The Beast of Kukuyo by Kevin Jared Hosein

***

For the second time in her life, 15-year-old Rune Mathura comes face-to-face with a brutal murder when her classmate Dumpling Heera goes missing and is eventually found dead. 

Dumpling’s murder drags the small, rural village of Kukuyo into the national spotlight, revealing a darkness curdling in the town. But Rune knows that the memories of the villagers and police are short. Inspired by her love of detective television shows, she launches her own investigation. 

Yet, Rune soon learns that real life is not the same as television and neither justice nor evil appear in black and white. Her journey takes her along a bloody trail of chicken feathers, down a muddy ravine and into a grimy den where she encounters dark secrets and a terror that is very, very real. 

In this gripping new novel, Kevin Jared Hosein topples the tropes about truth and justice created in television shows and childhood detective novels like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Along her journey Rune learns that the road to justice can be paved with ill-intentions, and that truth is always complicated.

***

First of all I have to say that I know practically nothing about Trinidad. All I knew before going into this book was that it used to be a British slave colony and that it is in the Caribbean. And this book isn't really about Trinidad, but it is set there, so you can say that I had to Google many many things in order to understand what was going on. But that was actually one of my favourite things, as the author used Trini slang and hindu words to authenticate Rune's perspective. 

One of my favourite aspects of this book is that it is just as much character driven as it is plot driven, so it's kind of perfect for me. I loved watching Rune grow and learn and really just become who she needed to be. The other characters are also really well written and each one has their own complexities. Nothing is black and white. Nick, for example, is irresponsible and an alcoholic but as we see him through Rune's eyes it's clear that he's not all bad. 

There is only technically a romance element to this book and that's really just an awesome friendship that could lead to more at some point in the future. And I liked that. It was realistic, not all fifteen year olds have ever been in a relationship, in fact most haven't.

SPOILER! My one gripe (except it isn't really) is that we never get to find out who kills Dumpling. Rune laments that people will forget about Dumpling but along the way she stops being fueled by that death as well (in her defense she does have some crazy other shit going on).

I absolutely loved this novel and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good YA thriller.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Blouse & Skirt Books and most of all Kevin Jared Hosein for giving me the opportunity to read this awesome book. 

Vegan Yack Attack On the Go! by Jackie Sobon

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Vegan Yack Attack on the Go! is an exciting new vegan cookbook with creative recipe ideas. Sobon created this book to give readers “a wide variety of meals that are fun, tasty, and quick to pull together”. Included are sections on pantry basics and appliances, which are pretty run of the mill, preceding the recipes. The recipes are split into seven chapters:

- Quick breakfasts, snacks, and treats: As with most cookbooks I find that the breakfast inclusions just take more time than I’m willing to take each morning to prepare. But that doesn’t mean the recipes don’t look awesome and that  I won’t try them at some other time.

- Prep-ahead recipes: This chapter includes thinks like granola, dip and veggie crisps (kale, squash etc.).  A lot of this you will have seen before in some form but the author always manages to put her own twist on it. A great example would be the White Bean Rosemary Hummus.

- Lunch box stuffers: I wanted to make pretty much everything in this section as I’m always looking for new lunchbox recipes. While some of the recipes take quite a while to make, they are also mostly usable in bulk so that I could meal prep for the week. How often am I going to eat 4 sandwiches or bagels anyway?

- Meals in 30 minutes or less: While most of these meals are true ‘30 minutes or less meals’, there are some which expect you to have pre-prepared sauces that would clearly make the meals take much longer. For example, the butternut squash mac and cheese wants you to already have the sauce on hand and takes its prep time out of the equation by putting the sauce in the ‘basics’ section. I don’t know about you but butternut cheese sauce is not something that my family actively has around. The other recipes which I have prepared from this section have come together in 30 minutes with prep time included so the preparation of this sauce may be included, however it is not made clear in the book itself.

- Bulk cooking:This section is filled with some great recipe ideas, which despite the title only make a small number of servings. The author says that the intention is to make multiple servings at once which is fine but I think that the only reason to have these recipes in a separate section to the others is because they don’t come together super quickly, and therefore fit into the title of the book.

- Food on the move:Some of these recipes are really unique, it is rare that I look through a cookbook seeing new types of foods (at least new to me). The grill packets especially look like something I should give a shot.

- Make your own staples: While I'm personally unlikely to use this section (as I'm a lazy f*ck), I think this could be useful for some people.

I tested two recipes for this book, both from the 30 minutes or less category. Both were well written and easy to follow. In fact the whole book was well-written and beautifully formatted, with amazing photos for most of the recipes. As a plus the food actually looked like pictures (sorry for the terrible ones of my versions which are below) .

The Summer Stew turned out great and used up some of the foods that had been sitting around the fridge for a while (like zucchini). I'd definitely make it again. The Kale Raspberry Grain Salad did not do so well, although I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I subbed agave for maple syrup and used defrosted raspberries rather than fresh since that’s what I had on hand and the whole thing ended up being a bit bitter. I probably wouldn't make this again. 

Overall I'd really recommend this book for those looking to explore vegan cooking and even for longtime plant-based eaters who are looking for fresh ideas.

***4.5/5 stars***

Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn (Pub June 9 2015) IBSN13:9781250063847

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review*

From the Morris-Award winning author of Charm & Strange, comes a twisted and haunting tale about three teens uncovering dark secrets and even darker truths about themselves.

When nearly killing a classmate gets seventeen-year-old Sadie Su kicked out of her third boarding school in four years, she returns to her family’s California vineyard estate. Here, she’s meant to stay out of trouble. Here, she’s meant to do a lot of things. But it’s hard. She’s bored. And when Sadie’s bored, the only thing she likes is trouble.

Emerson Tate’s a poor boy living in a rich town, with his widowed mother and strange, haunted little brother. All he wants his senior year is to play basketball and make something happen with the girl of his dreams. That’s why Emerson’s not happy Sadie’s back. An old childhood friend, she knows his worst secrets. The things he longs to forget. The things she won’t ever let him.

Haunted is a good word for fifteen-year-old Miles Tate. Miles can see the future, after all. And he knows his vision of tragic violence at his school will come true, because his visions always do. That’s what he tells the new girl in town. The one who listens to him. The one who recognizes the darkness in his past.

But can Miles stop the violence? Or has the future already been written? Maybe tragedy is his destiny. Maybe it’s all of theirs.

Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn is an incredibly disturbing yet fantastic psychological thriller. The characters in this novel are all incredibly disturbed and the story isn't one for the light-hearted. I would describe this book as very dark. The book was split into three different view points of Miles, Emerson and Sadie. Each of the characters faced different issues but were all troubled in some way. I really liked each of these characters but my favourite view point was definitely  Emerson's although my favourite character to learn about was Miles. Emerson's view point was definitely the most disturbing out of them all.

The ending to this book was not entirely satisfying and felt slightly rushed to me.If you don't like being left with unanswered questions you may finish this book leaving slightly frustrated. I was kind of frustrated but in a way there was something about the mystery of the ending that I liked. I don't believe that there was enough of a cliff-hanger to make a second book but if one was published I would definitely read it. From the reviews that I have read on Goodreads many found this book incredibly disturbing and for that they gave it less stars. This slightly concerns me because I found it disturbing but enjoyed the darkness in the storyline and the characters.

This is one of my favourite books of the year. It kept me up at night just thinking about it. The novel itself was only about 240 pages in print although it didn't particularly feel like a quick-read.I would really recommend this novel to certain people that I know although you should be careful about reading this if you are easily traumatized or are pretty innocent. I would like to thank NetGalley, Amazon Kindle, St. Martin's Griffin and most of all Stephanie Kuehn for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book.

I rated this book a 4.5/5.

eBay/Amazon Aspesis Safe Disposable Ear Piercing Gun Review

Disclaimer: If you do not like body modifications such as piercings or believe that I am stupid for piercing my ears myself do not bother to leave a nasty comment. I heavily researched before doing the piercing. I am not telling anyone that this is the 'right' way to use the guns but this is the way that worked for me and the way that was recommended by the description of the item on eBay. I have not been sponsored to do this review.

 I have recently been very into piercings but only had my first lobe piercings done. I decided to look into doing my ear piercings D.I.Y. in order to save money because I knew that my parents would make me pay for it myself. In my research I discovered that using piercing guns such as the ones at Claire's Accessories are actually very bad for you especially when piercing cartilage as there is a risk of shattering it. I also came across $1 disposable piercing guns each with there own stud on eBay. I ordered six of these as I wanted to do my 2nd and 3rd lobe piercings with them and 2 extra just in case I needed them or they turned out really well.

The Duff by Kody Keplinger

 WARNING:THIS BOOK HAS SEXY TIME

 

The Duff by Kody Keplinger is about a DUFF called Bianca. Designated Ugly Fat Friend. Of course, Bianca doesn't know that she's the duff until the disgusting, irritating and utterly irresistible man-whore that is Wesley Rush tells her. Bianca's family life isn't so good and she soon discovers that using Wesley to distract herself isn't the best of ideas when she realizes that she is falling for him.

Kody Keplinger has managed to create a mean-girl type classic for the current generation filling the gap left so empty for too long. Bianca is a  tell-it-like-it-is kind of girl making her likeable and somewhat relate-able. Alike 'Mean Girls' the characters in this book are mostly stereotypes which was fun to read but some of the characters just didn't seem real to me. The ending to the book was satisfying but slightly predictable due to the lead up, I did not however expect Toby's reaction. This novel had me smiling throughout a lot of the book, it was funny and heartwarming. A great read for someone in the mood for a bit of a self esteem boost or general pick-me-up.

I recommend this book to fans of John Green, 'Bring It On' and 'Mean Girls'. I gave this book a 4/5 as I found the novel and its characters fun, enjoyable and well written. I would recommend this book to my friends. Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Kindle, Hatchette and Kody Keplinger for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The Catalyst by Helena Coggan (Pub April 14)

The Catalyst by Helena Coggan is a novel about Rose Elmsworth and her world filled with magic and adventure. Rose is not like the rest of the world, she isn't split between the green-eyed gifted and the Ashkind. Rose is something entirely different and much more dangerous. At the young age of fifteen Rose has become an honorary member of the Department, the law enforcement agency run purely by the gifted. Nobody is aware of Rose's or her fathers shared secret. An old enemy has returned threatening to ruin the peace that the world has now come to after a long and devastating war. Will the Department find out about her differences? Can they prevent the impending war?

The Catalyst by Helena Coggan is a fantastic novel and sure to be one of my favorites of the year. Helena Coggan has managed to create one of the best and most interesting fusions between dystopian and fantasy. I honestly do not have a bad thing to say about this book. The novel was written in third-person which was a great choice for the novel as readers are able to delve into the thoughts of multiple characters. Rose was a likeable character and didn't have any particularly cliche traits such as loving books or never crying. I personally loved the fact that she was brave and strong yet she was still able to cry and let her feelings out, it made her more realistic.


The world building in this novel was magnificent and had one of the coolest worlds I have encountered to date. Using eye colour to differentiate between levels of power and race was unique and really cool. The novel had angels and demons in it but a fight between them is certainly not what this book is about. The book is about the people in between, sure there were a couple of main characters that were demons but there were both good and bad demons represented.

This was an amazing book with little to no flaws. I rated this book a 5/5 stars and beyond. I highly recommend that you pick a copy up. I would like to thank NetGalley, Amazon Kindle, Hatchette Australia and most of all Helena Coggan for allowing me to read this book.

Bomb by Sarah Mussi (Pub May 7 2015)

Bomb by Sarah Mussi is the story of the day Genesis Wainwright wakes up in a dark cold cellar. She remembers nothing of how she got there or what happened on the blind internet date that she only went on to get over her ex-boyfriend Naz. Soon after waking she quickly realize

s that she is strapped to some sort of stiff armor. It is not long before a robotic voice speaks through the earpiece glued to her ear canal. Genesis has been chosen for a sinister mission and is now a weapon of mass destruction. The question is whether or not she can save herself before detonation.

Sarah Mussi has done a fantastic job at creating a memorable thriller. The book is fast-paced and has some very unique aspects to a concept that is otherwise not entirely original. The book could very easily be turned into a movie adaptation and although it includes a love triangle the romance aspect of the book is more mature than in other novels of the genre. Genesis is a likeable protagonist who didn't get on my nerves too much. Sarah Mussi's gripping and action packed pages will keep you coming back for more.


The cult aspect of the book was particularly interesting. Going in to a novel that is quite clearly to do with a forced suicide bomber situation many would expect the enemy to be of a known terrorist organization in a country with war troubles; having a cult epidemic in a western country like England was quite confronting. I personally loved that Genesis' account of Naz's gradual conversion to The Brightness was so detailed because it made the book just that little bit more interesting.

What I personally did not enjoy about the novel were the strange flashbacks to Genesis conversations with the 'Moirai', they were quite strange and seemed out of place as the flashbacks had a fantasy theme in an otherwise modern and magic-free novel They were more awkward than cool and interesting. Another aspect of the book that I personally did not enjoy were the 'Life is' poems. They got annoying quite quickly and didn't really add anything to the experience of the novel.

It is unclear as to whether there will be a sequel but there are a few loose ends that were left. I would be interested in picking up a sequel to this book and would love to know what happens. I give this book a solid 3.5/5 stars

I would like to thank Hatchette Children's, NetGalley, Amazon and most of all Sarah Mussi for giving me the opportunity to read this book and bringing more great literature into the world.