to celebrate it. And this year I am one of the stars of the show.
Katniss Everdeen is once again fighting for her life in this nail biting sequel. Despite surviving the deadly Hunger Games against all odds Katniss and fellow tribute Peeta are far from home safe and dry. Their survival is a direct threat to the Capital which rules them, and the gamemakers are out for revenge.

Fearing for their families' lives, Peeta and Katniss are again forced to play their part as star crossed lovers in the Capital's games. Will this be enough to keep their loved ones safe? And will Katniss succeed in her plan to keep Peeta alive by sacrificing her own life?
The incredible Hunger Games is a hard act to follow but Suzanne Collins has maintained her distinctive adrenaline fuelled pace in Catching Fire. The sequel delves deeper into the relationships between characters, especially the twisted love triangle of Peeta, Katniss and her best friend Gale.

In any other situation Katniss would come across as a spoilt brat with the choice of all the cookies in the jar. Instead, her dilemma is a direct result of the controlling and manipulative Capital. Katniss's frustration at living a life restricted by others is one which I'm sure many teenagers can relate to.

The boundaries between friend and foe blur in Catching Fire, as Katniss struggles to hold on to her sense of who and what she is fighting for. Katniss's most endearing qualities are also her faults. She is stubborn, impatient, quick to judge and completely human. By placing this apocalyptic story in the hands of such a realistic character, Collins is able to question human morals without preaching. And more importantly, this is done without interrupting the fast paced action.

A must read if you loved The Hunger Games.