Review

Gone by Lisa McMann  3 stars

After 'Wake' and 'Fade' I was disappointed with 'Gone'. I was expecting something else, and it really felt like the epilogue to 'Fade'. That's essentially what it could have been.

The writing was great, everything was up to the standards of the last two, I just felt as though the Author wanted to wrap things up nicely, almost a 'happily ever after' with issues..

The idea of the 'no win' situation was good, that really there was no magical solution to her problems and that she could run or stay and fight hard. Her boyfriend Cabel can't deal with all the issues on hand but I think he is a bloody prince for at least trying and sticking it out. He has terrible nightmares which Janie is inadvertently sucked into and they display all the issues that he can't talk about. This creates a void between him and Janie and it grates on her that Cabel won't talk about their doomed future. But Janie herself doesn't talk to Cabel about what she is thinking, about what she really wants, their both guilty of that.

I feel the author had left herself the opportunity to write a third book, whether it was necessary... well you be the judge of that.

There is a FREE online story by Lisa McMann which is told from Cabel's POV. It's from Wake when he first discovers Janie's secret. Click here for Cabel's Story

Review

Fade by Lisa McMann  5 Stars

Well.. This book took me through the ringer..

It was happy, nice, tense, uncomfortable, scary, uncomfortable, creepy, sad, really sad, and at the end of it I mostly felt sad and creeped out.. Really creeped out!

I guess it was the subject matter that it dealt with. Janie is asked to use her Dream Catching ability to discover what Teacher at her high school is a sexual predator on the students. So you think, okay maybe it might get a little uncomfortable to read in certain areas.

Allot uncomfortable! I was creeped out. Its very good and very well done, but I shuddered for at least a few hours afterwards.

Again this dealt with subject matter that is not cookie cutter, 'I like the cute guy in school and he won't look at me.' It dealt with abuse, sex, rape, date rape drugs, under age drinking, sex with minors, pills, inappropriate behaviour, oh it's all really juicy stuff.

But it also dealt with love and relationships and how people deal with emotional and physical abuse, how we 'get over' things that are done to us. Can we?

I guess the reason I felt so sad and creeped out is because this stuff does actually happen in our schools and really it's every girls, kids, parents nightmare.

Very good and I am waiting for my copy of 'Gone.'

I just got the cover of the book! dah!

Review

Wake by Lisa McMann  4 Stars

I had heard very mixed review about this book, but I am more than happy to give something a go and make my own judgement of a book. Well at least I try to.

I was pleasantly surprised with this story. It was different, I like how it was written. By giving you a sense of time it made it fast paced and tense. I really felt for Janie, poor thing! Her curse of being a DreamCatcher is not something you would wish on anybody. It's odd to have your heroine with a power that your reader would NOT want to have. That is not the norm, I mean everyone wants Spidermans powers, don't they? Does anyone consider the changes to Peter Parkers life, would he ever change things back, if he could? Would he have more time for a normal life with whatshername if he weren't Spiderman 50% of time? So is this special ability a gift or a curse??

How Janie and Cabel are two very damaged people that find love and understanding and safety with each other, that was really lovely. Such a sweet story developed in the changing relationships, between her Best Friend Carrie, Melinda and Cabel. It shifts very quickly when Lisa McMann wants it to.

Sometimes in Young Adult novels, drugs, alcohol and sex and all that ugly 'teen' stuff is glossed over and pushed right out to the edge, so you don't even see it. But this book really shoved it in your face and it was good to be shocked a little.

Can't wait to see what 'Fade' has in store for me.