Boy on the Edge

Boy on the Edge 

by Fridrik Erlings

Synopsis:

Henry has a clubfoot and he is the target of relentless bullying. One day, in a violent fit of anger, Henry lashes out at the only family he has - his mother. Sent to live with other troubled boys at the Home of Lesser Brethren, an isolated farm perched in the craggy lava fields along the unforgiving Icelandic coast, Henry finds a precarious contentment among the cows. But it is the people, including the manic preacher who runs the home, who fuel Henry's frustration and sometimes rage as he yearns for a life and a home. Author Fridrik Erlings offers a young adult novel that explores cruelty and desperation, tenderness and remorse, but most importantly, kindness and friendship.

My Thoughts:

Henry is an outcast who can’t read, stutters and has a clubfoot.  Constantly tormented and teased at school the silent Henry lashes out, in a violent fit of rage, at the only family he has -- his mother.  Henry is then sent to live at the Home of Lesser Brethren, an isolated farm for troubled boys.  The farm is perched in the craggy lava fields along the unforgiving Icelandic coast and is run by the neurotically zealous Reverend Oswald and his kindly wife, Emily.  Henry finds acceptance among the cows he tends; however, he is still unable to build relationships with the people around him and his loneliness threatens to overcome him.  In an attempt to find a friend Henry keeps a secret from Emily and the Reverend that causes the tragedy that eventually leads to the family breaking up.   The violent and isolated setting is the ideal backdrop for a story about a boy who too is full of violence and isolation.  This is a touching novel that is highly recommended.  

Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty

by Rosamund Hodge

Synopsis: 

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a reckless bargain her father struck. And since birth, she has been training to kill him.

Betrayed by her family yet bound to obey, Nyx rails against her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, she abandons everything she''s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, disarm him, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her. As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex''s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. But even if she can bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him?  Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast,Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

My thoughts:

An engaging and complex tale that infuses elements of the Greek myth Cupid and Psyche and the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast.  Nyx has been raised to marry and murder the Gentle Lord, the tyrant held responsible for separating her land from the rest of the world and controlling the demons that haunt it.  However, once Nyx meets her new husband, Ignifex, she soon realizes he is not the monster she was brought up to believe.  She must choose between following her heart and fulfilling her duty. The tension and resulting banter between Nyx and Ignifex is lively and sharp.  This is an intricate and arresting read for teens who enjoy mythology and romantic fantasy.  

Traitor

Traitor

by Andy McNab & Robert Rigby

Synopsis

Danny Watts'' grandfather, Fergus, was a Deniable Operator in the SAS before he was betrayed, imprisoned, and falsely denounced as a traitor. Now Fergus has escaped, but the real traitor is determined to silence Fergus and Danny for good. Together Danny and Fergus are forced to go on the run in an against-the-odds battle for survival. As they try to clear Fergus'' name, Danny learns all the military field craft, trade skills, and covert operations techniques that are second nature to his grandfather. When Fergus is recaptured, Danny must put those skills to the test and rescue Fergus before it''s too late.

My thoughts:

The book has a pace that gets very quick very fast, with only brief respites for flashbacks told by the characters. The use of this fast pace made me feel like I was there with Danny and with Fergus. Overall this is an extremely well written book that will pull you in and never let you go. It has a masterfully executed style and a pace that doesn’t let you get a breath except when you are about to settle down for a nice night’s rest  in a metro tunnel way.  The pace of the book made me want to keep reading even when I shouldn't. 

As I read this book I realized that the glossary in the beginning of the book was not just to show off the knowledge of the writers but to help you understand all of the acronyms used by the characters in the book.  However, the constant use of the acronyms was annoying because it kept breaking my immersion to have to flip back to the beginning of the book to understand what something means, like SOP meaning “standard operating procedure” which I commonly forgot. Overall I would have to say that this book is an extremely fun, well paced read that takes the reader out of the world of reality and into a world of danger and suspense. The few downers I found were that it was a very light read with easy wording (apart from the acronyms). So it didn’t take very long to finish. The use of the acronyms tore my attention away from the book and took me back into the fact that it is only a book, not some other world/dimension to get immersed in.

reviewed by R.W., Grade 10 Scona student

The Lost World

The Lost World

by Michael Crichton

Synopsis:

It is now six years since the secret disaster at Jurassic Park, six years since the extraordinary dream of science and imagination came to a crashing end-the dinosaurs destroyed, the park dismantled, and the island indefinitely closed to the public.
 There are rumors that something has survived. . . .

My Thoughts:

I personally loved this book! If you loved "jurassic park" , "The Lost World" is for you! The book is equally thrilling and just as sci fi spectacular as Jurassic park and fits perfectly as the next book in the series. If you haven't read Jurassic park you are missing out! like any good book it is a heck of a lot better than the movie and  is a perfect sci fiction/thriller!

"The Lost World" is a perfect speed, but first it provides you with some crazy science info so you can understand what the nerds in this book are talking about. Then it cuts to the chase. I can honestly say i read this book in 7 sittings. Full of suspense, wonder (a few casualties along the way) and evil this book WILL keep you reading! I have never been so terrified of a book before! I know it sounds far fetched and cheesy, but these dinosaurs are scary! The raptors (the most common terror) will haunt you to the end of the book, the mere mention of them makes you cringe . "They were all snareling and licking the blood off their snouts, wipingtheir faces with their clawed forearms, an intellegent gesture almost human" (Chrichton 335), does that not send a disturbing mental inage to your brain? Michael Crichton doesn't hold anything back! you have peoples faces being eaten, stand-offs with chameleon-dinos and chicken like scavengers dinos munching on partially alive humans! Most of all this book is crammed with suspenseful situations where you find yourself holding your breath. A truly well written book and a must read for anyone who wants a scary read!

reviewed by A.R., Grade 10 Scona student

Love & Lies

Love & Lies

by Ellen Wittlinger

Synopsis:

Marisol Guzman from Hard Love is older and wiser. She has graduated from high school and deferred Stanford for a year so she can pursue her newest dream, writing a novel. She has taken an apartment in Somerville with her best friend Birdie, a waitressing job at the legendary Mug in Cambridge, and signed up for "How To Write Your First Novel" at the adult learning annex. 

But on the first day, she isn''t sure what is a bigger suprise, that Gio is in her class or that it is being taught by Olivia Frost, the most beautiful, intelligent woman she has ever laid eyes on. Between that; Birdie bringing home his new boyfriend (who is equally afraid of Marisol and the cat) to live with them; and Lee, a high school senior who has fallen head over heels for Marisol, she can hardly keep things straight. Especially once she herself falls into her first real relationship with the twenty-eight year old Olivia. 

As Marisol becomes more and more involved with Olivia, she begins to wonder if she is too blinded by love to see the truth.

My thoughts:

This novel was interesting at first and definitely took a while to acquire the characters and realize the theme but it is a very intense book because of many drama mishaps throughout Love and Lies. The characters grew on me eventually and all have unique personalities to admire. Specifically one of Marisol's best guy friends who is a generally round character. He has a good sense of humour and auspiciousness to him. Another character that brought my interest is her sister, even though she has a sassy attitude, that wit brought out her true personality which is always a good factor in any person.  I like the authors style of writing mainly because I found it easy to read and interpret what she was trying to convey. For example I definitely connected with the sense of humour she constantly had throughout the story and that helped me read it. The characters were mainly very well-rounded which is a plus and made it intriguing. There was a good amount of dialogue used which also connected me to the novel.

reviewed by C. M., Grade 10 Scona student