The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

Book: The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

Author: Jessica Sorensen

Publication Date: Out now

It was only a couple of months ago that I reviewed Jessica Sorensen’s previous novel, The Secret of Ella and Micha, and couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. However, when I saw Sorensen’s first book in a new, but not unfamiliar, series, I thought, ‘Why not?’ After all, it wasn’t Sorensen’s writing I found lacking, but the plot. Having just finished The Coinsidence of Callie and Kayden I’m very pleased to be able to go back on my original opinion and say that this was a brilliant book!

As with The Secret of Ella and Micha, the main characters have shared a personal moment in the past; this time Callie – the school weirdo, with her black eyeliner and baggy clothes – comes across Kayden (the ‘cool guy’) being beaten by his father at his end of school party. She rescues him, but leaves for college shortly after. Kayden finds it hard to forget the girl that saved him, and he feels he owes her at least a ‘thank you’ for standing up to his father, something he has never been brave enough to do himself. But it’s not long before he’s finally free of his home and away at college; independent and without the stress of his home-life, Kayden can finally be himself.

It just so happens that Callie and Kayden are at the same college. They keep bumping into each other, and in the end just take a chance and hang out. But things aren’t that simple; Callie has many issues from her own difficult past that haunt her. She isn’t comfortable to accept the attention that Kayden suddenly gives her, and her often feels overwhelmed. But Kayden isn’t finding his feelings for Callie easy to handle either. As they grow closer, the problems they keep hidden become harder to hide. Will they be strong enough to last?

Sorensen’s books are marketed for ‘new adults’, an audience (17+) I don’t find many books are market specifically for. However, the issues in this book are very ‘adult’ i.e. not ideal for a young adults or children to read about. I won’t go into detail because we slowly learn of Callie and Kayden’s problems through the book, but they are quite hard hitting.

The novel is well written, not rushed or half-hearted. All the characters are well thought out and real. By real, I mean they are dealing with real life situations in a realistic way. It makes you think, ‘What would I do if that happened to me? How would I cope?’ The secondary characters, Callie’s best-friend Seth and Kayden’s pal Luke, are also likeable and bring humor and feeling to the story.

Sorensen has plans to expand both this and the Secrets series into trilogies. I am very pleased to find out that Luke from this series is also getting his own book. (Yay!) He’s an extremely intriguing character. The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden ends on a tense cliffhanger, but I’m afraid we’ll just have to wait until the second book is released in February 2014. I don’t think I can wait that long!

It just shows what giving a writer a second chance can do for you! I couldn’t recommend this series enough now; full of emotion, it grabs your attention and gets you involved, whether you want to be or not!

Rating: 4/5

FIRST LOOK: Omens by Kelley Armstrong

For anyone who isn’t familiar with my book reviews, or has never read anything I’ve ever written (because, let’s face it, I mention it quite a lot!) I am a massive Kelley Armstrong fan, so jumped at the chance to review Omens. It’s been a few months now since Armstrong wrapped up her majorly successful Women of the Otherworld series with Thirteen, so it’s a big step to start a whole new series without having the Otherworld series as a backup.

Back to the point at hand, Omens is the first book in Armstrong’s new series, Omens and Shadows. Olivia Jones is going about her privileged life as if its any other day, attending a charity event with her fiancé, voluntarily helping out the less fortunate than herself, little does she know her life as she knows it is about to be blown apart when her Mother reveals some information about her birth.

When Olivia discovers that she was adopted, she thinks things couldn’t get any worse…until she finds out just who her biological parent are. Notorious serial killers. Both still alive, in prison. The wider population seeks revenge for the cruel acts her parents committed, and Olivia finds herself in immediate danger.

Running for her life, she realises that when she needs her friends and family the most, they are no help to her at all when they learn who her birth parent are. After all, who would truly trust the product of two people that committed such vicious and violent acts on another human being?

Armstrong’s characterization is, without a doubt, the best I’ve ever come across. Within a single scene she is able to establish a characters traits and characteristics, and her writing style makes me actually like half the characters (usually it takes me a while to like even a few in a series). Olivia isn’t the spoilt little rich girl everyone assumes her to be; in fact, she is far from it. When she becomes the center of the media’s attention, she going into hiding in the small town of Cainsville where she is determined to live a normal life, free from all the perks money as offered her. She gets a job, finds an apartment and tries to figure out what to do.

Kelley Armstrong

Further into the novel we are introduced to Gabriel Walsh, successful lawyer and possible suitor for Olivia. He is as you would expect, if you are familiar with Armstrong’s previous male characters in other novels; a strongly masculine man, complete with the arrogance that comes with the territory. Overall, Gabriel is an interesting character that adds another dimension to the novel; I admit, I’m intrigued to see what will happened between him and Olivia in the following books.

 

Armstrong’s previous novels have all had a supernatural element to them, and Omens is no exception. Being the first book in a new series, things get off to a slow start on the supernatural front, but there are plenty of clues and indications here and there, and the next book should have a few treats in store for readers.

So, an interesting start to a brilliant new series, Kelley Armstrong is back doing what she does best, writing A-class bestsellers. The second book in the Cainsville’s series is scheduled for release in early 2014; until then, we will just have to be content to with Armstrong’s next release, Wild Justice, third in the Nadia Stafford series, which I cannot wait to read! 

You can purchase Omens here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Omens-Cainsville-Trilogy-Kelley-Armstrong/dp/184744511X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376505141&sr=8-1&keywords=omens 

Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan

Please note, this review includes spoilers if you haven’t read the first book…

Talulla Rising is the second book in Glen Duncan’s excellent Last Werewolf series; the first being, not surprisingly, The Last Werewolf. We pick up where The Last Werewolf left off, without our hero Jake, who sadly died in the first novel, leaving his girlfriend, Talulla Demetriou, pregnant and alone.

Now, as you might imagine, if you haven’t read the first book, this one will make just about no sense, and you won’t fully appreciate how good the series is. There are a few months missing between where the first book ended and the second begins, so you might want to refresh your memory with how The Last Werewolf finished off.

With the absence of Jake, the storyline seems to start a little flat; I found it hard to warm up to Talulla as our new heroine straight away (however I did warm up to her a few chapters in). Having said that, the presence of Jake is not forgotten; Talulla often reads extracts from his journals, and recounts memories that she had with him, and in a way this is enough. He left his mark on the series, in more ways than one. Talulla is pregnant with his child (which we learn early on is actually twins) and being one of few werewolves in existence, this is no small matter. Of course, there are a lot of people that would love to get their hands on the children, if not Talulla herself.

As with the first book, Duncan’s writing never holds back, in both strong language and brutal honesty. Rather than deterring some readers, I think the audience appreciates things being told as they are, and not romanticized or sugarcoated in any way. The fact that this realism occurs in such an obviously unrealistic and fictional story makes it all the more believable and readable.

There are a few new characters introduced, some much more intriguing than others. Judging by the ending of this installment in the trilogy, we’ll have to wait for book three to get our questions answered. An amazing second book in the Last Werewolf trilogy, an easily consumable book, and more of a supernatural horror than some of the half-hearted attempts currently on the market; if you want a good horror to get your teeth stuck into, this is the series for you.

A strong 4/5 overall. 

Who's Who is Top of the Lake (and why it's my new favourite show!)

With so many addictive crime-drama’s airing at the moment you may be forgiven for over-looking Top of the Lake, my new TV obsession. Here are a few facts to get you started…

What’s it all about?

1. Top of the Lake is a six-part crime drama, written and directed by the talented Jane Campion, who many will already be familiar with as the director of The Piano. For this project she’s teamed up with the BBC.
2. The most noticeable element of the show is the spectacular setting. It was filmed in Campion’s homeland of New Zealand, specifically the Western area of Lake Wakatipu, near Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island.

   

   Thomas M Wright and Elisabeth Moss

3. Unlike many other crime shows, the main crime in Top of the Lake is not a murder, but rather a 12-year-old girl, Tui Mitcham, who mysteriously disappears after discovering she is pregnant.
4. It stars some already familiar faces – the amazing Elizabeth Moss is our main character. She was previously Peggy Olson in Mad Men. Holly Hunter reunites with Campion after they worked together in The Piano. Perhaps the most recognisable cast member is David Wenham who played Faramir in the Lord of the Ring’s trilogy.
5. Top of the Lake was first aired in one six-hour film at the Sundance film festival.

Character’s and Cast

Robin Griffin

Robin Griffin (played by Elisabeth Moss)

Played by Elisabeth Moss

Detective Robin Griffin returns to her rural homeland of New Zealand to visit her sick mother. She gets embroiled in the Tui Mitcham case. A feisty female lead, Californian Elisabeth says, “I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never played a character like this. I’m in uncharted territory.”

Johnno Mitcham

Played by Thomas M Wright

Johnno Mitcham (played by Thomas M Wright)

Johnno is a one-time boyfriend of Robin’s and there is still a strong connection between the pair, not to mention a few unsolved issues they have both tried to bury in the past. Now they are thrown back together again, will the pair manage to get along? Thomas says he is “completely obsessed” with Robin and Johnno’s relationship.

        

Tui Mitcham (played by Jacqueline Joe)

Tui Mitcham

Played by Jacqueline Joe

The girl at the center of the plot is Tui, played by an unknown actress, who was discovered for this role by a casting scout at her local New Zealand swimming pool. In the first episode Tui walking fully clothed mysteriously into a lake. We later discover her pregnancy, and she subsequent disappears.

Matt Mitcham 

The scary Matt Mitcham (played by Peter Mullan)

Played by Peter Mullan

Viewers are quick to learn that it’s a bad idea to get on the wrong side of Matt Mitcham. Tui’s Dad, Matt, is a powerful but scary local who is renowned in the town for being violent and aggressive. When even the police are terrified to cross him, how will Robin fair when trying to investigate his pregnant daughter’s disappearance. Mullan pulls off this role to perfection and some of the more heated scenes make for extremely powerful viewing.

GJ

Played by Holly Hunter

GJ (played by Holly Hunter)Played by Holly Hunter

GJ is the leader of a group of vulnerable older women who have come together in a nearby place called Paradise; this soon becomes a problem when Matt Mitcham realises they are camping on his land – without his permission. Holly Hunter has previously starred in Campion’s The Piano.

DCI Al Parker

Played by David Wenham

Perhaps the most recognisable star to many viewers for his role in Lord of the Rings; Parker is Robin’s mentor, and long-time family friend. Being the head of the Queenstown Police Department mean that he is in a powerful position, and can use this to his advantage in some situations.

Al Parker (played by David Wenham)

Background

Campion says Top of the Lake was born after she read Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy. “I was just really encouraged that he was a feminist. He wrote his books because he’d seen a rape, a gang rape when he was 15 and he was so repelled that he became a life long fighter for women’s rights. I felt that it was encouraging that a book like that was so widely accepted because it’s pretty radical: a strange, lesbian, almost autistic heroine, accepted so powerfully in a basically macho world.”

This may also be where plot elements of Top of the Lake came from. In the third episode we learn that our heroic main character, Robin, has previously been a victim of a gang rape, and this is why she is so drawn to Tui Mitcham’s case.

This seven-part drama has already received rave-reviews, and currently holds a score of 92% on Rottentomatoes. With the right mix of stunning scenery, top-class acting and gritty drama, Top of the Lake is the perfect show to get stuck into. Just don’t let is pass you by…