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Book Review: My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

Feb 11, 2016

My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

Pages: 398
Publish date: January 27th 2016
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
ISBN: 9781760112226
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon US – Amazon AU

What if the most terrifying person you’d ever met was your ten-year old sister? A spine-chilling psychological thriller from one of Australia’s finest YA authors.

‘I promise,’ said Rosa. ‘I won’t kill and I won’t make anyone else kill.’

I can’t see the loophole. Since the guinea pig there’s been nothing. Months now without Rosa killing as much as a mosquito.

As far as I know.

Che Taylor has four items on his list: 1. He wants to spar, not just train in the boxing gym. 2. He wants a girlfriend. 3. He wants to go home. 4. He wants to keep Rosa under control.

Che’s little sister Rosa is smart, talented, pretty, and so good at deception that Che’s convinced she must be a psychopath. She hasn’t hurt anyone yet, but he’s certain it’s just a matter of time. And when their parents move them to New York City, Che longs to return to Sydney and his three best friends. But his first duty is to his sister Rosa, who is playing increasingly complex and disturbing games. Can he protect Rosa from the world – and the world from Rosa?

My Sister Rosa

I received an early copy of My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier for review from Allen and Unwin, this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Before you go into this book be prepared that it is going to mess with your mind, there is no doubt about it. When you think something is going one way, it changes all up and you are back to the start: You know that something is going to happen, however you have no idea what, or when or how.

When I wake up the sun is coming up and Rosa is curled up in a ball on my bedroom floor.
Her face is relaxed, her mouth a little open. She looks like the baby she once was, the one whose tiny fingers curled around mine, who smiled up at me. It’s hard to believe this is a child with no heart.

I haven’t read numerous psychological thrillers, but by far My Sister Rosa is the best that I have read. Justine Larbalestier is brilliant, she knows how to write a book that only the author knows what is going to happen and everyone else that reads it, sits there is shock when they have finished it.

Che is the protagonist of My Sister Rosa, he is trying to be a normal 17-year-old male, which happens to move around quite a bit. Che only wants 4 things:

He wants to spar, not just train in the boxing gym.
He wants a girlfriend.
He wants to go home.
He wants to keep Rosa under control.

And trying to get those 4 things is pretty hard. I loved Che, he is probably one of the sweetest, most nicest protagonists that hasn’t annoyed me to hell. All I wanted to do throughout the whole of My Sister Rosa was hug him.

Che has this characterise about him that you just enjoy reading. I also loved that he was male. You don’t get to see male protagonist much in YA – so whenever I have the chance I pick the book up. I loved that he boxed too. I find boxing quite fascinating.

Rosa on the other hand– man that girl can charm. Who knew a 10 year old could be so nice and yet be a psychopath. But you see that is their speciality. They can manipulate people and boy does Rosa do it well.

I wish I was a psychopath so I wouldn’t hurt, so I wouldn’t care. Right now I wish I had no feelings. If I had no feelings I might be able to survive this.

Rosa frustrated me to know end, especially since we knew what she was doing and no one else could see it, it’s like open your eyes!

Their parents, let’s just say that they are not my favourite people in the world. Apart from being oblivious to Rosa’s behaviour or simply ignoring it – they weren’t the best of parents and so many times when Che tried to tell them about Rosa, they put him down for it and blamed him.

Nevertheless, I also loved the diversity of My Sister Rosa, it stood out. It was nice to see different races, different religions, and different ethnicity.

Overall, My Sister Rosa is a terrifying, fantastic read that will mess with your mind. Be prepared for a book that has many twists and turns that you have no idea what hit you, My Sister Rosa reminds us that sometimes a smile and looking pretty doesn’t mean that the person is not a psychopath. Nevertheless, Larbalestier also reminds us that you not always like your family.

Book Review: Ghost House by Alexandra Adornetto

Mar 27, 2015

Ghost House by Alexandra Adornetto

Pages: 313
Publish date: September 1st 2014
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
ISBN: 0732299330
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

After the loss of her mother, Chloe Kennedy starts seeing the ghosts that haunted her as a young girl again. Spending time at her grandmother’s country estate in the south of England is her chance to get away from her grief and the spirits that haunt her. Until she meets a mysterious stranger Alexander Reade is 157 years dead, with secrets darker than the lake surrounding Grange Hall and a lifelike presence that draws Chloe more strongly than any ghost before. But the bond between them awakens the vengeful spirit of Alexander’s past love, Isobel. And she will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who threatens to take him from her.

To stop Isobel, Chloe must push her developing abilities to their most dangerous limits, even if it means losing Alex forever and giving the hungry dead a chance to claim her for their own…

Ghost House:

I received a copy of Ghost House from Harper Collins Australia in exchange for a review, this has in no way influenced my thoughts on the book. Really I don’t even think about that when I am reading.

To say that I am a fan of Alexandra Adornetto would be an understatement, I read the Halo trio ages ago, and I loved it. And that is no different for Ghost House. There are not too many ghost related novels in the YA section so Ghost House is pretty original in itself.

It is also intriguing, the plot is pulling and when I started to read, it would hard to put the books down. Although it was slow to start, everything started to pick up and man there was some pretty intense moments if is say so myself.

I really enjoyed Chloe as a character, she was interesting and quite intriguing. After losing her mother, she tries and stays strong for her family but it’s hard and when she starts seeing ghosts again after they haunted her as a child. When her father cannot deal with the grief anymore, he sends Chloe and her little brother off to their grandmothers in England, she believed she was getting away from all the grief and ghosts but boy she was mistaken.

In comes Alexander Reade and well he has been dead for 157 years. At first it doesn’t click to Chloe that Alexander is a ghost, after tell it hits her hard. But let me tell you he is amazing. He is sweat and just arrrg. The relationship between him and Chloe is adorable but wired but I love it. It’s very different and I can’t help but love ghosts and human’s *cough cough* Anna Dressed in Blood.

I was so creeped out at times, hell there was some pretty chilling parts. Isobel; Alexander’s past love is creepy as hell, nonetheless she adds so much more the Ghost House. The tension that she brings to the novel is incredible. The reader has no idea what she is going to do next. The reader is made to feel like the need to hold onto every page because they have no idea what is going to happen next. The ghost hunters are also awesome characters that add another dimension to Ghost House.

I enjoyed Adornetto writing it was captivating, drawing and very intriguing. The way that she included flashbacks to Alexander’s past life, before he died really added so much to the storyline of Ghost House. The reader was able to connect Alexander’s living life to events that are happening in the present moments of the book.

Overall Ghost House is charming and different. It evokes different emotions throughout the novel from, sadness to glee to torment. My feelings were all over the place but in a good way. And the ending! Holy S***. It was so good I was not expecting that in any way.

Book Review: A Small Madness by Dianne Touchell

Feb 17, 2015

A Small Madness by Dianne Touchell

Pages: 231
Publish date: February 1st 2015
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
ISBN: 9781760110789
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Rose didn’t tell anyone about it. She wondered if it showed. She looked at herself in the mirror and turned this way and then that way. She stood as close to the mirror as she could, leaning over the bathroom basin, looking into her own eyes until they disappeared behind the fog of her breath. Looking for something. Some evidence that she was different now. Something had shifted inside her, a gear being ratcheted over a clunky cog, gaining torque, starting her up. But it didn’t show. How could all of these feelings not show? She was a woman now but it didn’t show and she couldn’t tell anyone.

A Small Madness:

I received A Small Madness by Dianne Touchell from Allen and Unwin in exchange for a review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

As soon as I saw A Small Madness, in the Allen and Unwin catalogue quite a couple of months ago, I knew I needed this book in my hands and boy I wasn’t disappointed.

The synopsis of A Small Madness doesn’t give too much away, but it gives the reader just enough so they are pulled right in.

I cannot explain how heartbreaking, enriching and beautiful this novel is. The way that A Small Madness is written is very unique. Rose the protagonist of A Small Madness is quite young, and you can hear it, in her voice. Normally I don’t like that in a young adult novel, but it just adds so much complexity and makes an impact like no other.

I try not to spoil books in my reviews, but with this book it’s really hard, I’m not spoiling the whole book so don’t get worried, I’m just giving away something to me, is common sense.

Rose didn’t immediately realise it but she was watching the calendar. She was watching the calendar the way you watch a spider in the corner of a room you can’t leave.

So Rose is going through a teenage pregnancy, but not in the archetypal way. Rose just doesn’t want to believe it, no matter, what and that is what makes the novel that much more emotional.

A Small Madness really captures the emotions of a pregnant teenager. It’s heartbreaking really. It really challenges the beliefs of the reader and how they perceive teenage pregnancy.

Michael, Roses boyfriend, friend, companion and father of her child, is very similar to Rose. They are both so ‘innocent’ and new to everything. But their love is simply beautiful and intimate. That even through hardship, they still love each other. It’s incredible because sometimes most adults can’t do that.

The title really does tell what is going on in Rose’s mind; a small madness. Rose just isn’t dealing with the pregnancy well, she is like a ticking time bomb. It’s eating her up and throughout the novel, we see her change and it’s heartbreaking. Her thoughts and feelings are turned and sometimes not for the better.

A Small Madness is very antagonizing. Let me tell you that right now. But it’s also a beautiful, powerful novel that challenges the reader, and it will bring you out of your comfort zone.

Somehow this small gesture had more significance than the usual body-slam hugging that had been their previous mid-hall greeting.

Furthermore, Touchell’s writing is incredible that just brings out all the emotions in the reader. But that is what makes the story that much more distressing and moving. Touchell also questions the reader. However, A Small Madness may be very confronting to some readers.

She asks the reader to be sympathetic to a dark deed and the flawed characters that committed it. She asks the readers to really question the idea that ‘being damaged is very, different to being evil’ – especially to be of that age.
A Small Madness is a beautiful, important novel that will challenge your beliefs and break your heart.

Have you read A Small Madness? What did you think of it?