Day of the Predator | Alex Scarrow

Sometimes, a nice light read as a break from something heavier can work wonders. This was only about four hundred and fifty pages, I think, the text was large, and the themes simple; at the time I was trying to plow through this mammoth of a book series that unfortunate fans know as The Wheel of Time, so this book was a relief, of sorts.

I read the first in the series a few years ago. The vibe the series gives off is less science fiction than a set of fast-paced action novels; rather than exploring in detail an aspect of technology that could bring hope and trouble to a futuristic world, the technology- of time travel- is more of a setting, a setting for the dangerous and desperate adventures the three agency recruits journey through, particularly Liam, as they jump back and forth through time putting history right when it's pushed from its original course by the use of time travel. Perhaps it does set the Time Riders series firmly in the children and young teenage fiction section; I think I've grown out of this kind of story somewhat- a few years since, I thought the first book was utterly riveting- but the plots are still suspenseful and exciting and the characters intensely likable, leading the reader to share their ups and downs.

Perhaps it's because nothing truly new was introduced in this, only a different undertaking through history and an extension of what the first book begun, but I think this book has lost some of the original's sparkle, as is often the case with adventure series like these. There are plot holes, as there almost always are with this sort of story, but the background and the development of the fictional world and the technology that shapes the story is appealing and engaging, if not overwhelmingly convincing. The intended readership age is a little queer to try and perceive; clearly, the story was designed for younger readers, but I get a vague feeling that Scarrow is maturing as an author: not yet delivering the complex themes and intrigue of adult literature, but there are some elements that don't quite belong, somehow. Perhaps the next six-something books show a continuation of this budding trend; I wouldn't know.

All in all, the prose isn't seamless, the development isn't perfect, but I think it would be a wonderful and engaging series for someone a little younger than I am now. As for me, I think I've outgrown these books by now, which is something of a shame considering I only ever read two of them, but I would definitely still recommend them. Great reads.

Me Before You | Jojo Moyes

You know that feeling that a particular book is haunting you and begging to be read? One that seems to follow you into every bookshop display and library shelf? Well, I got that feeling with this book. I first spotted it in a Whitcoulls Top 50 display last year, on FPS camp; the next Whitcoulls I set foot in, it was there, and on the 'recommended reads' display in the school library, too. The latter event was when I finally gave in and borrowed it. I'm not precisely one for romance, and this book neither took me in with its plot, nor touched me in some deeper sense, but I thought it was a valid reflection on life and purpose and spoke eloquently on a prominent contentious issue featuring today: euthanasia.

Lou Clark, the principal narrator of this story, is immature, somewhat shallow and perfectly content in her purposeless life, in whichever job she can find and stuck in a loveless relationship, at least in the beginning; Will Traynor was self-centered and insufferable. Will's accident confined him to a wheelchair with dead legs, limited use of his arms and hands, pain and a hopeless life that he wants ended; Lou loses her job, and is hired as a caretaker to Will. The characters here were never extremely likeable, for me, as you can probably tell; the storyline was a little too shallow. However, I appreciate the depiction of the way they both grow and develop with the interaction with each other, Lou learning to dream in Will's company and step out of her comfort zone and Will learning to love and care for people other than himself. The steely undercurrent that traverses the fluff on the surface is the most intriguing thing about the book: does someone have the right to end their own life instead of suffering pain? Should they, considering all those who love them and would give anything for them to live? Is there anything that can replace what they've lost, that can make life worth living again? What if there isn't?

This book has been enormously well received by the general population; I can't set foot in Goodreads without seeing rave review after rave review. Personally, this book somehow missed the target by a few hairs for me, but I can still agree that it was deeply moving and carried a surprising profundity that is so rarely found with romance novels (Twilight, I am looking at you), which made the whole story more meaningful. Euthanasia is an issue on which people are extremely divided, not without reason; this book delivers a truly relatable and touching message about euthanasia without seeming an opinion. That still takes skill, however much I dislike the protagonists.

Deception Point | Dan Brown

In my opinion, this one is a far cry better than the Da Vinci Code, and probably deserved the hype more. I've always had a soft spot for science fiction, and the blend of that genre with underhanded politics in this book makes it quite riveting.

Deception Point begins with a nearing presidential election, set in the USA; the main female protagonist, Rachel Sexton, is the daughter of the favoured narcissistic challenger to the incumbent President, Senator Sedgewick Sexton. With the tip-off of his pretty advisor and mistress Gabrielle Ashe, Senator Sexton gains popularity through focusing his campaign on NASA's failures as an example of government overspending. Unknown to him, though, NASA's new Polar Orbiting Density Scanner has supposedly uncovered a meteorite bearing insect fossils, proving the existence of extraterrestial life, a discovery that could unravel his entire campaign- that is, if the entire thing isn't a fraud.

The book weaves manipulation, romance, science, politics and scandal intricately into a masterful plotline; particularly the science, being the person I am. Rachel Sexton, Gabrielle Ashe, Mike Tolland, Corky Marlinson, William Pickering and Sedgewick Sexton are all very interesting characters in their own respects, the protagonists characteristically irresistible if a little unusual, with Rachel's clever and witty beauty, Mike's endearing charm and Corky's perpetual awkwardness, the clown personality. And, after all, we all like to see the antagonist get their thorough and unmitigated comeuppance in the end; it's a satisfaction like no other, which Deception Point certainly provides.

I found it a wonderful read. It was a little simplistic, in retrospect, and lacked a more profound thematic undercurrent despite all the plotwork on the surface, but the mash of genres, coupled with the adventure-thriller storytelling, made it a very satisfying book indeed for me.