Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

Title: Plain Truth
Author: Jodi Picoult
Publication Date: 2003
Blurb: The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to defend Katie, two cultures collide -- and for the first time in her high-profile career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. Delving deep inside the world of those who live "plain," Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her terms. And as she unravels a tangled murder case, Ellie also looks deep within -- to confront her own fears and desires when a man from her past reenters her life.

My Thoughts: Katie is a young Amish girl who is charged with murdering her newborn baby. The problem is that Katie claims that she’s never been pregnant and never given birth despite all the evidence that says otherwise. Ellie, a distant relation of the family decides, reluctantly, to defend Katie but the catch is that in order to make sure Katie doesn’t skip bail Ellie must live with her and her family for the entirety of the court case. Slowly over the course of the novel the truth starts to come out, but could Katie, a gentle young Amish girl be guilty of murdering her own baby?


I’ve been wanting to read Plain Truth for a while now as I’m interested in finding out more about the Amish. I finally got around to reading it recently and I must say it didn’t disappoint! This was another very interesting and compelling read from Jodi Picoult. I usually get bored reading about court cases, but Picoult somehow manages to keep them interesting and wanting you to read on. I also really enjoyed reading about the Amish people, how they live and the ideals that they live by.

This is definitely one of my favourite Picoult books!

Rating: ****

Inner Circle and Legacy by Kate Brian (Private novels)

                          

Title: Inner Circle & Legacy (Private, Book 6)
Author: Kate Brian
Series: Private
Other books in the series:
Private
Invitation Only
Untouchable
Confessions

Blurb - Inner Circle:
Reed Brennan arrived at Easton Academy expecting to find an idyllic private school experience -- challenging classes, adorably preppy boys, and a chance to create a new life for herself. Instead, she discovered lies, deception, blackmail, and...murder. But, thankfully, the killers were caught and the nightmare is finally over. Now, with a new school year ahead of her, Reed steps back on Easton's ivy-covered campus ready to start over. So when the headmaster announces that billings is forbidden from holding their traditional, secretive initiation, Reed is relieved. She champions the new rules and the six new girls the administration has picked to live in Billings Hall: Constance, Missy, Lorna, Kiki, Astrid, and newcomer Sabine. But Reed's fellow Billings resident and new nemesis, Cheyenne Martin, believes the changes are a mockery of Billings history. Despite the new rules, Cheyenne vows to keep the old ways alive, no matter what -- or who -- stands in her way...


Blurb - Legacy:
The price of power...After Cheyenne Martin's death, everyone at Easton Academy is struggling to recover from yet another tragedy--especially the girls of Billings Hall. With Cheyenne gone, they need to elect a new leader. And who better than Reed Brennan, the ultimate Billings Girls? As the new Billings president, Reed suddenly has access to power she never imagined. Gossip is reported to her immediately, she has first dibs on everything from dining tables to dorm rooms, and Billings's most powerful alumnae are at her beck and call. So when Easton's students discover they're the only prep school on the East Coast not invited to this year's all-inclusive Legacy party, everyone turns to Reed to get them back on the list. Reed is the most powerful girl at Easton. She revels in her newfound status, but knows better than anyone that the Bilings leaders have a tainted legacy: Ariana was institutionalized, Noelle was expelled, and Cheyenne just died. History has a way of repeating itself at Easton, and now that Reed has everything she's ever wanted, she has everything to lose.


My Thoughts:
These books are my guilty pleasure at the moment. They’re part of the Private series by Kate Brian and are about a young girl Reed Brennan. In the first books Reed has just arrived at the prestigious Easton Academy and is trying to work her way into the elite world of a group called The Billings Girls. In Inner Circle Reed is recovering from a horrifying experience that happened in the previous books (I’m trying not to give anything away!) and Billings House is being run by a girl called Cheyenne who is taking all the power to her head. Against the wishes of the new principal, and against Reed’s conscience, Cheyenne and the rest of the girls in the house have decided to go ahead with the usual initiations for the new Billings girls.


It’s interesting to see what life in a private boarding school is like, especially with girls that are that rich. I also kind of enjoyed (even though I don’t condone it) the initiations that the girls had to go through and the level of bitchiness that was in the house. I think it was the level of juiciness that was in the story! lol It was nice to see Reed sticking up for herself and the other girls though especially in a world of high school peer pressure and bullying.

In Legacy, the students at Easton are looking forward to the yearly Legacy Ball. This is an event that only third generation Easton students can attend, however they’re crushed to find out that nobody has received their invites for the year. So Reed and her friends decide that they have to find out what’s going on and find a way to get into the ball.

I really enjoyed the touch of mystery that was in Legacy. This was probably a little lighter than Inner Circle, with a new coffee shop opening at the school (yes please!) and the big issue being that the students might not have been able to attend a dance and that their dress purchases would have gone to waste. But of course like all the books in the Private series, it ends with a cliff hanger that made me reserve the next book in the series.

Ratings: Both get ****

Review: The Thistle and the Rose by Jean Plaidy

Title: The Thistle and the Rose
Author: Jean Plaidy
Publication Date: January 2004

Blurb: Princess Margaret Tudor is the greatest prize when her father, Henry VII, negotiates the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with neighboring Scotland. The betrothal is meant to end decades of bloody border wars, but it becomes a love match: To Margaret's surprise, she finds joy in her marriage to the dashing James IV of Scotland, a man sixteen years her senior. But the marriage, and the peace it brings to both nations, does not last. When King James is struck down by the armies of Henry VIII, Margaret - Princess of England, but Queen of Scotland - finds herself torn between loyalty to the land and family of her birth and to that of her baby son, now King of the Scots. She decides to remain in Scotland and carve out her own destiny, surviving a scandalous second marriage and battling with both her son and her brother to the very end. Like all the Tudors, Margaret's life would be one of turmoil and controversy, but through her descendants, England and Scotland would unite as one nation, under one rule, and find peace.

My Thoughts: Whenever I read about the Tudor family it’s usually about Henry, his wives and children or the Grey sisters, so this is the first book that I’ve read that has been solely about Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII. The story starts off when Margaret is 12 years old and is betrothed to King James IV of Scotland. I found this part very interesting, as it showed a little of Margaret’s relationship with Henry, her fears about marriage and all the festivities that went on because of it. Margaret falls in love with James as soon as she meets him, and theirs is a loving marriage, despite his many mistresses and illegitimate children. However, James dies young and Margaret is left a young widow, and mother to an infant king.

Like her brother, Margaret was ruled by passion and spontaneity which led to her next two marriages. She seemed to fall in love very quickly which caused great scandal and unhappiness for her. She spent the rest of her life trying to fight for control over her son and torn between her loyalty to England, her brother’s country and her home, and Scotland, her son’s country and the country she married into.

I love that Jean Plaidy writes about the more obscure and less written about characters in history. As I said before though, I haven’t read a lot about Margaret Tudor so I can’t say for sure how historically accurate it was. I did find it very interesting and entertaining though, although I find that I generally enjoy historical fiction by Allison Weir and Philippa Gregory just that little bit more. I think that those interested in history and the Tudor period will very much enjoy this book by Jean Plaidy.

Rating: ***

Review: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Title: The Last Song
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Release date: 2009

Blurb: Seventeen-year-old Veronica 'Ronnie' Miller's life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and her father moved to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains alienated from her parents, particularly her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she and her brother spent the summer with him. Resentful and rebellious, Ronnie rejects her father's attempts to reach out to her and threatens to return to New York before the summer's end. But soon Ronnie meets Will, the last person she'd thought she'd ever be attracted to, and finds herself falling for him, opening herself up to the greatest happiness - and pain - that she has ever known. In the tradition of his beloved novel 'A Walk to Remember', Nicholas Sparks brings us a deeply moving story of a young girl's first encounter with heartbreak - and love.

My Thoughts: I went into The Last Song expecting it to be a light read, something more entertaining than deep. And it was entertaining, but there was so much more to it than that. The book was also very touching, very deep and a great coming of age story.

Ronnie Miller is horrified and angry to find that her mother has decided that she and her younger brother, Jonah, will be spending the summer with their father in Wrightsville Beach. Ronnie hasn't spoken to her father for the past three years since he left her mother, and, after her arrival spends as much time as possible away from the house, trying to stay away from her father and his incessant piano playing. Because of this she meets the interesting but dark Blaze, the dangerous Marcus and Will, someone she never thought she could fall in love with, but does. As the story moves along Ronnie becomes a much more likeable character (I found her a little childish at first) and you can see her growing and accepting her father.

I found it interesting that, even though Ronnie is the main character, the chapters changed from her point of view to that of her father and Will. I find in some books this is hard to follow, especially if there are too many people included, but The Last Song was very easy to follow, as each character stood on their own, with their own distinct personalities.

Like all of Nicholas Sparks' other books this also has a twist at the end, which results in some very sad and touching moments. A piece of advice, make sure that you have some tissues with you while you read the last few chapters of the book!

I definitely recommend this book, although I'm sure girls will get more pleasure out of it than the guys. It's a wonderful coming of age story, and includes topics like family, illness and love.
Rating: 4/5

The Ruby Ring review

The Ruby Ring
Diane Haeger
2005
Rating: Good

The Ruby Ring begins in 1520 Rome, a city in mourning for their beloved Raphael Sanzio. Raphael, a mastro painter was well loved in Rome and now lays in state in the Pantheon. Meanwhile a young woman, Margherita Luti seeks refuge in a nearby convent. She, who was born a bakers daughter in a humble neighbourhood on the Tiber, is now an outcast with many powerful enemies. Margherita was Raphael's beloved, his mistress and his model for many of his Madonna paintings. Theirs was a true and lasting love, but now that Raphael is gone the convent is Margherita's only hope for a safe and peaceful life. The Mother Superior finally agrees to allow Margherita to stay, despite her reputation, but with one catch. She must give up the ruby ring she wears, which was given to her by Raphael and the ring that she wore in Raphael's scandalous 'wedding portrait'. As Margherita makes her choice she thinks back over the years she spent with Raphael, and their love.

Despite the slow start, The Ruby Ring is a beautiful love story about two people, from vastly different backgrounds, who were truly and deeply in love. I loved reading about Raphael's passion and the sumptuous era which included characters like Leonardo DaVinci, Michaelangelo, Pope Leo X and more! As I mentioned earlier though, the book did start off slowly and felt like it took a while to read, in comparison to other books. The writing got a little dull in places and the couple a bit over the top in their romance, but it was interesting and enjoyable to read about Rome at that time and the powerful figures who surrounded them.

Enna Burning review

Enna Burning
Shannon Hale
2004
Rating: Good

I didn't realise that Enna Burning was part of a series, nor have I read the book before it, The Goose Girl but this didn't really matter. The books have the same group of characters, with some new ones thrown in, but the stories are quite separate.
Enna Burning is about 16 year old Enna, friend of the Princess Isi from the previous The Goose Girl book. She had returned to her home in the Forest to care for her sick mother, who at the start of this book has died. Enna lives with her brother who finds a piece of vellum which teaches him to light a fire without spark or flint. Enna becomes worried about her brother when the warm energy of the fire becomes destructive and Leifer becomes controlled by his desire to burn. When Bayern goes to war, Leifer helps Bayern's army win by burning their enemies, however in the process he is killed by the fire. Enna finds the parchment and decides that she has to use it in order to save her friends and Bayern. She sneaks into enemy camps, burning small things, at first but later in a big battle lets the fire take control of her and nearly gets killed in the process. Her friend, Isi, has similar abilities with wind, which she is losing control of so the two girls set off to a kingdom in the south to find the fire-worshipers who can hopefully help them.
Enna Burning is a unique story and fairy tale aimed for teenagers. There's lots of very graphic and gory moments throughout the book with many people being burnt alive. It was very difficult to like Enna during these parts as it's hard to understand the control that the fire has over her, but she redeems herself in the end. Enna Burning has elements of romance, fantasy, drama and adventure, and is a book that I'd recommend.

Exchanging Lives review

Exchanging Lives
Kathy Buchanan
April, 2009 (Australia)
Rating: Good

Exchanging Lives is a very light and fun novel about two young girls from Sydney, Australia. Charlie and Annie used to be friends, but once they hit high school, Annie joined the popular group and pushed Charlie away. Now both girls have been chosen for an exchange student program where they will spend 3 months in America with a host family. Annie is supposed to be going to New York where she's excited about checking out the latest fashions, and Charlie is supposed to go to a small town in Ohio, where she's excited about finding out what living on a real farm will be like. But their parents, who are also friends, decide to pull the ultimate switcheroo and send Charlie to New York and Annie to Ohio with interesting results.
Exchanging Lives was a nice story about what real friendship is about, and making the most of what life throws your way. Both girls learn a lot about themselves and each other in their 3 months away, and also to look beyond their first impressions of places and the people they live with.

Second Star to the Right review

Second Star to the Right
Deborah Hautzig

2008 (first published 1981)

Rating: Very Good

Second Star to the Right is an incredibly moving story about 14 year old Leslie Hiller. Leslie is a perfectionist and constantly worries about disappointing her mother. To take control, and she believes, to make herself happy she decides to go on a diet. But things get out of control, when Leslie can't stop dieting. She starts eating less and less, believing that she'll know when she's thin enough. But she's never thin enough. Soon Leslie is throwing up whatever she eats, throwing food out her bedroom window and is too exhausted to even go to school. Leslie is aware that she's slowly killing herself and that she needs help, but finds it impossible to bring herself to eat.

Leslie is soon admitted to hospital, where the treatments and reactions to anorexia seem very dated. It frustrated me so much whenever someone asked Leslie 'couldn't you just eat a little so you put on weight?', not realising there was more to her problem than that.

There is no proper outcome at the end of the novel, which left me wanting to know what happened to Leslie. But overall Second Star to the Right was a very good, and often sad, read. I found it very interesting to see anorexia through the mind of someone suffering from it.

The Year my Sister got Lucky review

The Year My Sister Got Lucky
Aimee Friedman
June 2009
Rating: Very Good

Katie and her sister Michaela are extremely close, more like best friends. They have lived in New York all their lives, both attend a prestigious ballet school and both love their lives in New York. Or so it seems.
Katie is devestated when she finds out that she has to move with her family to a small town, called Fir Lake, in upstate New York. It's nothing like her beloved New York City. The people are overly friendly, her new ballet school is, to put it bluntly, a joke and they actually live near real cows! Katie immediately sticks out like a sore thumb, with her 'New York' sense of style and attitude. But to her surprise and horror, Michaela fits in straight away.

As Michaela settles into her new country life, making friends, gaining a footballer boyfriend, joining the yearbook team and attending homecoming, she and Katie grow apart. Katie finally does start making friends and trying new things, but she does this reluctantly. And then she finds out that Michaela has been hiding things from her, important things that she would usually tell Katie. Can these sisters also be best friends?

I had added The Year my Sister got Lucky to my wish list on Amazon, only to have it bought by my Library the next day. What a coincidence! And I'm glad I got to read it too, as it was a wonderful and entertaining book, with a great message about how your attitude effects your situation. Both Katie and Michaela were likeable, in their own way. Neither of them were perfect and made plenty of mistakes through the book, but this was part of what made them so likeable and real. The Year my Sister got Lucky is a great story about sisterhood, change and growing up that I'd definitely recommend.

Pink review

Pink

Lili Wilkinson

2009

Rating: Excellent

Blurb: "The pink jumper was practically glowing in my grey bedroom. It was like a tiny bit of Dorothy's Oz in boring old black-and-white Kansas. Pink was for girls. Ava Simpson is trying on a whole new image. Stripping the black dye from her hair, she heads off to the Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence, leaving her uber-cool girlfriend, Chloe, behind. Ava is quickly taken under the wing of perky, popular Alexis who insists that: a) she's a perfect match for handsome Ethan; and b) she absolutely must audition for the school musical. But while she's busy trying to fit in - with Chloe, with Alexis and her Pastel friends, even with the misfits in the stage crew - Ava fails to notice that her shiny reinvented life is far more fragile than she imagined."

I've often seen Lili Wilkinson's books around but have never had the chance to read any. When I saw Pink though I knew I had to read it, especially since one of my favourite colours is pink.

I can honestly say I really enjoyed reading Pink. Ava's story and her struggle with her identity and sexuality were very real, honest and something I think most people can relate with. Pink shows that it's okay to be unsure of who you are and who you want to be, but that in the end it's important to just be yourself and not be ashamed of any aspect of yourself. All of the characters were easy to identify with, many of them hiding parts of their lives as well.

Pink was very well written, with quick snappy and funny dialogue, and conversations and stories seemingly straight out of a schoolyard. I loved the fact that a lot of the places frequented in the book are places I visit a lot too, Melbourne being my local city. I will definitely be hunting down more of Wilkinson's books in the future.

Castile for Isabella review

Castile for Isabella

Jean Plaidy

2008

Historical Fiction

Rating: Very Good

Blurb: "Fifteenth-century Spain is rent with intrigue and threatened by civil war. Here, the young Isabella becomes the pawn of her half-crazed mother and a virtual prisoner at the licentious court of her half-brother Henry IV.

At just sixteen years old, is she already fated to be the victim of the Queen's revenge, the Archbishop's ambition and the lust of the lecherous Don Pedro Giron? Numbed by grief and fear, Isabella remains steadfast in her determination to marry Ferdinand, the handsome young Prince of Aragon, her only true betrothed."

I usually always enjoy Jean Plaidy's books, mainly because I can read about historical figures who aren't necessarily as well known (although she still does write about the more well known figures in history). This book was no exception. It was interesting to find out more about Isabella of Castile, who was the mother of Katharine of Aragon. The book covered her earlier years, from being a child through to becoming Queen of Castile. You see that her journey wasn't easy, with the people around her either trying to throw her off course or pushing her to take the throne early. It was nice to see that despite all of this, Isabella stayed true to her beliefs and her goal of marrying Ferdinand.

Overall this was another well written book by Jean Plaidy. The only problem that I had was that some of it seemed a little disjointed, but this could have been the way I read it. The other thing was that 4 year old Isabella seemed almost too mature for her age, with a rather large vocabulary. But it was an entertaining read and very interesting to find out more about a figure in history that I didn't know much about.

Envy: A Luxe novel

Envy
Anna Godbersen
2009
Rating: Very Good

Blurb: “Two months have passed since the dramatic homecoming of Elizabeth Holland – Manhattan society eagerly awaits her return. But Elizabeth won’t rejoin her sister Diana’s side. The whispers are beginning – is all as it seems behind closed doors? Uptown, Henry and Penelope Schoonmaker are the city’s most celebrated couple. But despite the glittering diamond she wears, the newlyweds share little more than scorn for each other. Manhattan’s most envied residents appear to have everything they desire: wealth, beauty, happiness. However, in a city where appearance is everything, sometimes the most practiced smiles hide the most scandalous secrets.”

I must admit, the first thing that attracted me to the Luxe series was the covers. Who could resist those beautiful dresses?! Not me!
I wasn’t sure how ’Envy’ would span out and if I’d like it considering Henry and Penelope…… But I wasn’t disappointed. Envy was just as good and just as addictive, juicy and scandalous as the first two books in the Luxe series!Although despite all the juiciness it’s nice to see some of the characters growing up a bit and starting to stand up for themselves.
I’m excited that the fourth book ‘Splendour’ is not far off being released, although I’m sad to hear that it’s going to be the last book in the series.