Rave or Rant - Lily by Any Other Name

Lily by Any Other Name – Julie C. Gardner

A coming-of-age gem which embroils the wonders, fears and bombshells of teenage life, experienced by Lily Anderson.

Lily’s life is the typical complicated disaster which befalls most adolescents, and she trudges through it in the endearing and selfish way most teenagers do, accompanied by her loyal bestie Sarah and a cluster of typical characters I can relate to and easily put faces to from my own school days.

The running theme of the book is picked up in the chapter titles where Lily is called by . . . any other name. A pointless but quirky conundrum within the story. Initially I found the captioned chapters unnecessary in moving the story forward, but at the start of each new chapter found myself wondering in what context Lily’s ‘other name’ would appear in the chapter. And when I discovered it, whoopee. Yeah, I know.

This YA book is targeted at a young audience and author Julie C. Gardner delivers characters who are well-rounded and lovable, including antagonist Madison, who incarnates the nightmare which is every girl’s ultimate rival.

The plot involves a delicate web of love, secrets, sisterhood, rivalry, SnowFest disaster, a less than prefect prom and revelation of a secret Lily’s parents have kept from her. Her hit-and-miss romance stumbles at every hurdle, and whilst I found myself sympathising with love interest Zach, tangled in his own adolescent drama, I was secretly rooting for Sugar-Bear Connolly.

Laugh aloud one-liners were plentiful. A satisfying read with a feel good ending blended with tears (mine, not Lily’s). I recommend this book to young teenage girls and their besties – and their older sisters – and their mums even. YLOO.

Also by Julie C Gardner - Letters for Scarlet

#Rave

Rave or Rant - Daughters unto Devils

Daughters unto Devils – Amy Lukavics 

“The first time I lay with the post boy was on a Sunday, and I broke three commandments to do it.”

Amanda Verner is the sixteen-year-old narrator of this grisly and terrifying story of a family who move from their small mountain cabin onto the hot isolated prairie in search of a new life.

Secrets and guilt govern Amanda’s every thought. Fearful of the memory of the last winter and of the birth of her tormented and stricken baby sister, Amanda is hopeful the journey will provide her with an opportunity to redeem herself.

Every step of the way the Verner family strive to overcome adversity in their new and hostile environment where rattlesnakes lurk amongst the long grass, and their cabin is drenched in blood.

Did the first paragraph deliver? Oh yes, and then some.

From the start I was able to relate to the naïve and gritty Amanda, overcome with the kind of guilt trip that stems from the pious religion of the era, but with a heart full of love for her tormented family.

I loved the frontier style setting. I could feel the heat coming off the parched land and hear the snakes as they moved through the grass. Best of all is the way the horror sneaks up on you, subtle little hints and then boom, full on terror that sticks around until the bitter end.

Amy Lukavics, I hope you can write as fast as I can read. . . 

#Rave