Struck By Lightning
Entertainingly sarky high school novella by the Glee star.
I bought the book after being entertained by the film’s trailer.
It’s told in the form of the lead character’s diary as he blackmails his way through the school popular elite in order to publish a literary magazine to strengthen his college application.
The story is told for maximum dark humour and with absolutely no interest in making the central character sympathetic.
Not outstanding but certainly worth a read.
Divergent
This is a very enjoyable slice of dystopian YA science fiction.
It’s Chicago in the future and after some unspecified calamity the city is isolated and people split up into five factions.
At sixteen children are tested for factional affinity and then have to choose which faction they want to join.
This is a very quick read and it’s an intriguing world the author’s set up that is begging to be expanded in later volumes.
Obviously it’s going to be compared to The Hunger Games books as it’s a first-person narrative book for teenagers set in a bleak future. Honestly it’s not as good but it’s still worth a read and I’m definitely reading the sequel.
The Language of Spells
This was another Kindle daily deal that I was tempted by.
The plot is about a young woman who inherits her great-aunt’s house and the repercussions as the past is dredged up by her return to where she grew up.
This is a nice little romance novel that happens to have a lead character with real magical powers.
Weirdly it reminded me a bit of Diana Wynne Jones – though not in her league – with the small town English setting and the prosaic everyday magic.
I enjoyed it quite a lot and will definitely check out any new books by the author to see if she can get even better.
Mockingbird
The sequel to Blackbirds takes a while to build up steam but once it hits the meat of the story it easily meets the standards of the first book.
Miriam Black is a very interesting character and it’s good to see Wendig making her more complex and nuanced with every book.
I think you really need to have read the first book to get the most from this one (though I think it would work as a standalone to some extent). I would recommend it just as much as Blackbirds.
Ready Player One
I first read this book last year and my opinion of it hasn’t changed at all.
It’s a quick, fun read but it’s lacking in any real depth.
Recommended as a fun diversion.
I Love You, You Idiot
The second of the Gilmore Girls books. This one takes episodes from the second half of season one and retells them from Rory’s perspective.
The only really interesting bit is that Rory keeps the reason for the Dean breakup secret from the reader.
Obviously these books are only for crazy obsessive fans of the show and are of no interest whatsoever to anyone else.
Blackout
The final book of the Newsflesh trilogy closes things off in spectacular fashion.
It would spoil things too much to reveal why and how it gets so good but I totally loved it.
I raced through this book, completely absorbed from beginning to end. I really can’t recommend it highly enough.
Deadline
The second in the Newsflesh trilogy is still a cracking read but it’s just little less interesting or compelling than the first book.
After the events of the first book we see things from gradually deteriorating perspective of Shaun Mason as he investigates a conspiracy dumped his lap.
You have to read this if you’ve read the first book – especially since the third book promises to be very interesting…
Feed
Mira Grant is the pseudonym Seanan McGuire uses for her horror books.
Feed is the first of a trilogy set in a post zombie uprising world.
Georgia and Shaun Mason are news bloggers who get the nod to cover a presidential campaign and find themselves caught up in conspiracy and murder.
Feed has great characters, excellent worldbuilding and I got genuinely invested what happens as the story unfolds.
Another compelling book by this author and I highly recommended it if you have any stomach for zombies and horror.
Blackbirds
Miriam Black can see your death. A single touch of her skin on yours and she will see how and when you’ll meet your maker.
Unable to change the events that she forsees, she has become profoundly cynical – a drifter using her gift to be present when others die and scavenging their money and personal effects before moving on down the line.
The events of this book find her gifts getting her in trouble with genuinely evil people and putting her sanity and safety at risk.
This is a really enjoyable book with a lead character that you quickly become invested in despite her obvious flaws. I can’t wait to read the sequel.
I’ve classified it as fantasy but apart from Miriam’s real psychic ability this could be just an excellent example of a hard boiled thriller.
Recommended if you like thrillers or urban fantasy.