Tag Archive | 14+

Manga YA – Peach Girl by Miwa Ueda

Young fiction shouldn’t be limited to just books. Whilst my experience with manga isn’t too broad, one of my favourite series in High School was Peach Girl by Miwa Ueda.

With long blonde hair, blue eyes and tanned skin, Momo is constantly being made fun of because she looks different. She can’t help the way she looks, she’s on the swim team at school and the long hours have made her skin dark and hair lighter than everyone else.

It’s a typical teenage story. A beautiful girl that is the envy of everyone else. She’s in love with the popular guy that doesn’t notice her, has a best friend that ruins her life and an annoying boy that teases her constantly.

That’s basically the premise of the series. It’s simple and focuses mainly on teenage love. This series spoke to me when I was sixteen and I still to this day love the drawings. Manga should be read more by everyone. I believe halfway through the Peach Girl series, the author even changed the format to read backwards to the front of the book, which is traditional manga. I enjoyed reading something so different and seeing the emotions of the characters through the drawings.

The series is very girly, but if you’re looking for a break from traditional books, give Peach Girl a try. A quick read finished on a train journey, this is perfect is your wanting to see a love triangle rather than just read about it.

There’s 18 manga’s in the series, I recommend buying the first few and then getting some from the library to make sure you want to invest in the series. (When I have my own library be sure this series will have it’s own shelf.)

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Jan8

Simply smashing cover!

The Earth is nearly deprived of oxygen. Pockets of Pods grace the world. Run by the company Breathe, only the wealthiest can afford air to practice sports. These are known as Premiums. Tattooed with a circle behind the ear Quinn has never known a live where one struggles to breathe. Opposite of his best friend Bea, an auxiliary who can barely afford air for her family, they plan a trip out of the pod. It’s just two friends going away for the weekend but that all changes when Quinn sees Alina.

With eyes so green they could be trees themselves, she’s the poster child for the rebellion against Breathe. There’s more to this organisation that neither Quinn nor Bea have any understanding of. On the run, Alina escapes the Pod with Quinn’s help, but it’s his attraction to this mysterious girl that opens up the barren world. There’s just one problem: their limited air supply. For Quinn and Bea, what seems like a wild goose chase will change their lives forever.

I was really excited to read Breathe, I have waited ages for it to be published, and I am so very lucky my local library has a newly published section for Young Adult books. The chapters are each told by one of the characters, Quinn, Bea or Alina. The differences in voices are spectacular, mainly because I disliked Quinn right from the beginning. Alina and Bea are strong, sure footed female voices, whereas Quinn is a typical male idiot for the most part. However, Quinn shows growth throughout the book and this was one of the reasons why I kept reading.

In a world that could easily be our future, I found myself being short of breath as I was reading. Who would want to live in a world where air is limited? How could one company be so rest assured that there would always be enough oxygen? As the book continues there are deeper, more adult questions that pop up. This isn’t just a romance, there is some real scientific concern hidden within the creative genre. I want to know how the rest of the world is faring with hardly any air and I can’t wait for the second book to get published. If you’re looking for some excitement and science fiction pondering, look no further for Breathe with have you gasping for breath once you reach the last page!

Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel

Nov15

Nora Dearly is currently trying to adjust to her once empty home becoming overrun with the undead. But in the nice cohabiting way, not running and screaming kind. With the Siege over and a vaccine found it seems there is finally hope for the living to move and rebuild alongside the dead. During a public execution however, a zombie becomes out of control and bites others. Some who have had the vaccine, but now are infected…

This is new strain of the Laz could ruin everything Nora’s father has worked for. It’s only the start as masked vigilantes start parading around town kidnapping zombies that never return. To continue a peaceful world Nora’s father is going to have to discover the root of this new infection and take down the zombie-harming group. As is those were the only problems. A gathering group of zombies called the ‘Changed’ continue to increase and they want the dangerous zombie that is somehow the beginning of answers to this undead puzzle.

My first reaction: Too long, just way too long for my taste. Perhaps it’s because I’m not huge fan of Steampunk, but I like my YA’s way under 500 pages. For those that do love zombies, romance and everything that is Steampunk, you’ll not be disappointed by Habel’s amazing continuation of her Gone With the Respiration series. What I did enjoy was the chance to see the world through previous antagonists’ Michael Allister and Vespertine Mink’s eyes. New character Laura is also gives a fresh perspective outside of the Z Corp world from the debut book and I praise Habel in her voicing talent.

Whereas the first book is about discovering and mystery, this second continuation focuses on politics. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but that’s not to say others won’t fall in love with the story further. Characters grow and relationships deepen. The cruelty of living and breathing humanity against those that are different is frighteningly current. Although set in the future, this is a modern piece of work underneath the fictional pretence. I did feel that this book left me wanting something different, but that’s me and others looking to venture back to New Victoria you will be welcomed back with open (and sometimes undead) arms.

Buy it now! (US only)

Many thanks to publisher Random House Publishing Group and author Lia Habel for providing this ARC!