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Book Review: Breathing Under Water by Sophie Hardcastle

Jul 14, 2016

Breathing Under Water by Sophie Hardcastle

Pages: 320
Publish date: July 11 2016
Publisher: Hatchette Australia
ISBN: 9780733634857
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Ben and Grace Walker are twins. Growing up in a sleepy coastal town it was inevitable they’d surf. Always close, they hung out more than most brothers and sisters, surfing together for hours as the sun melted into the sea. At seventeen, Ben is a rising surf star, the golden son and the boy all the girls fall in love with. Beside him, Grace feels like she is a mere reflection of his light. In their last year of school, the world beckons, full of possibility. For Grace, finishing exams and kissing Harley Matthews is just the beginning.

Then, one day, the unthinkable. The sun sets at noon and suddenly everything that was safe and predictable is lost. And everything unravels

Breathing Under Water:

I received an e-arc of Breathing Under Water by Sophie Hardcastle from Hatchette via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about this book.

It’s been a couple of weeks since I read Breathing Under Water and I am still now sure how I feel about it. There were parts that I liked and intrigued by, but then there were parts that just got on my nerves. It’s that weird feeling that you get, what you have no idea what you are thinking. The likes don’t override the dislikes, and the dislikes don’t override the likes, I am in the middle.

Breathing Under Water follows protagonist Grace, twin to Ben Walker. They are closer than most brothers and sisters, they would hang out with their friends, they would go surfing together and just being there for each other. But Grace is always a shadow to Ben, but then the unthinkable happens, Grace’s life falls apart.

I don’t know how I feel about Grace, I felt that she just moved along with the rest of the characters and until the unthinkable happens, we don’t really know her as a person and then again, the person that we do get to know is full of grief and doing things that she would never do.

However, I loved seeing Grace grow throughout the novel. We get to see her find out who she is without Ben, it’s a hard road and some people may find it hard to read, but I thought it was done exquisitely.

It’s hard to comment on Grace’s family simply because of the situation that they were put through. They go through a hell of a lot, but grief changes people and sometimes not for the better. In the moment that they should all be there for each other they drift away.

The friendships in Breathing Under Water are hard to explain as well and again it’s because of grief. Everyone deals with it in different ways and sometimes that divides friendships. In saying that, I liked how it all panned out.

A problem that I had with Breathing Under Water was that I didn’t know what age Grace was without reading the synopsis. I felt the writing a little too young to be seventeen and that kind of hinder thoughts I had about the book.

I also felt the writing was a little too flowery at times, and I just wanted to be told in a simpler way. Then at other times it was beautiful and left me heartbroken. The writing and storyline are powerful and I was left in tears quite a couple of times.

Overall, I enjoyed Breathing Under Water. I was on a ride with Grace, I was pulled along with the grief of the family, of everyone in the book. I liked how everyone reacted differently and how it showed, just how hard it is when someone close does die, way before their time.

Breathing Under Water is an emotional rollercoster of a story. You are on a ride of grief and how it affects people differently, family and how at times you have to stick together, and friendship and how it can break when everything falls apart.

Have you read Breathing Under Water? Did you like it? Are you going to read it? Let’s chat!

#LoveOzYA Interview: Lynette Noni

Jul 8, 2016

I love Aussie YA. I love reading books from authors that live in the same country as me, that know things that people out of Australia might be so confused about. I love how sometimes they can incorporate this into their book and it is fabulous.

So I decided to created a feature where I interview Australian Young Adult authors about their craft, journey and some interesting facts. I thought it was a fun way of everyone around the world to get to know these authors and maybe make them want to pick up their books. And that is what I am aiming to do, spread the word about #LoveOZYA and get everyone reading it.

So far on #LoveOzYA Interviews, I have had Sarah Ayoub, Fleur Ferris, followed by Will Kostakis and Shivaun Plozza. Then I had Gabrielle Tozer, Jay Kristoff and Kylie Fornasier, followed by A.J Betts, Megan Jacobson then Christopher Currie, Steph Bowe, Tim Sinclair and last week Meg Caddy.

This week I bring you Lynette Noni author of the Medorand Chronicles. Akarnae (2015, Pantera Press), Raelia (2016, Pantera Press) and Draekora (2017.)

Hi Lynette, welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi! I’m Lynette and I’m the author of Akarnae and Raelia—the first two books in The Medoran Chronicles. There are five books in total (four of which I’ve already written), and it’s kinda like Harry Potter mixed with Narnia and X-Men. All of my favourite things rolled into one epic series!

What has your writing journey been like? When did you start? Why?

I’ve always been an avid reader but I never had any real desire to write until just after I graduated from uni. In early 2010 I was saving up to go travelling overseas and I was in a bit of a reading slump, so I basically decided to try and write the book I wanted to read. Akarnae was a result of that.

I wrote the first draft of the manuscript in roughly three months but I never intended to let anyone read it. It was just meant to be for me. But the story stayed with me enough that I needed to know what was going to happen next, so I wrote the second book. It was only after finishing the final sentence of Raelia that I realised I wanted—maybe even needed—to share what I’d created with the rest of the world.

What was the process of getting your first book published?

It started out with researching—lots and lots of researching. Like most wannabe authors, I had to choose between traditional publishing and self-publishing, and once I made the decision to try the traditional path, I had to consider if I wanted to try getting an agent first as opposed to jumping straight in and sending unsolicited submissions directly to publishers.

From there, I started querying agents. Lots and lots of agents over the course of about three years—which also meant lots and lots of rejections in that time.

But no matter how many rejections I received, I knew all it would take was one “Yes” for all the “No” emails to mean nothing. So I continued querying, and I also continued editing and improving the manuscript. During all that, I wrote another book for a separate YA fantasy series, and once that was finished, I put Akarnae aside and started focusing on querying the new book in the hope that it might have more market appeal.

It was just as I was swapping my focus over to the new series that I was browsing the book section of Big W and saw a YA book with a really shiny cover—Wanda Wiltshire’s Betrothed—and I picked it up only to see that it was published by a boutique Australian publisher that I’d never heard of before called Pantera Press. After stalking them online I discovered that they accepted unsolicited manuscripts, so in one final, last-ditch effort, I submitted Akarnae to them.

That was the last submission of any kind for Akarnae—as I said previously, my focus had turned to my new series. But a few months later I received an email from Pantera saying I was through to the next round of their submissions process.

Having received too many rejections from agents and publishers alike, even after cases where I was very nearly offered representation, I thought nothing of the email, presuming I would again be turned down soon enough. So I continued on with life, receiving much more interest from overseas agents for my new book and continuing to focus my energy on the possibilities there.

In January 2014—seven months after I submitted to Pantera—I received an email with an offer of publishing. Within a month they put me on a plane to meet them in Sydney where I signed my contract, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Was it different when getting your subsequent books published?

So far I only have two books released, both of them in the same series, and both published with Pantera Press, so my answer at this stage is ‘no’. Pantera has taken on another trilogy of mine—the one I was focused on submitting when Akarnae was picked up—and I’m also working with my New York literary agent on yet another (third) series as well. So perhaps ask me this question again in the future and I’ll likely have a different answer for you!

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

Aussie authors are amazingly talented! One of my favourite books from last year was Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and I also absolutely adore the Starbound trilogy which is again by Amie Kaufman but with Meagan Spooner (Meagan is from the US, but Amie is Aussie so it still counts).

I’m also a huge fan of John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series, Jessica Shirvington’s Violet Eden Chapters, Trudi Canavan’s Black Magician trilogy, and Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters series. Also, Isobelle Carmody’s Obernewtyn was the first fantasy book I ever read, so it automatically goes on any Aussie YA list of recommendations from me!

I have yet to read Lynette Noni’s books, however the seem like my sort of thing and I am really excited to get started. You can find Lynette on twitter at @LynetteNoni, her website and you can add her books to your goodreads.

Akarane by Lynette Noni

Pages: 436
Publish date: February 1st 2016
Publisher: Pantera Press
ISBN: 1921997508
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Dreading her first day at a new school, Alex is stunned when she walks through a doorway and finds herself stranded in Medora, a fantasy world full of impossibilities. Desperate to return home, she learns that only a man named Professor Marselle can help her… but he’s missing.

While waiting for him to reappear, Alex attends Akarnae Academy, Medora’s boarding school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts. She soon starts to enjoy her bizarre new world and the friends who embrace her as one of their own, but strange things are happening at Akarnae, and Alex can’t ignore her fear that something unexpected… something sinister… is looming.

An unwilling pawn in a deadly game, Alex’s shoulders bear the crushing weight of an entire race’s survival. Only she can save the Medorans, but what if doing so prevents her from ever returning home?

Will Alex risk her entire world—and maybe even her life—to save Medora?

***

Thank you Lynette for joining me at Angel Reads and sharing your journey. Have you her books? Did you like them? Are you going to read them?

Come back next week for some more Aussie fun. If you want to know more about the #LoveOZYA movement check out the website for all the details. Also if you have any Australian YA authors that you would like to see me interview, just let me know and I can see what I can do.

#LoveOzYA Interview: Meg Caddy

Jul 1, 2016

So in saying that, I have decided to start a new feature on Angel Reads spotlighting Australian YA Authors. Each Friday for the next couple of months, I am going to interview an OZYA Author. I thought it would be a fun way to share my love for Australian Young Adult authors with not only fellow Aussies, but everyone around the world. I want more Australian YA books to be read, because they are amazing.

First week I interview Sarah Ayoub, then Fleur Ferris, followed by Will Kostakis, then Shivaun Plozza, and Gabrielle Tozer, followed by Jay Kristoff and Kylie Fornasier, A.J Betts, Megan Jacobson then Christopher Currie and Steph Bowe and last week Tim Sinclair

This week is Meg Caddy, author of young adult novel, Waer (2016, Text Publishing)

Hi Meg, welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi there! Thanks for having me. I’m Meg Caddy, and I’m a YA fantasy/historical fiction author. I’m also short, bespectacled, bookish, geeky, (currently) red-headed, and a devoted tea-drinker. I work part-time at Dymocks in Perth, part-time at a boarding school, and part-time as an English tutor. I don’t get a lot of sleep.

What has your writing journey been like? When did you start? Why?

I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing stories. I’ve been very lucky to have a lot of support and encouragement from my family. Two of my three brothers are professional musicians and the third might well go the same way. Our parents have always encouraged us to read, to learn, and to pursue what we love.

As for how I started writing Waer…well, that’s a rather geeky tale. When we were fourteen my best friend Jenn and I had a…well, simply put, it was a two-person live-action roleplay. We both had characters, and we only spoke to each other as those characters for about a year. My character was Lycaea, and I started writing Waer as Lycaea’s backstory. I wrote throughout my highschool years, and was lucky enough to be mentored by the wonderful Juliet Marillier. Once highschool was finished, I started to edit in earnest.

What was the process of getting your first book published?

When I was twenty-one, my Dad told me about the Text Prize, an annual YA novel competition run by Text Publishing. I entered the prize and was shortlisted. The lovely Mandy Brett, an editor at Text, called me shortly after and offered me a publishing contract. That was in 2013. Waer still needed some work after that so, with Mandy’s guidance, I kept editing until it was ready. We had the launch in February this year, and it hit the shops on March 1!

What was your journey as a debut YA author in Australia? What was the hardest thing?

This is a difficult question to answer, as I feel I’ve barely started my journey as a debut YA author. I’m only just putting my jacket on! I’ll start with the good things, though.

My family and friends have been incredible. They are all-in, all the time. They come to my signings, they keep buying copies of Waer, and they celebrate each milestone with me. It’s made the journey much easier – I know that if I have a signing event or a talk, at least a few people will show up!

I also have to mention the writing community in WA, which is unique. I joined SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) once my book was accepted, and I’ve been a member of the KSP Foundation (Katharine Susannah Prichard) for years. The members are professional, warm, and relentlessly passionate about their craft. They constantly inspire me to do better. The booksellers in Perth are amazing as well (and I swear I don’t just say that because I work with some of them!). Everyone is so excited to support local authors. It is honestly the best part of writing in WA.

On the other hand, the hardest thing about being a debut YA author in Australia, especially in WA, is looking to the future. The writing industry has suffered several devastating blows recently, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better any time soon. It’s a scary time, especially when you’re just starting out.

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

Oh I love this question. I’m glad of it, because my last answer ended on rather a grim note. Do I make a list? I’ll make a list.

Zac & Mia (AJ Betts) This book took my heart out, stomped on it, then mended it and gave it back.
Day Boy (Trent Jamieson) It’s an Australian post-apocalyptic vampire novel. What more could you want?
The Minnow (Diana Sweeney) Reading this felt like being underwater. Everything was surreal and beautiful, and I hardly breathed between page 1 and the end.
Wildwood Dancing (Juliet Marillier) Juliet Marillier’s classic blend of myth, fantasy, and amazing characters. Elegant and enchanting, like everything she writes.
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) I don’t know if I could live with myself if I didn’t include this book. I can’t read it as often as I’d like, because it makes me ugly-cry for days.

The astute amongst you may have noticed that three of these titles are from Text Publishing. I’m not biased, I swear.

I haven’t had the chance to pick up Waer yet, but I love werewolf books and since (I am letting you onto something now) I am writing a werewolf books, I like to see what is out there. You can find Meg at her twitter at @MegCaddy1, her website and don’t forget to add Waer to your goodreads.

Waer by Meg Caddy

Pages: 320
Publish date: March 1st 2016
Publisher: Text Publishing
ISBN: 1922182214
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU –Dymocks

When Lowell Sencha finds the strange girl lying as if dead on the riverbank, he is startled to find that she is like them: waer. Human, but able to assume the form of a wolf. The Sencha family’s small community has kept itself sequestered and unnoticed, free from persecution. The arrival of a fellow traveller, and a hunted one at that, threatens their very survival.

Sure enough, the soldiers of the blood-purist Daeman Leldh soon descend on the village searching for her, burning and slaughtering. Lowell and the mysterious stranger are among the few to escape. And now they must find their way to the city of Luthan where, she says, they will find people to help them bring down Daeman Leldh.

If she can persuade them not to kill her.

***

Thank you Meg for joining me at Angel Reads and sharing your journey. Have you read Waer? Did you like it? Are you going to read it?