Cinder, by Marrissa Meyer

I loved it. There is simply no more to say. Twists on fairy tales tend to be dull at best, and more often than not cringingly bad, but Meyer has made the improbable happen. I mean, cyborgs, Asian princes and people that live on the moon? Give me a break! But Meyer combines these unlikely elements flawlessly, creating a beautifully gripping story that holds you the whole way through.

Cinder, a mock up of Cinderella, is a cyborg, that much is made clear from the start. The concept of cyborgs is an interesting one - they are regarded with disdain, treated like outcasts, and, unlike with racism in todays society, this response to them is completely acceptable. More than that in fact, they are expected, so Cinder's experience seems more realistic.

The traditional story does make appearances, cleverly interwoven with the plot, noticeable but not clunky. Meyer has swapped little singing mice and sparkly shoes for mechanical limbs and snarky androids, but in such a way that light humour offsets the occasional dark moment.

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society, and a waste of space by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder’s brain interface has given her an uncanny ability to fix thing, making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This is a cool idea, but in my opinion there is far too little evidence of it- even in fixing Prince Kai's robot she only removes a plug. Still, you can't have everything. Her  (allegedly) excellent reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. The android is 'old', and 'precious' to him, so why, I wonder, does he come to a cyborgs stall, what with all the prejudices and misconceptions about them? Anyhow, he does, much to the delight of Cinder, and at a later date, her android. But her happiness is short-lived, for a terrible sickness is sweeping the city, and no one is safe. No one you love. When her stepmother volunteers her for a testing the scientists find something slightly odd-she survived...

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl is a young-adult fantasy novel; the first book in a series of eight. It follows the escapades of Artemis, who is quite possibly the smartest person in Europe, if not the world.  It is commonly acknowledged that he is responsible for nearly all the major crimes in Europe - a true criminal mastermind. Oh yes, and he's only twelve. When the story starts Artemis Fowl Snr has vanished, Angeline Fowl has gone mad and Artemis is alone with a huge estate, a dwindling fortune and a huge man who goes only by the name of Butler. What could possibly go wrong? A lot - like discovering a secret world of fairies who are less than happy to be unearthed. These fairies, in case you hadn't guessed are not your average, tutu sporting, wand waving sweetie pies who live in rose buds. Oh no. These are fairies of limited magic, ultimate technology and a hardened view of the world. By no means are they a naive species. Which is why it's a bad idea to try to kidnap an elf in a bid for a fairy gold ransom. A very bad idea indeed.

Butler is deeply mysterious, more like a machine than a man; and yet there are hints that he is as human as the rest as us when he is out of his job. His relationship to Artemis is an interesting one - Artemis is in control, yet he still seeks confirmation from Butler for his misdemeanours. They are more friends than boss and employee, and Artemis speaks to him in a way he speaks to no other - with respect. Artemis is made interesting by his extreme selfishness, and lack of care for others. I have to say  I like that about him, and was slightly disappointed by him gradually becoming nicer; it dispels the allure of having a truly horrible main character. That's not to say he becomes soppy, as he really doesn't, it's just the nagging development of a conscience I'm talking about. Still, if that's the only thing I can find to complain about it really has to be good doesn't it?

Artemis Fowl is a fast paced, original and down right brilliant book. It combines fairies, action and super cool gadgets, which, as everyone knows, is always a winning combination. Colfer churns out witty jokes at an admirable rate, which, when partnered by the addictive character of Artemis, couple the action with a tasty sense of irony. It is in every way as good as the reviews suggest, and with a movie of it coming out soon it could well be the next Harry Potter, with laser guns and all!

Ruby Redfort Look into my Eyes by Lauren Child Review

Ruby Redfort is one of my favourite book of all time. Ignore any bad reviews of it you hear- I think it's amazing, and that's what counts right? Ruby is a supersmart, wisecracking kid genius, and a very addictive character. She was first introduced in Lauren Child's best seller, Clarice Bean. Readers loved her so much that Lauren decided to make a book about her.Reviews are astounding:

“the feisty heroine, her loyal best friend Clancy, and the adventures they become tangled up in are humorous, exciting and gripping” – We Love This Book

“…clues, gadgets, secret HQs, a heist, explosions…T-shirts with cool slogans and a supply of jelly doughnuts. What more could adventure-loving girls want?” – Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times

“Lauren Child has put imagination and fun back into the real worlds of childhood.” – Julia Eccleshare, Guardian

“Lauren Child is a publishing phenomenon” – Observer Magazine

“Lauren Child is so good it’s exhilarating” – The Independent.

Lauren Child, the author of the Ruby Redfort series

While the plot line is very complicated (if you stopped reading it for a while and then came back to it it probably wouldn't make any sense to you) it only serves to make the book more enjoyable, because it lends such a superbly crafted feel to it. The basic plot goes something like this (I haven't made it too detailed-I don't want to spoil it!)

It's about a girl called Ruby Redfort and a boy called Clancy Crew. Both of them are clever children, but Ruby is uncommonly clever. In fact, she could be called a genius.she is mainly known for her incredible talent in codecracking. This trait is not one shared by the family- both her father (Brant Redfort) and her mother (Sabina Redfort) are, although dreadfully nice, really rather dim. This means Ruby is free to do what she pleases, or at least nearly ( the much loved Mrs Digby (the house keeper) is not so easily fooled).

Ruby is far too intelligent for her school, and tends to get rather bored. So when Ruby starts getting strange phones messages she decides to find out what's going on. She follows a bewildering trail of codes and puzzles that lead her to a spy agency. And not just any spy agency but a place so secret that not even the government know about it. Spectrum.

Spectrum ask Ruby to do some very secretive work for them. They say that Ruby will be completely out of danger but (and it's a big but)  she must not tell a soul. But can she really keep it zipped on something as big as this? And just what is this secret work? No danger huh? They couldn't have been more wrong.
Sound good? It really really is. I highly recommend it. There are even sequels! I'll be reviewing them soon. Have fun reading : )

Welcome

Hey guys, welcome to teenreads! I've never done a blog before, so I'm sorry if I get stuff wrong :). I'm planning to put in the books that I'm reading and review them and stuff for you guys, so hope you like it. 
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