Caragh Review // Book of Lies by Teri Terry

Published - 24th March 2016
Publisher - Orchard Books
Format - Kindle
Synopsis - They are trapped, frozen. Waiting. Straining against the wood that holds them. The unwary catch a glimpse now and then - feel their desperate hunger, see a glint of red eyes - and scurry out of the shadows of the wood, back to the light. She's coming; it will be soon. They will run free on the moors again. The Hunt will return. And the ground will run with blood. An ancient curse placed on a family of witches foretells that twins will be born - one good, one evil; and one will destroy the other. But who can be trusted when no one is as they seem?

I am a HUGE fan of Teri Terry. Her Slated series still remains one of my favourite series of all time and I cannot express the excitement I felt when I was approved for this book (thanks Netgalley!).

I'm a little late getting this review up (OK! A LOT) due to...reasons (read: extreme busyness) but I actually read it within 2 sittings. Almost immediately I felt drawn to the story, and in particular, Quinn. Despite being twins, I definitely felt the difference between the sisters within minutes.

Book of Lies is a mysterious, supernatural(?) story. It features false identities, family secrets, intrigue and magic - literally everything I love in a good book! A lot of the time with books like this, it can be pretty easy to figure out where the plot is going from early on in the story. However, Book of Lies kept me guessing right until the end. I honestly hadn't read anything like this before. The plot was fresh and new to me and the characters felt well considered and portrayed. Even though the girls were similar, they were unique and had completely singular voices within the story.

Strangely, since reading Book of Lies, i've actually come across the idea of 'The Hunt' again. It's definitely something i'll need to look into! I've always been incredibly put off by 'wolfish' tales - to which Brianna can attest and I'm not entirely sure why. Book of Lies was a great adventure and i'm glad I spent a couple of hours getting to know Terry's newest creation and characters - which is always a joy.

Caragh Reviews // Mind Games by Teri Terry

Published - (Expected) 5th March 2015
Publisher - Orchard Books
Format - Kindle
Synopsis - Luna is a no-hoper with a secret: in a world of illusion, she can see what is real. But can she see the truth before it is too late? Luna has always been able to exist in virtual and real worlds at the same time, a secret she is warned to keep. She hides her ability by being a Refuser: excluded by choice from the virtual spheres others inhabit. But when she is singled out for testing, she can’t hide any longer. The safest thing to do would be to fail, to go back to a dead-end life, no future. But Luna is starting to hope for something better, and hope is a dangerous thing...

I received a free kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A few years ago I read the ‘Slated’ series, which I believe was Teri’s first publication. It quickly became one of my favourite series’ and I was so happy when Hachette approved me for her new book, Mind Games! The first thing i'll say is that I really don't think the synopsis for this book does it any justice.

The premise of Mind Games is quite difficult to try and explain. Luna lives in a world where the Virtual World is everything. All activities, education and well...everything is done whilst being plugged in to a virtual world created from the mysterious ‘void’ that features throughout the book.

What I loved about the book was that there was no big explanation at the beginning of the book; telling you how the world came to be; why the world is the way it is. It’s just the life that Luna lives in and therefore she doesn’t feel the need to explain it as she doesn’t know anything else. The reader is thrown straight into the book and your imagination can unfold.

No matter how many years pass us by, technology will always seem foreign and strange to the average person. The whole idea of an invisible world connecting us all together just blows my mind and this book plays heavily on that. Like Slated, this book was full of adventure and excitement from start to finish.

It definitely raises questions about ethics and society which is pretty much all you can ask for from a book like this. With Terry's running theme on extreme tech throughout her books - I can only wonder what her personal opinion is! A must read!

**Apologies for the lameness of reviews - i'm just getting back on my feet with this whole reading thing! I can barely remember how to do this thing.**

Caragh Reviews - Fractured by Teri Terry

Published: 4th April 2013

Publisher: Orchard Books

Format: Paperback

Synopsis: How do you know where to go when you don't remember where you came from? Kyla's memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost for ever. Or so she thought. Kyla shouldn't be able to remember anything. But she can - and she's beginning to realise that there are a lot of dark secrets locked away in her memories. When a mysterious man from her past comes back into her life, she thinks she's on her way to finding the truth. But the more she learns about her history, the more confusing her future becomes... Set in a disturbing future world, FRACTURED is an engrossing, fast-paced read that establishes Teri Terry as a master thriller writer.

My review of Slated can be found here - Slated Review

I can't believe i'm only just getting around to reviewing this! Slated was one of my favourite books of 2012 and it literally PAINED me to wait for Fractured (well maybe not literally but it sure felt like it). Honestly, I felt that it started a little slow and it took me some time to get my teeth into it but all things considered, Kyla needed a little bit of downtime! However.. it didn't stay slow for long. 

Fractured was incredible, action packed and nerve racking as hell! The world that Teri Terry has created is powerful and scary. It is so close to home both geographically and in terms of where society is. The idea of destroying someones self, their memories and the controlling of emotions is frightening and following Kyla as she lives in this destructive world is an emotional ride for both her and the reader. Fractured introduced a whole new set of characters and shattered the illusions we had of those in the previous book. Terry cleverly slowly revealed the multitude of layers to her characters that continuously surprised me throughout the book. Characters that I previously felt were trustworthy were suddenly not quite as innocent as they seemed and vice versa. All the different elements to Fractured work well together and come to a point that I just can't wait to read about in the upcoming final book, Shattered.

As fragments of Kyla's memories return, we the readers can experience that with her and are equally as confused as Kyla. I love this aspect of the book as rather than just being told what Kyla remembers, we experience and feel that too. This is a series that just continues to grow and becomes more and more interesting as it moves forward. I can't wait to find out what happens in the final book and see what choices Kyla makes for her future now that her past is being revealed. 

Slated #3 has a name!

On 30th May, author of sensational dystopian YA books Slated & Fractured, revealed the name of the 3rd and final installment of the series. So what is it?

.....

SHATTERED!

Personally, I love it! Shattered fits perfectly with the names of the previous 2 books but also reflects exactly what is going on in Kyla's mind. Her walls are coming down and there is so much left to learn! I am so excited for the release of Shattered and there's still a year to go. Let's just hope the cover reveal isn't too far into the future.

Visit Teri Terry's website for more information - What's in a name?

Cover Release Fractured - Teri Terry!

Back in June I wrote a review for Teri Terry's novel Slated which you can read here - Slated Review.
I absolutely adored this book and have been keeping a watchful eye out for news of the second book in the series Fractured.Well...

The cover art for Fractured is released!

I am so pleased that the style of the cover art matches perfectly with Slated. It's beautiful and I love the splash of colour which fits in with how I imagine the book becoming more colourful with the release of more memories and Kyla's story. I am SO excited to read this book.

Fractured is released May 2013.

Review // Slated - Teri Terry

Published - 3rd May 2012
Published By - Orchard Books
Format - Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis - Kyla’s memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost for ever. She’s been Slated. The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

I spotted Slated in the local supermarket and was intrigued by the synopsis  so when it was bought for me, I couldn’t wait to get into it – and I really did!

Immediately what I liked about the book was that the world wasn’t explained straight away. It took quite a while to build a full idea of what Kyla’s world was like which fit perfectly with the topic of the book. I learned along with Kyla as she discovered what life was like. I particularly liked the references that I could identify with in today’s world such as mobile phones being banned due to rioting (London, anyone?) For me, Slated raised the question of what it means to be a criminal. Does a certain type of crime have to be committed? Or is a person a criminal just because someone doesn’t agree? 

Like many I’m sure, I’m interested in the terrorist group in Slated. I struggled with taking Kyla’s side to making up on my own mind. I still don’t really know if such a group are actually terrorists or whether they are in fact the good guys.

The characters in Slated were likeable (Kyla, Ben, Amy, Jazz etc..) and even more so when their personal stories were looked at a little more closely. I became attached to Kyla very quickly, and felt like I needed to protect her but at the same time I knew she was strong and capable of looking after herself. The less likeable characters in Slated (such as Phoebe) were also well written and I found myself struggling to dislike them even though their characterisation suggested I shouldn’t!

Dystopian literature is becoming more popular and some have even suggested that the popularity of dystopia means a lower class type of book but in my opinion this isn’t true, especially in the case of Slated. New topics are raised and it gave me a lot to think about. I’m excited for the release of the second book in 2013 as the ending of Slated had me shouting for more.