quippe | Entries tagged with teri terry

The Blurb On The Back:

Tell a lie and the darkness will find you.

Quinn and Piper are twins, but they’ve never met. A tragic event brings them together, and draws them into a family curse that stretches across centuries.

One twin can command the darkness; the other could hold the key to breaking the curse.

But when lies become truth and truth looks like lies, who can you believe?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Teri Terry’s standalone YA novel mashes psychological thriller with supernatural fantasy to emotionally satisfying effect. The alternative first person narrative between Quinn and Piper is well done with Terry giving them each a distinctive voice and viewpoint and controlling the flow of information so that details are slowly revealed and discovered. Also good is the depiction of the relationship they each have with Zak (a rare example of a YA love triangle that’s reads true) with Terry unveiling additional facets of their character through their interactions with him. The fantasy elements are a bit of a slow burn and for me, the curse element was revealed a little too late for it to be as effective as it could have been, but the gradual revelation of the girls’ abilities – especially the dream scenes with the hounds, which are quite chilling – is eerie and effective. Writing wise, I thought that the dialogue could have been crisper in parts (at times it didn’t sound as naturalistic as it could have done) but Terry has a great sense of place – Winchester and Dartmoor are both rendered in believable detail with Dartmoor in particular portrayed with a haunting and bleak quality. All in all, I found this a good YA read and will definitely check out Terry’s next book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Luna has a secret.

She is different, but no one must find out.

Because in this world you must play their game, or it could cost you your life.

Will Luna discover her true destiny in time to save the ones she loves?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Teri Terry’s YA SF dystopia novel is a standalone story that’s chockfull of ideas and imagery but the plot never quite came together for me and the antagonists are very two-dimensional while some of the technology left me with more questions than answers. What’s great is the way Terry weaves technology and potential future uses (both beneficial and malign) into the story. The Implants, PIP booths (which use interface devices to reach the internet) and moving walkways are smartly conveyed and I enjoyed the way Terry depicts a future where most people live and interact on-line (and a world where Doctor Who continues to be filmed can’t be all bad). However, I never really understood a critical ability that Luna discovers – specifically how it operated or how it bridged the real and virtual worlds, which did leave me a little confused in the final chapters. I also found the antagonists to all be very two-dimensional with some (but not all) character and plot twists being telegraphed too early and to be honest, I never really found myself rooting for Luna, at times because her dialogue is quite wooden and she’s very much driven by events rather than driving them while Gecko is a bit of a stock boyfriend. All this is a shame because there are some great touches in the book and I particularly loved a reference back to Terry’s SLATED TRILOGY. Although this book didn’t really work for me, I will definitely check out Terry’s next novel.

The Blurb On The Back:

When you don’t know who you are, how can you decide who you want to be?

Kyla was Slated: her mind wiped clean by the oppressive Lorder government. When forbidden memories of a violent past began to surface, so did doubts: could she trust those she had come to care for, like Ben? Helped by friends in MIA, she goes undercover, searching for her past and evading the authorities who want her dead. But the truth Kyla desperately seeks is more shocking than she ever imagined.

The deepest and most startling secrets of all will be revealed as the acclaimed SLATED trilogy concludes.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The last in Teri Terry’s YA dystopian trilogy is another solidly written character story and a fitting conclusion. However, while I enjoyed the conclusion to Kyla’s story (which raises interesting questions about identity and history) I was less satisfied with the dystopian elements. In particular, MIA’s strategy for bringing down the Lorder government seems a little naïve and there’s a slight deus ex machine feel to the ending. Saying that all of the loose ends are tied up and Terry doesn’t pull any emotional punches with her characters, most notably on the romance, which I found refreshing. All in all, this has been an interesting character-led YA dystopia and I very much look forward to reading Terry’s next book.

The Blurb On The Back:

”With what I did yesterday, I should be dead: zapped by the chip they put in my brain when I was Slated.”

Kyla shouldn’t remember anything from before she was Slated, but dark secrets of her past will not stay buried. Caught in a tug of war between Lorder oppression and the fight for freedom, her past and present race towards a collision she may not survive. While her desperate search for Ben continues, who can she trust in this world of secrets and lies?

A charismatic but dangerous figure from her past forces Kyla to choose her own path in this tense and gripping sequel to the highly praised SLATED.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second in Teri Terry’s YA dystopian trilogy is another interesting character study that explores the shades of grey separating those who oppose a dystopian regime from those who uphold it. The book’s main strength lies in Kyla’s attempts to work out what happened to her before she was Slated and how that affects the person she is and wants to become. This does come at the expense of the plot, but I welcomed the depth and thought that it brought to a genre that trends towards action. It’s not a perfect book – some of the conversations veer close to “as you know” territory and the dialogue is quite formal at times with few characters ever using contractions – but it is still well worth a read and I look forward to the conclusion.

The Blurb On The Back:

Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance – as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Teri Terry’s debut novel, the first in a YA dystopia trilogy, is a deftly observed character study set in a world that feels very plausible. I really liked the moral dilemmas faced by Kyla as she tries to come to terms with the things she’s done and the world she finds herself in. Terry isn’t afraid to examine what slating means and why for some people it may be a good thing. Because this is a character-centric book, there isn’t a huge amount of action and I felt that that certain elements of the story were rushed and slightly under-developed. But this doesn’t detract from the fact that there’s an awful lot of promise in this book and it stands out in a crowded and jaded YA dystopia market.