action – A Bookish Life

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

From the very first page I knew I was going to love this book, hell from the blurb I knew I was going to love this book, and it did not disappoint.

THE BLURB

Dear Logan,
Someday I’m going to write a book: How Not to Die in Alaska – A Girl’s Guide to Fashionable Survival.

I bet you don’t know that a hair pin can make an excellent fishing hook. You may think you can use just any kind of mud for mud masks, but trust me, you CAN’T! In a pinch, nothing starts a fire like nail polish remover. Alaska is tough. You might know this, if you ever replied to my letters.

After Maddie’s Secret Service dad takes a bullet for the president, he takes Maddie somewhere he thinks they’ll be safe – far away from the White House and the president’s son, Logan.

But when Logan comes to Alaska, so does the danger.

If there’s one thing Alaska has taught Maddie, it’s how to survive. And now her best friend’s life depends on it …

MY REVIEW

This book is fast paced, full of action and so so funny. Madison (Maddie, Mad Dog) Manchester is just the best main character. She’s totally kick ass and runs rings around both teenage boys and trained assassins. I do think she’s totally crazy and over the top but it makes for some fantastically fun reading. I love how she has all of these incredible survival skills, is super smart but seems most concerned about her beauty regime and how her hair looks. She plays the stereotypical silly little girl to perfection while really out plotting and scheming just about everyone. I loved how fearless she was and how independent and just how funny she could be.

Unfortunately though being such a strong main character, she leaves pretty much everyone else in her shade. Former best friend and potential love interest Logan is likeable enough and there’s some great banter between them but he’s not as strong a character so gets left behind a little.

I loved the Alaskan setting and the plot has plenty of action and excitement throughout. The writing is short and punchy adding a lot of pace to the story but still giving you a great sense of place and characters.

If I had one criticism, and it’s a pretty minor one, it’s that I thought it got a little bit repetitive in places. We get it Alaska is dangerous and there’s a serious lack of bedazzled weapons.

Other than that I loved it and am off in search of more books by Ally Carter.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all thoughts are my own.

The Border by Steve Schafer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very timely look at illegal immigration from the point of view of those who risk it all for a better life. It’s a fast paced and engaging read that’s both harrowing and heartbreaking at times but I’m so glad I read it.

It’s a brilliant debut and one I’d recommend even if it’s not your usual kind of read.

The Blurb

One moment changed their lives forever.

A band plays, glasses clink, and four teens sneak into the Mexican desert, the hum of celebration receding behind them.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Not fireworks―gunshots. The music stops. And Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys are powerless as the lives they once knew are taken from them.

Then they are seen by the gunmen. They run. Except they have nowhere to go. The narcos responsible for their families’ murders have put out a reward for the teens’ capture. Staying in Mexico is certain death, but attempting to cross the border through an unforgiving desert may be as deadly as the secrets they are trying to escape…

My Review

This is not the kind of book I probably would have picked up on my own but when the publisher contacted me via NetGalley and offered me the chance to read it I thought why not. Despite a NetGalley shelf that’s starting to creak, I’m so glad I added this to it.

Illegal immigration seems to be a hot topic at the moment no matter where you live in the world so this book about four teens trying to cross the border into the US from Northern Mexico couldn’t be more relevant. It provides a truly fascinating insight into just how desperate many of those trying to find a new life are and challenges the view that many have that they’re all bad or dangerous people who have to be stopped.

The story is told from the point of view of 16 year old Pato who, after witnessing all of his family and most of his friends being killed by a local gang while at a party, has a price put on his head and is forced to go on the run with his best friend Arbo and Marcus and Gladys a brother and sister who also narrowly avoided being killed at the party. With Mexico no longer safe and no one they can turn to the only option open to them is to attempt to cross into America and make a new life for themselves.

Pato is an immensely likeable and surprisingly relateable character. I didn’t expect to have much in common with a 16 year old Mexican boy but there’s something about him that I could definitely empathize with. He seems to have had a relatively sheltered and comparatively privileged life so his life is truly turned upside down and he struggles to cope. The author does a truly wonderful job in making him a very real and completely believable character.

The other three that make up the group were also incredibly well defined. Arbo the best friend is the emotional and soft one who struggles the most, Marco is the tough guy and self imposed leader of the group and Gladys brings balance and a little bit of love to the group. It’s absolutely wonderful how the dynamic between the four changes and develops over the course of the story and I found myself really routing for them to make it despite the odds stacked against them.

The story itself is fast paced and pretty harrowing at times (although I do feel like the author held back a little for the YA audience). The group have more than a few close calls and with gangs chasing them, an inhospitable environment, limited resources and no one to rely on but themselves there’s a big question mark over who if any of them will make it across the desert alive.

Thankfully it’s not all death, violence and struggle however as the author also weaves in some moment of lightness and humor and also a little bit of romance. There’s a lot of struggle but there’s also a lot of hope and that’s what carries the group and the reader through (although I’m not telling you if they make it).

I did have a couple of niggles which I can’t mention due to spoilers but overall I’d say this was a worthwhile read and one I’d definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own.

The Border is published on the 5th September.