How refreshing to read a literary thriller. Now I just have to read everything else that Andrew Pyper has written ....

I was really looking forward to reading this book based on the title and blurb. It started off well, but the author does not know how to stick to the subject at hand. Instead of delving into the crash and aftermath, she stops as soon as the crash happens and launches into a huge interlude of backstory about the various characters and their families. I think her journalistic tendencies have greatly interfered with her ability to reveal the key story. Basically, this reads like a first draft, with everything in here including the kitchen sink. Wasn't there an editor who could have pruned away all the excess to let the story shine through? What a waste of a good story.

This seemingly simple story will stay with you long after you put the novel down. I don't think Sherrard could have pulled this off in any format other than free verse. The stark words hit with precision. The ending will blow you away.

Entertaining and informative. Ogilvie gives great tips on how to avoid unhealthy restaurant and fast-food choices and gives painless alternatives.

Distopian? SF? YA? Yes and no to all. This fabulous novel transcends all genres. An original and compelling first novel, that's for sure. Must now read the second one.

I love the premise ' Amy leaving typical teen life behind to be frozen and launched on a ship for 301 years of travel to an earth-like planet in a different galaxy. A second narrator ' Elder ' a young man destined to be the leader on this aircraft transporting Amy, her parents, and the other scientists and settlers for the destination planet.

But much as this sounds like it would be all about transponder rings and metal hats, it isn't. Against a backdrop of a believable future, we get nuanced characters, a murder mystery, lots of suspense, and a hint of romance.

Well done.

A beautifully written novel about a teen from a conservative Afrikaans family in pre-Mandela South Africa.

Renee convinces her parents into letting her leave their isolated rural community in order to study ballet in the big city ' Cape Town.

When she arrives as a student at the University of Cape Town, Renee is initially confident in the Afrikaans' God-given right to govern, and that giving votes to Blacks would be a disaster. Her existence up to this point has been so isolated that she's never shared an activity with Black or Coloured (ie mixed race) individuals, unless they were servants.

On campus, the first person who befriends her is Dion, a Coloured dancer who is openly gay, and she quickly falls in love with Andy, who is not only English (considered the devil by her Afrikaans father) but is a human rights activist.

Add to the mix Renee's brother Etienne, who is an undercover agent for the Afrikaans controlled police-state.

Hammond does a great job in showing the incremental change in Renee's attitude to the people and politics around her, and as Renee changes, the stakes get higher, with riots and violence all around.

In her personal life, she's playing a double game, keeping her relationship with Andy a secret from her parents and from her guardian aunt.

It all comes to a head in a page turning way.

Brenda Hammond's writing is visual and sensual, which is oh so appropriate for a novel about ballet and about an exotic locale.

A great read.

The concept of a YA murder novel set in an Alzheimers' ward is a unique one, and in left deft hands it could have been a disaster, but McNicoll handles it well, with tightly written scenes and perceptively developed characters. Those with Alzheimers are shown just as fully fleshed as the teens -- well done.

There was a good story in here somewhere but either the writing or the translation made it near impenetrable. Distanced generalized cut-out characters, clunky language, journalistic rather than novelistic style. I gave up after 50 pages.

A delightful picture book! Love the whimsical illos by Wendy Whittingham and love the galloping verse that rolls of the tongue. The grossness is pretty nifty too. Another sure winner for Valerie Sherrard!

This short but gripping novel by renowned author Valerie Sherrard makes the reader think about what they would do if they were unwillingly made an accomplice in a crime. Sherrard has a gift for showing a fresh perspective with an economy of words.