Eva and Addie are twins, but not twins as we know them today. They’re soul twins. Two souls born into the same body and coexisting in harmony. Except one of them was meant to die when they were young. After years of specialist visits and questions of why aren’t they settling? Eva and Addie’s parents believe that Eva is gone, and Eva and Addie is just Addie. Except Eva is still there. Hiding in the shadows, watching, experiencing, yet unknown by all except her sister.

And then eccentric Hally starts following them, and they realize that she has a secret too. Hally is not just Hally, she’s Hally and Lissa. And for the first time Eva has hope that one day she too can.

Set in a parallel contemporary world where everyone is born with two souls, “What’s Left Of Me” is a compelling look at identity, and the role of government and society in shaping that identity. In this America, Hybrids – or those souls that didn’t settle – are considered to be a national danger. The country is closed off to the rest of the world, claiming that the earth is covered in destruction caused by rampant Hybrids. But as Eva and Addie dig deeper into the idea of truth, they discover that maybe the wide world isn’t as scary as they’ve always been lead to believe.

“What’s Left Of Me” is narrated by Eva, giving the story an additional gripping edge. We’re in their head, but as Eva gains independence, we get to see her struggles, and her desire to live part of the life she’s trapped in. I think it would have been interesting to occasionally hear from Addie, other than just her mind conversations with Eva, but the book is the first in a potential series so there’s still time.

What I loved about this novel was that it contained elements of sci-fi, but managed to keep enough of a foot in the realistic YA genre that it will please fans of all genres. With interesting characters, a well built story-line, and an ending that answers questions while leaving you wanting more, I definitely recommend you pick up a copy of “What’s Left Of Me” as soon as you can.

Available now: HarperCollins RRP$19.99

Love
Georgie

American horror writer Ed travels to London to try and seek inspiration for his newest novel. While there, he meets the mysterious Andeanna, and it is only after falling for her that he discovers she is the wife of one of London’s most dangerous crime lords.

Ed is constantly surrounded by ghosts, and although he acknowledges they’re most likely the workings of a delusional mind, as his adventures in London continue, he begins to wonder where reality ends and the paranormal begins.

While the first half of the Lady of the Shades is a bit slow moving, if you power through you are more than rewarded in the fast paced and suspenseful second half. While, as with most mystery novels, I found myself able to guess the ending before I got there, Shan was talented enough to make me second guess myself enough to continue to be intrigued until I hit the last page. The novel is full of dramatic revelations and out-of-the-blue twists.

The ending is, quite frankly, a little bizarre, but it fits the crazy story. The whole novel is a bit like a roller coaster ride, it’s definitely not your standard A to B plot.

While Lady of the Shades is a dramatic crime novel, I can’t help but feel that a lot of fans of the genre won’t enjoy this unorthodox addition. But for those who are looking for something out of the ordinary, with a traditional crime novel at its heart, Lady of the Shades will not disappoint.

Available now: Hachette RRP$29.99

Love
Georgie

When a secret grave is uncovered in the Saudi Arabian desert, containing the bodies of nineteen women, the area is rocked by the realization that a serial killer has been operating for over a decade in the city, undetected. For Chief Inspector Ibrahim Zahrani, the case hits close to home, as his secret mistress is missing, but he cannot report her missing, as adultery is punishable by death. Ibrahim has reached a dead end, and so reaches out to Katya Hijazi, one of the few women on the police force. Together they must enter the Saudi Arabian underworld, and try and find some answers.

Kingdom of Strangers explores the extreme segregation that occurs in Saudi Arabia, and as readers, we are able to get a glimpse into how different our lives would be should we inhabit the desert nation. It is a location where men and women are completely separated, with segregated shopping centers, restaurants, and even morgues. For Westerners, the setting is eye opening, and adds to the brilliance of the novel. The use of a female police officer, given the setting, is a brilliant choice by Ferraris, as we see the difference gender makes in such a male oriented career.

The story of murder and deception is wonderfully realistic, with the unique setting bringing a breath of fresh air into the often-tired crime genre.

Written by Zoe Ferraris, an American who lived in Saudi Arabia after the first gulf war with her then husband, the heart-felt accuracy with which the story is written is amazing.

Although some of the local terminology used is slightly alienating, a glossary is located at the end of the book to assist readers.

Kingdom of Strangers is a gripping novel, which fans of the crime genre, and those looking for something a little different, will thoroughly enjoy.

Available now: Hachette RRP$29.99

Love
Georgie

In her attempts to come to terms with her dead mother and never-around father, Moth spends a wonderful night with Theo. However, what she doesn’t anticipate is that Theo would bite her, turning her into a vampire. Moth must now follow Theo’s control – as her maker, he is in charge of her life. However, at home, Moth is also under the control of her super-strict Catholic dad (when he’s around, at least), and she never anticipated her teenage years would become this complicated.

In a human world that is unaware of the existence of vampires, there are a few with paranormal knowledge – the vampire hunters. One such Vampire Hunter is Thomas Murdoch, who Theo has sworn to personally kill. But Thomas has a son, Jason, and after a string of teenagers are found brutally murdered, Moth and Jace need to put aside their mutual dislike to try and uncover some answers.

As far as Vampire Young Adult Novels go, Falling To Ash by Karen Mahoney is at least slightly unique. There are no love triangles. No dark and mysterious, what are they hiding characters. It’s entertaining, the characters are reasonably engaging, and some moments are laugh-out-loud funny.

Told from the perspective of Moth, we get a good insight into life not only as a teenager, trying to come to terms with the world around her, but as a new vampire. At times I found the character of Moth to be slightly lacking, but where she was missing personality, Jace more than made up for it.

If you’re looking for a paranormal YA read, but are totally sick of the twilightesque novels filling the shelves at bookstores, Falling to Ash makes for a good read. If you’re after something a little different, and thought provoking, maybe give it a skip this time around.

Available now: Random House RRP$18.95

Love
Georgie

Jonathan and Theo grew up together in their family’s ancestral home in Wales. To cope with the challenges of their lives, the two create elaborate fantasy worlds in the vast acres of their property. But then a tragedy brings their grandmother, Eve, home from America, and the siblings begin to realize that there is more to their family’s history than they had ever imagined, and soon they become trapped in a dark web of lies and secrecy concerning their family’s past.

Containing beautiful descriptions of the Welsh countryside, The Other Half Of Me is alive in imagery. The haunting coming of age novel, told from Jonathon’s perspective, keeps you captivated until the very end.

The debut novel from Morgan McCarthy, The Other Half Of Me contains brilliant characters that are easily relatable, and an amazing storyline. The tale of family, growing up, tragedy, and discovery, is one that will appeal to readers of all interests.

Beautifully written, this compelling novel will not disappoint those who choose to pick it up.

Available now: Hachette RRP$29.99

Love
Georgie

Mary Higgins Clark’s latest novel, The Lost Years, will have you turning the pages quickly.  Renowned biblical scholar Jonathon Lyons believes he has stumbled across the discovery of a lifetime when he finds a piece of parchment thought to be written by Jesus Christ himself. The parchment, believed to have been stolen five centuries previously from the Vatican library. Jonathon realizes the significance of his discovery, and therefore shares his findings with only a few closely trusted colleagues. However, he fears someone amongst the group may be looking to cash in on the discovery, and confides his worries with a family friend.

And then Jonathan is brutally murdered.

His wife, a sufferer of severe Alzheimer’s, is found at the scene of the crime with the murder weapon in her hand. Despite her illness, she is aware of her husband’s longstanding affairs, and the police, feeling that is motive enough, charge her with the crime.

Now the only person who can unravel the true mystery is their 28 year old daughter Mariah.

The Lost Years is a gripping, suspenseful novel from master of mystery Mary Higgins Clark.

With twists and turns, The Lost Years is not just the story of a hunt for a lost biblical artifact, but a search for the ultimate truth.

It’s a novel that is sure to keep you captivated until the very last page.

Available now: Simon & Schuster RRP$29.99

Love
Georgie

The third book in the “Tara Sharp” series, “Stage Fright” by Marianne Delacourt chronicles Private Investigator Tara Sharp foray into the entertainment industry. Although the job is a little out of her usual line of work, the promise of backstage passes and the thought of “how hard can it really be?”, Tara accepts the opportunity to look after an allegedly difficult musician who’s currently on tour.

Tara is not just a regular Private Investigator, however, she has the gift of being able to read people’s auras and tell when she is being deceived, and using her talents she soon discovers her new job is not going to be as cut and dry as she initially believed.

The series is Australian, which makes for entertaining reading as landmarks and phrases are recognized. Beginning in Perth and mainly being set in ‘Brisvegas’, I also enjoyed that the novel went away from the overly popular settings of Sydney and Melbourne.

The characters in “Stage Fright” really help bring it to life, with a whole variation of personalities making appearances. None of the characters come across as two dimensional, all having believable characteristics and stories. Marianne Delacourt successfully subverts expected stereotypes when creating her characters to allow readers to gain fresh perspectives and thoughts on people.

Following Tara, her love interest Nick Tozzi, and all the colourful characters she meets along the way, “Stage Fright” is an entertaining journey through the Australian gangland underbelly, written in a refreshing and enjoyable way.

Despite not having read “Sharp Shooter” and “Sharp Turn”, I found I was able to thoroughly enjoy “Stage Fright”, and heartily recommend it to anyone looking for some entertaining crime fiction, or a well-written Australian novel.

Available now: Allen & Unwin RRP$19.99

Love
Georgie

Anita Heiss was born to an Austrian father and Aboriginal mother, and yet has always considered herself to be “Wiradjuri” (an Aboriginal tribe originating in Southern New South Wales, around Wagga Wagga). However, she has often been faced with torment and questioning of her background, with people claiming that she is not “black enough.” One such critic was Andrew Bolt, who in 2009 wrote an article claiming Heiss was using her Aboriginal background to gain notoriety. Heiss went on to challenge Bolt in court, claiming he had breached the Racial Discrimination Act (Bolt was found guilty).

“Am I Black Enough For You” is a deeply personal memoir which deals with questions of race, family, belonging, and identity.

I found the memoir to be absolutely fascinating and extremely hard to put down. Heiss’ stories of growing up and claiming her identity were inspirational, and her writing style was absolutely gripping.

Heiss challenges the stereotypes many white Australians have about Aboriginals, and sets out to show that your identity is what you decide it to be, and nobody can tell you otherwise.

I not only enjoyed reading Heiss’ memoir, but I found it to be very educational. I had never thought of myself as ignorant, but after finishing the memoir I realized there was so much I didn’t understand about modern Aboriginality and their ways of life.

“Am I Black Enough For You?” is a fascinating read that I wholeheartedly recommend to all Aussies.

Available now: Random House RRP$34.95

Love
Georgie

For most people, dying is pretty permanent. For Bryn Davis, however, an experimental drug known as “Returne” gives her a second shot at life. But coming back to life is not the gift many would believe; after all, everything comes with a cost. Working at a funeral home and helping to run a support group for returne addicts, Bryn is being kept busy enough. But then members of the support group begin to disappear, and it is up to Bryn to discover whether the government, or some unknown threat, is behind it all.

The second novel in the “Revitalist” series, “Two Weeks’ Notice” by Rachel Caine is an interesting mystery read. While not the most sophisticated of novels, it does its job as a supernatural mystery for young adults. I haven’t read “Working Stiff”, the first novel in the series, and I can only feel that reading them in order would have heightened my experience.

I found Bryn to be an engaging main character, and her relationship with business partner Patrick McCallister was an interesting sub-plot. “Two Weeks’ Notice” is not a deep novel, but it’s entertaining, and not something that has been written a million times before.

If you’re into crime and mystery fiction, but don’t want the heaviness of many novels on the market, “Two Weeks’ Notice” is the perfect book. It would also make a great segue into the genre for those who are younger or new to it.

I would grab a copy of New York Times best selling “Working Stiff” to get acquainted with the story line, but then give “Two Weeks’ Notice” a go.

Available now: Penguin RRP$19.99

Love
Georgie

Gittel is about to turn eighteen, the age in her Chassidic community where loveless marriages are arranged. She has just finished high school, and is supposed to be celebrating the beginning of her real life with her friends. But she is haunted by the memory of her childhood best friend, Devory, who committed suicide when the pair were nine. Gittel knows the truth of what drove Devory to her death, but inside the closed fundamental Jewish community, it’s a truth that’s expected to stay hidden.

Can Gittel cope with the guilt of her childhood and grow into the Jewish wife she is expected to become? Or will she escape the shackles and secrecy that have bound her for too long?

Hush by Eishes Chayil is an extremely confronting book that deals with sexual abuse, suicide, secrecy, and closed communities.

Some parts of the novel are extremely upsetting, but powering through, you get a heart-wrenching story of tragedy and resilience.

The lifestyle chronicled within the novel is one most people are not familiar with, and could easily find alienating.

One of the hardest things to get your head around in reading Hush is that it contains many Yiddish words. It can make reading slow, although a glossary is provided in the back. The use of Yiddish adds to the authenticity of the novel, and helps readers to realize that this is still life for many Chassidim around the world.

The novel is based on the true experiences of author Eishes Chayil who grew up amongst the Chassidim and witnessed the horrors and secrecy that can occur in such religious sects. After publishing Hush, Chayil left the community though continues to speak out about it.

Hush is not a book for everyone, but it definitely makes for an interesting read if you are able to stomach the horrible situations it contains.

Available now: Bloomsbury RRP$15.99

Love
Georgie