I really must keep better track of my post it notes!
SO.
It was really good, I mean really really good. The idea behind the story is perfect, it is something I have never come across before and it is something I thoroughly enjoyed. It is well structured and doesn't feel like it has lost its rails at any point which is good for a first novel.
The ending had a twist and I was surprised by it, which doesn't often happen, this was a good thing because it was the sort of surprise that had clues and it could have been guessed at but I certainly didn't guess, it didn't come out of nowhere and yet was enough of a twist for me not to have sussed it out, which considering the amount of detective fiction I read is impressive.
Obviously I don't want to ruin it, but it is really difficult not to tell you what happens so I will just give you a snippet of the first of the crazy things that I mentioned last time.
Well, Val as I mentioned wakes up with a tattoo on her arm and as I mentioned she manages to make water suspend as a ball in the air at a boiling temperature, well what I didn't mention is that she does this after one of the symbols for the tattoo starts burning and she then sees someone in trouble in a piece of glass. When she touches the glass she gets transported to where that person is and has to use her powers of manipulating the elements in order to save the person. After she saves the person, the symbol disappears!
This happens several times and Val faces all sorts of situations and meets new people who become her scooby gang and we begin to learn that there are people out to get her who are causing the danger. I wont say any more, but it is always nice to know that a book has a villain in it.
The best bit? The ending is lined up for there to be more books!! I really hope she carries the story on because I really liked Val and her friends, I want more. There aren't many books that I immediately want there to be more of, Harry Potter and Twilight were two of the main ones, and defiantly the books in the True Blood franchise, but these are things that are already established, this isn't and I still want more.
A good thing to note which I realise a lot of parents of teenaged children worry about is obviously sexual content, there isn't anything more then a kiss in this so far, so that isn't something to get anxious over. There is obviously the age old message of "with power comes responsibility" (which for some reason that I can never quite fathom some parents seem to want to protect their children from) but I think that the choices that Val has to make in this book are the sort of choices that wouldn't directly affect most children, but are ones which they can find parallel's with, and in turn this would teach them the value of many things in their lives.
Working at W showed me just how difficult it is for a parent to judge the content of books in that way, thats why us booksellers are so required, and this is definitely ok for audiences of around 14/15+ I would say, which in itself is quite strange for a book where the main character is 18 years old.
So if you fancy a bit of an actiony/fantasy adventure then I would give it a go, or if you have a friend or relative that is into teen fantasy stuff this would also be a good one for them, I am already lending it to my younger sister.
On a non knitting note, I got the coolest new trainers today, they are made by Simple, and are eco trainers, made from natural and sustainable resources and recycled products, the sole of the shoe is an old tyre (very apt as my dad works for a company that makes recycled lorry tyres) and you can even still see the tread and the skid marks from the tyre! It is nice that my shoes have a history. (Also I didn't pay that price for them, they were £64.99 at Schuh and I got Student discount :D )
I also may have treated myself to another Radley handbag with my christmas moneys, one that is a more every day one in a satchel style!
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