Pushing the Limits- Kate McGarry

This is marketed as a YA book, but appeals equally to adults. The reader is immediately drawn into Echo’s story and as time goes on you long to find out what had happened to her, just as much as to satisfy curiosity but equally because you become desperate for her character to find peace.

Noah’s personal situation is less intriguing, but you cannot help but admire his determination to prove the system wrong and do what he believes is right for his brothers. The development of his character as the story progresses is intriguing. As he grows and learns more about himself, so too does the reader and the light and shade of his personality became much more apparent so that, by the end, you find yourself willing everything to work itself out.

With two such in-depth characters, it’s impossible not to get drawn into the relationship that builds between them. While some aspects have a certain sense of predictability about them, there is enough thought given to exploring their emotional vulnerability and demons and the impact this has had on their ability to forge trusting relationships, that you are never quite sure how things will turn out in the end.

I always think it’s the sign of a good book when you want to keep reading, but at the same don’t want it to end and Pushing the Limits certainly fell into that category.

The Girl in the Bunker- Tracey S. Rosenburg

Overall, I was left hugely disappointed by this book. I liked the premise that it was written from Helga’s perspective and her growing awareness of the sham that her family had surrounded themselves with in Hitler’s last days was perhaps the one element of the story that maintained my interest. Other than that, it was a tense read, not due to the content, but the style of writing. I often found myself having to re-read sections as it wasn’t entirely clear who was speaking during certain conversations. This had the potential to be an intriguing read, but it just didn’t grab me.