Category: YA - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

In the Beginning

28/11/2024

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Tori Spring exists. The world exists around her. Apathy keeps her from seeing anything real in her school or her supposed friends - and she doesn't care that maybe something should be different. Then strange pranks start happening at school, enacted by the mysterious so-called Solitaire. Tori has no interest in Solitaire at first. But soon she realises it might have everything to do with her.

I was very disappointed in this book, having read some of Oseman's other work. It definitely reads like a first novel penned by a teenager. I suppose some of my reaction is due to my experience of teen depression and suicide ideation being quite different from Tori's... but also because this book was in dire need of more editing and redrafting (and apparently I read the newer version!). I'm not saying it had to be as slick as other YA novels published in 2014, but I did expect a certain quality.

One Wedding & Some Drama

21/9/2024

Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat

Arya should be happy - her sister is back and planning a wedding to really nice guy. But the more time they spend together under one roof, the more the tension rises. Meanwhile, Arya is trying to get ready for college and fulfil her student government responsibilities, but the boy who won the role of president over her is so annoying. How could he be anything but an enemy?

This book's main strength is how it explores and handles female relationships, particularly familial ones. I always like to see this kind of thing done well. It also helps that the plot is engaging, perfect for YA readers who want spades of character growth alongside the expected romance. There is no absolutely no need for familiarity with Bollywood movies to enjoy Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment (I think the only one I've seen all the way through is Lagaan!). And enjoy it I did.

Tropetastic

20/9/2024

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales

Ivy is a huge fan of a fantasy TV series but she doesn't expect to wake up with one of the characters in her bed. Weston is somehow real - and he thinks they're soulmates! Now Ivy has to find a way to hide his presence from everyone, especially her neighbour and ex-BFF, Mack. But maybe this isn't a story about soulmates. Maybe it's a story about mutual pining...and maybe Mack is Ivy's costar instead.

Gosh, this was cute. And I love seeing another bi girl with a similar haircut to mine on a book cover! As for the story, it's fun and amusing. The teen angst and drama ring true and you can't help but like every character. I did feel that this could have been something more, but sometimes you just want an uncomplicated YA novel to breeze through. As a bonus - I've discovered another Australian author!

Ho-Hum Climb

25/2/2024

Crimson Climb (Star Wars Disney)
by E. K. Johnston

Qi’ra learned long ago not to have dreams, so being left behind on Corellia while Han Solo gains his freedom won't be the end for her. She will rise and keep rising; she will step over bodies in order to do so. She will never give her complete self to anyone or any cause - but she will let Dryden Vos think she has completely embraced her position beneath him in Crimson Dawn.

I was disappointed with Crimson Climb, because much of it felt superfluous. Disney has released a few YA novels like this, covering the pasts of various characters, and the authors have played it safe, avoiding engaging plots in favour of exploring characterisation. Which does work sometimes, as Johnston has proven with her previous work. But other times, tedium sets in. I understand that Qi'ra has a detached personality through necessity, except that Johnston also managed to make the whole text feel detached as well. Then there's the ending, which wouldn't have been quite so bizarre if anything in the book before that point had matched it (Qi'ra spends most of the story navigating her way through underworld politics and suddenly it's an Indiana Jones adventure? What!?).

This could have been so much better. Alas, it is not.

Queen's Gambit

28/12/2023

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Mallory Greenleaf is struggling to keep her family afloat when she wins a match against the World No 1 player, Nolan Sawyer. Suddenly, everyone in the world wants to see her play again. That's a hard no - until Mallory loses her job. Now she's playing chess for money. That's it. That's all. And she's definitely not looking for a lasting connection...especially not with Nolan Sawyer.

This is a cute story and the chess angle made for interesting reading. I did find myself cringing a bit, however, whenever Hazelwood attempted to appeal to Zoomers - writing for the generation below you can be done, but this felt really forced (pop culture references don't fix everything). Well, maybe it won't feel that way to Hazelwood's intended audience. She is very popular on TikTok. *shrug*

Somewhere in Regency Time

26/12/2023

Pride and Prejudice and the City by Rachael Lippincott

Audrey, at seventeen, has been dumped, waitlisted for her dream college instead of getting in, and lost the spark she desperately needs for her art. But then she catches a coin that sends her back to 1812 - and into the path of Lucy, a gentleman's daughter who hides her true self and is destined for a loveless marriage. Audrey desperately wants to go home... but what if there's a reason she's there?

Oh my goodness. How cute was that! I'm glad I took a chance on this book - I nearly didn't, because the title is legitimately awful (though apparently it's also published with "Pittsburgh" instead of "the City", which is... marginally better) and it's also weird because this book might have a Regency setting, but that's where the resemblance to Jane Austen ends. Anyway, this sapphic time travel romp was a blast and I'm ever more delighted by the glorious amount of bi rep in books these days.

Split Book's Curse

7/12/2023

Wolf's Curse (Otherworld: Kate & Logan #2)
by Kelley Armstrong

Logan, Kate and some of their fellow campers are sheltering inside a cabin in the woods, which is never a safe place inside of horror movies. But outside is even worse - there's a demon hanging around and she's really pissed off about supernaturals trampling through her territory. But she's open to making deals. Because it's totally a good idea to do that.

Splitting this story into two books was such a bad idea. I let nostalgia blind me a bit during the first book, but this one has fewer redeeming qualities. The characters walk in circles. The plot follows them and also goes around and around until you lose interest. Look, I did sort-of enjoy this - mostly because of Kate - but it's hard not to be annoyed when you see so much potential being squandered.

Return to the Otherworld

6/12/2023

Wolf's Bane (Otherworld: Kate and Logan #1)
by Kelley Armstrong

Kate and Logan Danvers, werewolf twins with famous werewolf parents, are sent to a summer camp for supernatural beings - except most of the other teens there don't like their kind, a scary monster is stalking them through the woods, and the counsellors seem oddly unbothered by some of the dodgy stuff happening among the campers. What more can go wrong?

This was a great way to return to the Otherworld universe and it's exactly what you'd want for an adventure starring Elena and Clay's kids. And a creepy camp is honestly the perfect setting for this kind of story. But there's a problem - this is clearly one book split into two. The cliffhanger doesn't really work because the tension and excitement it generates aren't any greater than what can be found in earlier chapters. I did enjoy this book, though. Really appreciated the queer rep.

The Missing Developmental Edit

19/10/2023

The Last Love Song by Katie Holford

I received this ARC from Blackstone Publishing (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Mia Peters grew up in the same town that her famous mother, the singer Tori Rose, was always trying to leave - in fact, Tori never returned from her final tour. Mia doesn't really know what her mother was like, but she's about to. Tori Rose has gifted her a scavenger hunt for graduation and Mia only has one week to solve it before her best friend and crush, Britt, also leaves her behind to chase the music.

If you can manage to suspend your disbelief enough - and it is very hard at times - this is a cute, if unremarkable, YA read. I really liked the premise and some of the characters were interesting, if underdeveloped. The major issue is that we're supposed to believe that in a small town certain characters never crossed paths with Mia. Or that she wasn't able to find out her mother's cause of death from anyone in town or online (trust me, you could find this stuff on the Internet in 2006 and many articles from that period are still searchable now). Had these issues been smoothed out, I might have really enjoyed The Last Love Song.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #22

17/10/2023

The Wrath of Darth Maul

I wasn't expecting much, but the first three quarters of this book were so easy to rip through and enjoy. Windham managed to tie together several different events in Maul's life. But then, alas, this become yet another retelling of The Phantom Menace. Good grief, don't we have enough of those already?

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
(comic adaptation)

After the last two adaptations, I was prepared for more confusing and rushed storytelling, but Lane is clearly much more proficient at writing comic scripts than Gilroy was. Sure, some things are cut and some scenes have even tweaked (and that's after you take the original screenplay into consideration) - but it's all done to make sure the story keeps flowing in this shorter medium. Bonus Quinlan Vos.

Visionaries

Parts of this collection are interesting and other parts are cool, but none of the stories (or art stills) really stood out for me.

Purge

This collection had a shaky start, but each story brought improvement until the series reached a solid conclusion. "The Hidden Blade" was my favourite of the lot.

Darth Vader and the Lost Command

A tad predictable, but a good read nonetheless. Creating sympathy for a monster is one of the usual angles that writers go for when using Darth Vader.

Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison

Whoa! That was awesome. Tohm was such a fascinating character with distinct motivations... I have rarely encountered such great work in this regard. This graphic novel has definitely become one of my favourites. It will make a fine addition to my Legends collection.

Darth Vader and the Ninth Assassin

A huge disappointment after the previous story. The plot was silly and there was a very weak attempt to tie it all together at the end.

Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows

This was an interesting read, though by no means unique - there are plenty of tales about clones learning hard truths. And also, for a story with a title bearing Darth Vader's name, there is very little of Darth Vader within it.