Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

Title: New Girl
Author: Paige Harbison
Published: 31st Jan 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Source: eARC thanks to NetGalley and HarlequinTeen

They call me 'New Girl'...
Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.
Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.
Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.
And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back. - From Goodreads

This book is a retelling of the story of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. If you have ever read the original book you will know that it is a dark chilling tale about a new wife stepping into the void left by the last Mrs de Winters. Rebecca is set in an old mansion called Manderley which is cared for by Mrs Danvers who was obsessed with the previous Mrs de Winters, Rebecca, and who has little time for the new Mrs de Winters. I love the story of Rebecca and "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" is the famous opening line that always draws me back in to the book every time I pick it up.

I found this book to have the same cold and chilling feel to it, set in a cold old school called Manderly, the New girl comes in to take the place of missing Becca. No one knows where Becca is or why she left but it is clear that the other students will not be quick to forget her. The worst offender for making the new girl feel unwelcome is Dana Veers, her room mate and Becca's old room mate. Switching between the story of the new girl and Becca we see the mystery of what happened to Becca unravel before our eyes.

The interesting thing I found with this book was that as a reader I felt exactly as the new girl did. I felt shut out from what had happened. I did not know why New Girl was being shunned and I did not understand the behaviour of the other characters. As a reader this left me feeling rather isolated. However the character of New Girl and the way the story unfold pulls you along and keeps you wanting to know more. The other characters also help bring life to the story, especially Max.

I loved Max as a character. He seems quite one dimensional to begin with, as the jilted lover left alone after the disappearance of Becca, but the more the story unfolds, the more depth he has. I found some of his actions to be quite interesting and left me wanting to know more about him.

Since I was familiar with the original story, I knew the plot twist and some of the detail of what was going to happen. This in no way reduced my enjoyment of the book as this was a fresh take on a great story. The change in situation from a new wife in a manor house, to the new girl in school gave this an interesting perspective and I enjoyed reading the book from start, almost to the finish. There is one detail of the story that I loved and to me was what put Rebecca on my favourite book list, and unfortunately right at the end this is shattered for me in the book and left me feeling a little annoyed. There is a chance that I am just being picky, but for me it was a deal breaker.

This book is a great read for those familiar with Rebecca, and for those who are new to the story. A chilling high school mystery with some bad girl behaviour and a hot guy, what more can you ask for?

Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Title: Beastly
Author: Alex Flinn
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: 1st October 2007
Source: Own Copy

I am a beast.
A beast!
Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright. I am a monster.
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll, stay this way forever ruined unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly...beastly. - From Goodreads

So from reading my past reviews of books such as The Lying Game and The Secret Circle, it should come as no surprise that when I saw there was a movie coming out for Beastly I wanted to read the book. I thought the trailer looked great and (I am truly ashamed when I say this) I thought this was the book of the movie (I know I'm hanging my head in shame) and grabbed a copy. Now it was stupid of me to think that the movie came first, but what I got was a richly woven tale of magic and romance.

It is a story we all know, beauty and the beast. Kyle is popular, vain and a total ass. Everything is all about him and these are the morals his father has instilled in him, to get ahead you have to be attractive. So when the unusual looking Kendra asks Kyle to the school dance he decides to make a bit of an example from her by standing her up in front of everyone and waling in with someone else. But Kendra is a witch and gets her revenge later on that evening. She turns him into a Beast. Over the next 2 years Kyle has to find true love. He is also banished to a house with only a housekeeper and a tutor by his father.

OMG I loved this book so much. I thought the film was good, but there were some important parts which were changed from the book to film. At the start of the book Kendra appears as a tubby unattractive girl, but this is just what she is portraying to Kyle, she is actually quite an attractive witch who we learn has made quite a few mistakes in her past. Kyle and Kendra can communicate with each other through a magic looking glass.

Kendra was one of my favourite characters. I thought she brought some humour to the role, worrying about messing up again and making mistakes. There were other snapshots of humour peppered through this book with short chapters of conversations going on in an internet chat-room. The conversation is between other mystical creatures like a frog / prince and a mermaid.

In the film the very pretty Alex Pettyfer is made to be bald with weird tattoos and scars all over him, however in the book Kyle is a proper Beast. Hair, claws and all. I think this is more of a challenge and made his reclusiveness seem to make more sense.

I loved this book. I loved it so much I felt like I wanted to slow down my reading of it towards the end so that I made it spin out just a little more. There was little mystery in the story as we all know what happens in Beauty and the Beast, but this made little difference to me. This tale was worked with such enchanting magic that I can't wait to read Bewitched which will focus on some of the other spells Kendra has cast and the fallout!

Review: Jane by April Linder

Title: Jane
Author: April Linder
Publisher: Poppy
Published: 23rd September 2010
Source: eBook

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.
Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.

I LOVE Jane Eyre. It is the perfect novel to pick up on a cold day and I usually manage to read it start to finish curled up in my armchair in a couple of days. Bearing this in mind I was quite excited to jump into this book and see how it could be retold based in modern day. Jane Eyre the quiet and awkward governess becomes Jane Moore the collage student who takes a nanny job after the death of her parents makes her unable to continue her studies. Mr Rochester becomes Nico Rathburn rock god with a troubled past. I had a little difficulty with the Mr Rochester character. I the original book Rochester is a difficult and mean man with a teasing and charming side to him. In Jane Eyre it works and through the reading of the story you fall in love with his character but for me Nico Rathburn was difficult, mean and teased Jane but I found it impossible to find him charming.

This was not the only the only thing I had problems with in this novel. If you have not read Jane Eyre and know nothing about the story, this next paragraph my spoil part of the plot for you!!

One of my favorite things about the book is that it has something for everyone, an awkward romance, a crazy wife locked in the attic, a smattering of attempted bigamy, death and good old fashioned arson. This all worked for the time period it was set in. You could understand only 2 people knowing that Mr Rochester had a crazy wife locked in the attic. However I did not feel that this played so well in the present day, especially when the main character lives in the public eye and he was married to a beautiful woman. For me this was just too much of a jump that everyone forgot he was married before.

With all that out of my system I did not dislike this book. I thought that the rest of the story was well told for the present day. I especially enjoyed the period later on in the book where Jane was apart from Nico. I think this book would be a great introduction to Jane Eyre for anyone interested in the story. On the whole I enjoy reworkings of classic books, unfortunately I think this classic is just to close to my heart for me to be completely on board with all the modernisations.