Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Blurb from the book jacket

It happened like this.

I was stolen from an airport.

Taken from everything I knew, everything I was to.

Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him. This is my story.

A letter from nowhere.

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Stolen is the first book by debut author Lucy Christopher.

This novel follows a story of a 16 year old Gemma (the protagonist of this novel), who was supposed to be spending her summer holiday with her parents in Vietnam but is kidnapped from the Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian outback. To the harsh endless sand, dirt, heat and dryness. This setting is the epicentre of this novel, described very vividly through out the whole novel. The kidnapping was years of planning. Her captor Ty is no stereotype though. He is a typical blue-eyed and blonde hair guy. He is fit, young and extremely gorgeous. Ty only loves her and only wants her.

This is an intense and vivid tale of an unusual love story and a psychological thriller, where lines of love, obsession and need are blended together, to a point where there are no boundaries. Almost. This novel thoroughly explores the themes of madness, obsession, desire, need, dependency. And dark representation of infatuation. But it also explores kindness, self-sacrifice, and forgiveness, understanding and true friendship.

Christopher’s writing is absolutely gorgeous. It’s cleverly written and very vividly described. We are always in step with Gemma, feeling everything she feels. Stolen is written in a form of a letter written from Gemma  to Ty, reflecting on the strange and disturbing time spent in the wild outback of Australia.

This is a ‘must read’ thought-provoking novel and recommended to all!

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Blurb from book jacket

I feel the weight of the pack’s gaze.......

Grace and Sam must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping dangerous secrets. For Sam, it means grappling with his werewolf past...and figuring out a way to survive the future.

But just when they manage to find happiness, Grace realizes she’s changing in ways she could never have expected........

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The Wolves of Mercy Falls are back and it’s better than ever! This book is the heart-wrenching second instalment to the best-selling Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

 

In this second instalment we finally see Sam and Grace together and fighting hard against all the odds to stay together. But the only thing standing between them and their happiness is Grace’s parents- who take sudden interest in parenting, after a whole life time of giving her space and “a whole planet to roam”, they set rules. When they find Sam one night sleeping over, it creates uproar and makes things difficult for Sam and Grace. Grace, unhappy with her parent’s decision, becomes defiant and rebellion (go Grace!), breaking away from the conventional character from the last book.

Whilst all this happening an unknown and strange disease starts to take over Grace, changing her, which her parents do not seem to acknowledge at all and show lack of interest in. Sam on the other is baffled and puzzled as to what is going on with Grace and the stress of being the next pack leader after Beck. Also handling the new wolves. Adding into the mixture one of the new wolves Cole, who only cares about becoming a full-time wolf, whose dark past can potentially destroy the pack. Isabel on the other hand cool, nonchalant and harsh is irresistibly drawn to him.

As always Stiefvater narration and writing is just beautiful. Her writing for the POVs is extremely clear and gives a deep insight to the character’s mind. She takes us through a journey, one narrative to the other. The new character Cole brings a whole new flair to the storyline, as the plot twists and turns. Making your heart beat faster than ever.

Each character in this novel is trying to figure out something about themselves and their lives. For....

·       Sam it’s maturing, growing up, believing and having faith in his cure. Also evaluating the possibilities of the future.

·       Grace is in pain, she is changing, strong, loving and for the first time disobedient and rebelling.

·       Isabel is detached, cold, consumed, harsh, numb, direct and lonely. She is for the first time trying to connect and feel something. Reaching out.

·       Cole is hating, hiding, unpredictable, learning, and converting, for the first time giving, tolerating his own reflection and trying to forget. Moving on.

All of these create magic, making it unforgettable. This book is despairing and beautiful. It’s heart-wrenching and deep.

At times harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spell-bounding poignant love story, exploring both sides of love. It’s a book you could settle in with after a long day. Overall this book is really good, recommended to all. All fans of Twilight, Kissed by an Angel and other books of the like, will love it!