Blackout ~ Kit Mallory

For 16-year-old Skyler, fear is a way of life.

Ever since the Wall split the UK in two, her survival as an illegal Northern refugee in the South has been a relentless knife-edge balance between evading the brutal, corrupt Board and clinging to her reputation as the South's best hacker. 

But Skyler's sick of living in fear - and she's got nothing left to lose. So when fellow Northerner Mackenzie unwittingly hands her a chance to exact revenge on the regime that destroyed her home and family, she seizes it.

She's about to start a fire.

Shortlisted for the 2016 Mslexia Children's Novel Competition and longlisted for the 2016 Bath Children's Novel Award, BLACKOUT is a story of resistance, friendship and survival.

Book Review:

A couple of months ago, Kit Mallory, reached out to me and asked if she could send me an ARC of her debut novel Blackout. She informed me that it had a badass female lead and a dystopian world. I looked at her Goodreads page and agreed to read and review it. However, I am going to be completely honest in this review, even though she was generous enough to send me a copy. 

When I received the book in the mail and read the back,  I realized that this would not have been a book that I would have bought had I just read the back. However, I am so glad that I read it! I haven't read any dystopian novels since The Hunger Games and Divergent fads while I was in high school. Also, I haven't read many books set in other countries. I usually find them hard to picture in my head when I read them. With Blackout, I was vividly able to picture this divided UK, particularly the South, and found the dystopian feel reminding me why I used to love books like this. 

I did have a few issues with the book, though. One of my qualms was that I found it hard to really get to know the characters. That may be because it is the first in a series and building the world and the history of the characters was slightly more important than the reader obtaining a deeper connection with the characters. I do feel as though I obtained more of an understanding of both Kit and Mack during the flashbacks though and I did really feel myself connecting with them during those moments. Some of my other qualms are more to deal with specific plot points that I cannot mention without spoiling parts of the book. However, the few qualms that I did have do not outweigh my enjoyment for the book as a whole.  

I loved that there was mental illness representation in Mack's character and am curious how he is going to cope with the change that I imagine will be coming in book two. It was also great to have some LGBTQ representation with the female/female relationship. I do believe that this is the first book I have read with that dynamic. I have read a few with female/female relationships within side characters but never in the core group. I am excited to see how that relationship is going to prevail or decline as the series goes on. 

I am very excited for the coming books in the series. And I think that it is awesome that Kit Mallory is self-publishing; showing other readers and writers that you don't have to wait for some big company to finally read your work in order to become a badass author. Also, girl power!

I've included the Amazon link to purchase the book. It is out tomorrow!

Pages: 360                                                                                                                                Rate: 5/5

It's Kind Of A Funny Story ~ Ned Vizzini

Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself. 

Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety. 

Book Review:

Going in to this book I was expecting a valid portrayal of mental illness because I knew that Vizzini suffered from mental illness himself. I was not wrong. I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I have yet to really pinpoint the exact triggers or how to cope in certain situations but I feel that I am in a good place, not that I have every been in as bad of a place as our main character, Craig. I was really happy with the mental conflicts within Craig. I loved the backstory, where we learn how his illness developed. 

Vizzini's writing style is incomparable to anyone else. I have yet to read a story with a character suffering, at this extent, from mental illness, that is so raw and emotionally draining and impactful. It really was just an amazing read. 

Pages: 444                                                                                    Rate: 5/5

Book Discussion: SPOILERS!!!

The friendships that Craig had before admitting himself into the hospital, in my opinion, were his greatest downfall. He thought that he was in love or at least had the biggest crush on his best friends girlfriend. His best friend barely had parents and threw parties and did drugs all of the time. Yes, all of these people were smart, but sometimes, intellectual abilities don't make the best people. 

The friendships that he made in the hospital, though strange and probably not life long, were good for him. They allowed him to heal. He was able to face his "tentacles," find his "anchor," and finally eat without being sick. That may be because of the environment and the being back on his medications, but either way, he was able to manage his mental illness, which is all that you can do. 

His family was also really sweet. His mother was a little overbearing. His father was a bit cynical. They both really loved him though and really would do anything to help him. His little sister was great. I loved that relationship. They knew each other so well