A YA relationship rant

I'm a couple of months out of date for a post about Valentine's Day, but I've officially reached a point where I need to rant about how relationships are portrayed in YA fiction. How come nearly everybody ends up with their true love, who they just happened to meet at 16 (or younger)? Why are single people relegated to the sidelines?

I should probably make a few caveats: firstly, I know I'm an adult (mid-twenties, sob!) and should remember that teenagers/young adults will probably have a different view on this to me, especially if they're in love themselves. Then, I know books aren't supposed to be realistic, otherwise where would we escape to? There needs to be some parts that readers can relate to, though. As someone who has suffered confidence issues and has consequently been single for much of my life (especially as a teenager), I haven't seen many books that have reassured me that it's fine to be single.

I don't generally read any mushy, pass-me-a-bucket stuff out of preference, but relationships are featured in 99.9% of the books I've read. As the intended audience is young adults, this is understandable: many have been in love (or infatuation), and to be honest, it does make things more interesting. It's great to be able to imagine a lot of what goes on, and there are loads of authors that have completely nailed the sexual chemistry between their characters. There's a fine line between writing a stale ending vs something that takes reality more into account though. Is it really important to have the happy ending if it means that some characters are more believable? What I'm mainly talking about are the endings. Here are some examples (spoilers, sorry!):

The Harry Potter series, by JK Rowling

Nice, neat, stale ending. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but even while reading it, I knew that I shouldn't have expected anything different. Everything panned out to create the perfect happy ending. Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione; one big Weasley family. That's great, I thought. Harry was officially incorporated into the family he always wanted, and Ron (who, while awesome, it has to be said was average in comparison to Harry and Hermione) wasn't left out as he so often was in the books. Obviously, nobody was left to the fate worse than death: singledom.

Recently, JK Rowling mentioned that she regretted not pairing Harry and Hermione up. At the time, I was outraged, but if I admit the truth to myself, mixing the pairings up probably would have made for a more interesting ending. A common criticism of Harry and Ginny's relationship is that while Harry is the hero of the series, you can't say much for Ginny's personality. She's a little feisty, but generally, just 'nice'. Considering how Molly and Arthur Weasley pretty much adopted Harry from the start anyway, why couldn't he have ended up with Cho Chang? Or, given that the epilogue was set when the main characters were in their 30s, someone else he met in the meantime? My inner child won't let me accept the demise of Ron and Hermione's marriage though. Without their bickering, old-person relationship, I can't bear that Ron would probably have married (and divorced) a bimbo and Hermione some clever corporate bland-face. There's only so much a girl can take.

The Soulkeepers series, by GP Ching

I really enjoyed the whole series of this; it was an original premise, the lovey dovey stuff was well done, and I loved the action. I even got goosebumps during the ending. BUT, during the ending I also got quite cross.

*** (This is where the spoilers come in. I'd advise you to read the books first before reading this as they really are well worth it.) ***

Throughout most of the books, there's a Soulkeeper called Bonnie, whose twin sister Samantha gets paired off with one of the male Soulkeepers fairly quickly. The books discuss Bonnie's fear of losing her sister to a boy, and also, I felt, jealousy that she was still single - completely natural. She later appears to have feelings for Cord, the Watcher turned angel, but he dies. At the end of the books everybody is not just paired off, but married (in their mid twenties, when they all met at around 16 - what are the chances?!) and some have children. This is all except for, you guessed it: Bonnie. Instead, she becomes a pastor. It really annoyed me that, as the odd one out, she was kept single and given a career that I'm not sure suited her (although I think pastors can marry). However, Cheveyo, who struck me as a real player, is with a woman he knew at the start of the book, and not single/with some bimbo. I think what I'm trying to say here is that characters are paired up for the sake of it, regardless of their personalities. If there's an odd person out, they can be single, but in this book the metaphor is that her partner has been replaced by God.

The Fault in our Stars, by John Green

Not that I'm going to see the film, but I bet it's a good scene!

Now this is an example of a single person's portrayal that I did like. Granted, the story is about Hazel and Augustus, but the inclusion of Isaac made the book even better, in my opinion. Within the context of the story, nothing is contrived, whether it's his and Monica's full-on kissing and I-love-yous, or that he, Gus and Hazel went and threw eggs at Monica's car when she dumped him. It's something I can see happening. Isaac just lost his eyesight but he's more worried about Monica having dumped him; that's one of the 'teenagers are weird' moments that totally do happen. John Green nailed it.

C'mon authors. Stop me feeling like this about being single:

What do you think? Am I the only one that wants to see more happily single characters?

Review and excerpt: Render, by Stephanie Fleshman

Before I start on the review, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who entered my birthday giveaway. I'll definitely hold more! A winner has been chosen: Mary B. If this is you, I've emailed you!

Render, by Stephanie Fleshman
Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com

A betrayal born of blood. A curse for a gift. A love worth saving…

Seventeen-year-old Raya Whitney thought she knew Koldan – until a sudden turn of events threatens both their lives.

I was given this book free by Novel Publicity in order to take part in their Render blog tour. I am very grateful for this, but in the spirit of honesty, must confess that I didn’t really know what to make of the plot.

The story is written from the point of view of two characters: Koldan and his girlfriend, Raya, whom Koldan intends to propose to. While this isn’t usually a problem, I found that the ‘voices’ of the characters were fairly similar, so I didn’t think the technique added as much as it could have. Both seemed older than their years in their knowledge (at 17, Koldan has already been to pre-med training at Harvard) and speech; it’s only certain aspects of their behaviour that reveals them to be teenagers.

Then there’s something that is probably only my bugbear. As a couple, Koldan and Raya are very touchy-feely, and at times this overwhelmed the other feelings they were supposed to be having at different points in the book. For example, just before Koldan’s grandfather’s funeral, I didn’t get any real sense of sadness, just lust, where he wanted to keep kissing Raya. There are also hints of teenage angst in their love for each other, even when there’s no reason for there to be.

Despite what it sounds like, there were parts of this book I enjoyed. When the action got going, the pace was good and there were some parts of the plot and setting that were really original and that I wasn’t expecting. The banter between the characters (and in this I’m including Koldan’s brother, Lukas, and best friend, Ethan) was quite funny at times, too.

The moment I ‘got into’ this book was at 70%, which generally I wouldn’t count as brilliant, but I have a feeling it’s intended to set the scene for the next book/s. The background is a little complicated, and I think Stephanie Fleshman wanted to establish the background between Koldan, Raya and the others, as well as the family history, before branching into the ‘real’ action. The book gets 2.5-3 stars from me for the last third of the book that was good, although I’m not sure if I would read the second book. That’s just me though – I think those with an interest in mystery/action books who don’t mind a bit of in-yer-face romance and are always looking for something original would love it.

* * * * * * * * * *

  As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, Render, the debut YA Paranormal novel by Stephanie Fleshman, is on sale for just 99 cents! What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include a Kindle Fire, $550 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book. All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment - easy to enter; easy to win! To win the prizes:

1. Get Render at its discounted price of 99 cents
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest at the bottom of the page
3. Visit the featured social media events
4. Leave a comment on my blog for a chance at a $100 prize.

Stephanie Fleshman graduated with a degree in psychology and has family throughout the United States as well as in Thessaloniki and Athens, Greece. Visit Stephanie on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Render: an excerpt

I spin around and pull her to me, sighing as her arms lock around my neck. I lower my face to her hair, turning it into the curve of her neck to breathe her in.

 Her body molds to mine, lithe and boneless, and my arms swallow her as I tighten my hold. It softens all the hard points, the tension I’d been holding onto, smoothing the muscles in my shoulders and back.

 “You have great problem-solving skills, by the way,” I tell her softly in her ear.

 Keeping her arms around me, she leans back against the wall to look at me, a baffled expression on her face, whether in relation to the compliment or the unexpected direction in conversation, I don’t know.

 “Do I?” Her voice lifts in a flirtatious pitch.

 “Mmm. It’s why I asked you out,” I tease. “You solved most of my problems just by agreeing.” Looking back, I realize just how true this is, though I doubt she’ll take me seriously.

Her lips curl in an obliging smile, and her eyes say it all, disbelieving in their beauty, corroborating what I already knew. But she’s still smiling, and I alone am responsible for that.

 She curls her hand around the side of my neck, and I feel her thumb glide over the scar behind my earlobe, one I incurred at fourteen, when Lukas slammed my head into the bathroom mirror. Then I broke his collarbone. Both of us ended up in the emergency room that morning, an incident that resulted in our father leaving for work a half hour later. It’s always quieter when our father is home.

 “How are you doing?” she asks, looking up to search my eyes.

I slide my hands from the small of her back to her waist, as my gaze sweeps from shoulder to shoulder. I can already feel the ground of normalcy beneath me, her presence holding the pieces of my life together, when it seems everything can come apart at any moment. “Good now that you’re here.”

 This seems to make her both happy and sad. A look of gloom passes over her face even as a small smile touches her lips. Then her eyes trail down the front of my body, taking in my suit jacket and pants. “You look like a lawyer,” she comments. “Straight from the courtroom.”

 I can’t remember a time when she’s ever seen me in a suit. The closest is the tux I wore to her senior prom two months ago, which is not much different than what I wear now.

“It suits you.”

I raise my eyebrows in doubt. “What? Looking like a lawyer?”

“Not just a lawyer. You look…professional.” Then, with a full smile, she adds, “I like it.”


“Ah,” I say, mirroring her smile as I grasp her meaning. “I like that you’re my biggest fan.”

Her teeth shine bright against her tan skin. She drops her arms to her sides, and I lace my fingers through hers. She smells of honeysuckle, vanilla, and lavender all at once, with soft underlying notes I can’t name, a scent that swirls inside me, tantalizing every cell in my body.

I lean forward, canting my head slightly to fit my lips to hers. I have to fight to keep the rhythm slow, to savor every second. But when her mouth opens, urgency builds within me, and I press farther. Too soon, though, she’s pulling away, leaving my blood pumping in a hot stream and my heart pounding against my chest.

I place a hand on the wall behind her and lean forward, closing the narrow space she’s put between us.

“I wasn’t finished,” I say.

I’m already tilting my head to kiss her again when she stops me with one word. “Wait.”

“Wait?” I mutter against her lips. I feel her palms on my chest, easing me back. It’s hard to concentrate on anything but touching her, but I slowly resign myself to the conversation that is apparently inevitable, when my only instinct is to kiss her. I straighten and meet her eyes, which does nothing to tame my thoughts.

“I got your note,” she says.

When I started mowing Mrs. Whitney’s lawn, Elizabeth gave me a key, so I could let myself in when they weren’t home. In the beginning, I would leave Raya notes on her dresser, not knowing at the time that she’d actually keep them. When she showed me every note I’d ever written her, my first instinct was to laugh, because it seemed senseless. But then I saw how impressed she was and felt empowered that I could make her so happy. She probably has a shoebox full of notes by now.

 I back her against the wall until we’re touching from hips to shoulders. Her eyes, as warm and green as summer leaves, meet mine. She’s looking at me as if I did something amazing, but just in case, I ask, “Is that all? Or is there something else you want to add, because I’d really like to kiss you right now?” Her eyes dip momentarily to my mouth.

“I was going to thank you for the note, but you distracted me.” 


“You don’t need words for that.”  

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Insurgent, by Veronica Roth

Insurgent (Divergent #2), by Veronica Roth
Published by HarperCollins Children's Books
Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com

One choice can transform you, or destroy you. Every choice has consequences, and unrest surges in the factions all around her. Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves, and herself, while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

This is the second book in the Divergent series, and the action was as thick and fast as the first. Its fast pace and some unexpected twists have left me really frustrated that the next book isn't out until October. Having finished Insurgent, I sounded like Verruca Salt when talking about Allegiant - "I want it now!" I recently read one of Veronica Roth's tweets that said it'll be from both Tris and Tobias's points of view - intriguing!

Anyway, going back to Insurgent, I loved that as a reader I got to peek into the lives of the other factions, and the factionless. Candor's truth serum and Amity's happy drugs were really interesting, and totally believable in the dystopia it's set in. Something else I could really believe in was Tris's grief and shock over who she killed in the first book. I could completely understand why she was afraid to shoot a gun, and it added human vulnerabilities that can sometimes be lacking in female protagonists.

The only possible issues I had with Insurgent was that there were issues between Tris and Tobias. This is where my hypocrisy kicks in, haha! It's completely understandable that sometimes they have arguments, but sometimes I was a little frustrated by it. Roth writes the sexual tension between them really well, and I wanted more of that and less of the squabbling, haha! It's a brilliant book, and I'll definitely be reviewing the next one once it's out!

It's my birthday on Thursday, and to celebrate I'll be hosting a giveaway - a book of your choice worth up to £15 (or equivalent), plus a book of your choice that I've reviewed on this blog. Please stop by in a couple of days and enter!

Newes From the Dead, by Mary Hooper

Newes From the Dead, by Mary Hooper
Published by Totally Random Books
Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com

In 1650 Anne Green, a young servant girl, gave birth prematurely to an illegitimate child. Sadly the baby died and poor Anne was falsely accused of infanticide. In front of a large crowd she was hanged and then carried to the College of Physicians to be dissected for medical science. But as Anne's corpse lay on the table and the doctors assembled, a strange rattle was heard in her throat. Could she still be alive?

First off, sorry for the lateness of this post - I meant to do it for last week, but haven't been too well, and writing was the last thing on my mind! The history post will be published tomorrow as I've been thinking that the posts get a little too long both with a review and history!

I stumbled across the blurb of this book while looking at the Totally Random Books website. It's really intriguing and, as I read around, I could see that the book is based on a true story. That was it, I had to buy it! It didn't disappoint, and I read it in a day.

While this is a YA book, it's worth pointing out that it deals with some really adult themes, which is something to consider if you're thinking of letting a teenager read it. I'll outline the main points in the next paragraph, so if you don't want any spoilers at all, skip this bit. The chapters flick between the events that led up to Anne's hanging, and what happens while she's laid on the dissecting table, apparently dead. Her downfall comes when the master's grandson promises her the world in exchange for him getting his end away, shall we say. As tends to happen, she becomes pregnant, which she manages to keep a secret until she miscarries. She has the 'audacity' to tell people who the father was, so never receives a fair trial, and is sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of her child. Her sentence is carried out, but she regains consciousness while on the dissecting table. However, she's unable to move a muscle, even to scream.

Anne is a nice girl with a promising, if humble, future, and I liked her. Even while I was willing her not to trust the father of her child, I could understand why she did what she did, and I felt really sorry for her as she lost a lot. The events of both storylines were fascinating, and in the dissection chapters I was constantly willing the doctors to notice what was going on. Although I knew they wouldn't cut into her and it was a little drawn out, some parts got quite tense, which I liked.

Being a sucker for history, I really liked the way everything was portrayed. Mary Hooper, the author, made me realise how important it was in how you were perceived in those times - if you think gossip can be bad now, it was a million times worse in 1650, when holding someone's hand, even for an innocent reason, can potentially start a deadly rumour. I thought the book brought across everything that would have happened at the time really accurately and realistically. I know the author had true events to go on, but Anne's life before her hanging was all imagined. There's a note from Hooper at the end that specifies what records say about what happened to Anne Green after her hanging, which is also really interesting. I'll definitely be checking out more of Hooper's books!

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

Divergent, by Veronica Roth
Published by Katherine Tegen Books
Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com

She turns to face the future in a world that's falling apart.

For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs. Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead...

Wow. Wow. Just, wow. That was brilliant. I've read many blog posts that say how good Divergent is, but it's still taken me this long to read it. I've just finished it, and the effect is like any of the greatest books: I feel as though I've been taken on the biggest, fastest rollercoaster, then been dragged through a hedge backwards, and I've got the biggest grin on my face. There'll be quite some book hangover tomorrow.

At the age of sixteen, every teenager must choose a faction in which to live the rest of their lives. Tris (or Beatrice) can choose to stay with her family in Abnegation, which values selflessness above all else, or choose one of the other four and go it alone. However, where for most teenagers it's a simple choice, Tris thinks differently to other people, and this makes her life dangerous. She's divergent.

I found Tris to be a really relatable character. Strong as hell, obviously - which YA protagonist isn't, nowadays?! Plus, while it was obvious to see who was good and who was bad, there were flaws even in the good characters that made the relationships really realistic. I must admit, it took me a while to see the appeal of Dauntless, a faction that values bravery, but there's so much action, and I was rooting for Tris the whole way.

Plus, if anyone regularly reads my blog, they'll know I hate all sorts of insta-love and romance in YA in general. BUT... The relationship between Tris and Four was really well written, with a lot of build up. Some of Tris's fears about it are also shown, which again made everything so much more realistic.

Everything that happened in the book was so vivid, I can easily imagine what the film will be like when it comes out next year. Tris is being played by Shailene Woodley, who is also going to be playing Hazel in The Fault in our Stars, so the actress has a lot to live up to! Four is being played by Theo James, and while he wasn't what I was expecting, phwoar! 'Nuff said.

Read the book. Read it. Go on! As for me, I'll be buying Insurgent as soon as I press the publish button.

ACID, by Emma Pass

ACID, by Emma Pass
Published by Random House Children's Publishing
Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com

ACID - the most brutal police force in history. They rule with an iron fist. They see everything. They know everything. They locked me away for life.

My crime? They say I murdered my parents. I was fifteen years old.

My name is Jenna Strong. 

Firstly, thank you very much to Totally Random Books for sending me a copy of this - I won a competition, woohoo! Plus I owe another thank you since this book saved my life a bit on holiday. I've already mentioned that my Kindle broke a week in, and this was the only paperback in my suitcase.

It was for that reason that I was hoping the book would be fairly mediocre. I could take my time, ration the pages and make it last for as long as possible. Did that happen? Nope. The book was full of twists and, while I could guess some of the events before they were about to happen, I was completely surprised a few times by some unexpected turns. I finished it in a couple of days, and then managed to get my friend to read it in exchange for her Kindle - she enjoyed it too!

Firstly, I really liked Jenna Strong. She's a really strong character - one that readers might want to be, without being infallible. She more than managed to hold her own as the only girl (let alone teenaged) in a male prison, after all. While there is a love interest in the story and it was pretty instalove-ish, it wasn't overwhelming and (other than the events surrounding how they met/got on) I found Jenna's feelings on the matter to be fairly realistic at times. Also, within the book there are newspaper reports and different types of media scattered throughout, so as to give different perspectives and tease a little about what was about to come Jenna's way. I loved that!

To me, ACID was a contemporary, young adult version of 1984. Now, I know I've made a similar comparison recently (with Uglies), and it's not something I intend on doing often, but let me explain. While the government (also the police force, known as ACID) can't watch the doings of the population through a telescreen, they can make sure citizens watch their news updates for at least 5 hours a day, give people a LifePartner (a compulsory arranged marriage based on compatibility) and make sure those who step out of line are informed upon and punished. Every person must have an identity card - which they use in a similar way to London's Oyster, but to pay for anything - and a komm, which I pictured like the below, from Doctor Who. It's like a heavily censored mobile phone/internet device. While there are obviously differences between the two books, do you see what I mean?!

I've read a fair few reviews of this book on Goodreads and other blogs, and note that a few of them mention the number of plot holes. Thinking back to when I was reading the book, I can see a couple but for me at the time, I didn't much care. The pace and events were fast and exciting enough for me to stay interested and not question things too much. Plus, as far as I know it was the same for my friend - the only thing she picked up on that jarred her was the use of the first person present tense. If you like dystopias, definitely give this one a try!