Blood for Blood

Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

Published 13 July 2017 by Orion

First up, this is the sequel to Wolf by Wolf. If  you have not read Wolf by Wolf, click away now as there will be spoilers!

OK, now that's out of the way, here we go...

I loved, loved, loved Wolf by Wolf. I had just finished reading  it when I went for a job interview (for my current post) and was asked to talk about a book I had recently enjoyed. I remember spelling out Ryan's surname for the interviewer as she wrote the details down so I must have sold it to her. In truth, the YA book sells itself. It is a rich imagining of the world if Adolf Hitler had been successful. 

It has been a few years now since I read Wolf, but managed to get hold of a copy of Blood for Blood and the characters and plot immediately came back to me - always a sign of good writing.

It begins with failure. Yael's failure - but not through her doing. She is hunted across the world, first followed, then joined by Luka and Felix. Yael fights her way to Germania to see if the resistance survived, to see if she needs to add more wolves to her pack and to see if she can try again. On her way she meets new allies and ghosts from her past. One thing is for certain, the German occupation is threatened as long as Volchitsa breathes. 

I did enjoy reading this book, however not as much as Wolf. Yael is a great character - a survivor, and it was great to read another side of her as she interacts with Luka and Miriam.

Unfortunately, I found it a slow read, possibly because Wolf is packed with action, however the end was rounded off satisfactorily (if unfairly!).

This is the third of Ryan's books I have read and proudly consider myself a fan. Looking forward to more 

It Started with a Tweet

It Started with a Tweet by Anna Bell

Published 28 December 2017 by Bonnier Zaffre

With a title like that, how could I not pick this up to read? Twitter is by far my favourite social media platform.

Twitter is also the go-to of marketeer Daisy Hobson who spends her days posting updates, photos and tweets both for herself and her employer but, when one fateful night she drunkenly tweets from the wrong account, Daisy finds herself not only without a job and a home but also publicly humiliated as her drunk-tweet goes viral.

Sister Rosie comes to the rescue in the form of a digital detox in Cumbria. Reluctant Daisy is not impressed - especially when she sees the run-down farm (without 3G) that they will be staying in.

Trapped in a crumbling cottage without Wi-Fi, Daisy discovers that with a bit of #DIY and some #TLC its not just the farm that can receive a makeover.

This is a lighthearted easy read - full of fun. Alongside the sisterly bonding are marriage woes and a unexpected love triangle. Life in the Fell community has never been so entertaining.

Just One Year

Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Published 7 November 2013 by Definitions

This is the sequel to Just One Day and will make much more sense if you read that book first - its wonderful!

It follows Willem as he wakes up in hospital in Paris with the nagging feeling he should be somewhere, with someone...

By the time he remembers, Lulu is gone and so are Willem's hopes of explaining - he doesn't even know Lulu's real name.

Over the course of a year we follow Willem as he tries to forget and then find Lulu. We get to meet his family and friends and get a glimpse of his nomadic lifestyle that led him to be performing Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon the day Lulu's tour group were visiting.

I read this YA novel in one sitting. I was impatient to see Allyson (Lulu) and Willem reunite but that's the kind of soppy romantic I am. Willem's story however is still enjoyable and really fleshes out the spontaneous Dutchman we met in Just One Day. I especially enjoyed reading about his time in India and relationship with his mother. 

I'm very glad to have finally found out what happened after. I read Just One Day a long time ago and yet Forman's characters came straight back to me. 

If you love your YA romance and travelling, give this duology a try!