Customer Stories

Customer Review: 4 Young Adult Novels with Shania Kumar by Time Out Bookstore

Shania Kumar is one of our enthusiastic customer reviewers. Check out what she's been reading lately below.

LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff

Eve Carpenter lives in the Dregs, an island junkyard filled with rubbish, danger and TROUBLE. After losing her beloved robot gladiator Miss Combobulation in a Dome fight against a robot. Eve unlocks her powers and realises that she can kill robots and machinery by the will of her mind. On the run from Gangs and the Brotherhood, an organisation against ‘freaks’ like Eve, Eve comes across a lifelike robot, Eziekel who she seems to remember. With the help of Eziekel, her Grandpa, best friends Lemon Fresh and Cricket and trusty dog, Kaizer, Eve escapes death on numerous occasions. Eve’s life changes once again when Eve gains access to memories of her past as Ana Monrova and struggles to deal with her families loss and betrayal by the lifelike’s that her father created. This book captivated me the instant I started reading as it vividly describes the technological advancements but at the same time exposes the appalling environment that the world is facing. I really enjoyed not knowing what to expect when reading this book and anyone who loves the Bladerunner, Divergent, X-Men or Romeo and Juliet should definitely give this book a try.

How To Hang A Witch by Adriana Mather

Samantha Mather is your typical teen with sarcastic catch phrases on hand and a curious and strong willed personality. Her life ultimately changes once her Father enters a coma and Samantha and her step-mom then decide to move to Salem, her father’s home town. Witches, spells and a morbid curse greet her as she struggles to find the key to save her Father and unlock her families curse. Which is intertwined with the Salem Witch Trails, which occurred over 300 years ago. Along the way, Sam creates special bonds with the boy next door, Jaxon and the ghost which haunts her home, Elijah. I enjoyed how the novel portrayed both Samantha’s daily teenage life as well as her hunt to stop her families curse. I found it interesting that the author was actually talking about her family and their involvement in the Salem Witch trails in the novel, which made you want to read the book more. How to Hang A Witch is a thrilling read which will leave you questioning if there really are such things as supernatural beings!

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

In the small town of Sparrow all is not as it seems. Every summer, three sisters who were murdered 200 years ago return to their hometown and possess three unlucky girls all in the name of revenge. The three Swan sisters lure unsuspecting boys out into the ocean and vengefully drown them as an act of revenge towards the town for their wrongful deaths and accusation of being witches. A night before the sisters return, Penny Talbot a local seventeen year old girl runs into Bo Carter who hides his true purpose for coming to Sparrow. Join Penny as she uncovers the Swan Sisters story and realises that she is more connected to them than she thought. The Wicked Deep takes you on an emotional roller coaster which leads you to discover many hidden truths about the town and the Swan Sisters. This book is recommended for all paranormal book lovers and will fully transport you to the town of Sparrow.

This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

Join Catarina Agatta, a seventeen year old genius hacker on a quest to find the antidote to save the world from the deadly Hydra plague. Before Catarina’s father, the world renowned  geneticist Dr Laclan died, he devised a set of clues to help Cat find the vaccine. To find the vaccine against the Hydra infection, Cat must come out from hiding from the Cartaxus organisation. The organisation which killed her father and Cat has to enter the Hydra infested world where Lurkers (dangerous cannibalistic humans) and toxic Hydra clouds loom. With the help from her lethal companion Cole and brilliant coder Dax, she sets off to uncover the vaccine to save the world. On her search for the antidote Cat discovers deadly secrets which questions if her father is dead and who she thinks she is. I loved how this book has incredible plot twists which you do not see coming and creates a graphic parallel universe which you feel you are a part of. 

Customer Review: 3 Young Adults Novels with Shania Kumar by Time Out Bookstore

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Young adult expert  Shania Kumar sent us three great reviews this week. Here's her feedback on Flawed by Cecelia Ahern, The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward, and The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. We're looking forward to seeing what Shania reviews next!

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern  

“A heart-wrenching story of a young lady, Celestine North, standing up to society and challenging societal rules and expectations. I loved how this book talked about injustice in a unique way and showed injustice through there being ‘perfect’ human beings and then flawed human beings who were inferior to the ‘perfect’ human beings.  Flawed also portrayed the idea that there is no such thing as being ‘perfect’ and that part of being a human is to be flawed. This allows us to learn from mistakes we make and become a wiser person because of it.”

Perfect, the sequel to Flawed is out now.

Our recommended reading age for this book is 10-14 years.

The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward

“Join Samantha Kemi, an extraordinary alchemist on a nationwide hunt to find the cure for a love potion which the Princess of Nova accidentally drank. During Samantha’s deadly quest to find the scarcest ingredients in the universe like Eluvian ivy and Abominable hair, she realises that all is not as it seems to be and her families’ rival family, the Aster family, might be up to something. This book is an easy and interesting book to read and is about embracing yourself and reaching your full potential.”

You can also read the sequel, The Royal Tour.

Our recommended reading age for this book is 10 years and up.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

“Enter a world where all the creatures from your darkest nightmares are alive! Meghan Chase thought she was an ordinary teenage girl but all this dramatically changes when the fae steal her little brother and replace him with a changeling. On a mission to find her brother, Meghan enters the Never Never, a paranormal world in which faeries, monsters, trolls and nymphs are all alive and she is a Princess of the summer fae. Experience Meghan’s quest to find her brother and along the way develop lifelong friendships with Prince Ash and Puck. This book will attract anyone who is into fantasy and mythological creatures and is a thrilling tale which you won’t be able to put down!”

Our recommended reading age is 12 years and up.

Time Out's Gift Services: A customer's experience by Time Out Bookstore

Time Out Bookstore has recently started a gift service called ‘Year of Books’ and I was lucky enough to be the first person to try it out as my birthday present.

The particular arrangement for me was six books over six months so every month I have received an email to let me know that my book is ready. I could have the books delivered but I live close enough that I would just pop in to the bookstore to pick it up. The books have always been beautifully wrapped with the month, the book title and a little description written on the front.

Every book I have received has been incredibly enjoyable to read, spanning a wide variety but all fitting within my reading preference. It has been a wonderful six months as I have been introduced to some great authors, like Banana Yoshimoto and Toni Morrison, and I look forward to purchasing their other works.

It is a lovely and unique gift because it continues beyond the date you received it, such as your birthday, as you get to look forward to a gift every month or two months for the whole year following. I enjoyed it so much and I will miss it. I purchased the same service for my grandfather’s 90th birthday and I think it will make a great Christmas present for someone for sure.

Browse Time Out's range of gift services here.