The International Writers Magazine: Young Teen Fiction

Firespell: Dark Elite vol 1 By Chloe Neil Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Gollancz (14 Oct 2010) ISBN-13: 978-0575095410 • Nina Aumaitre Lily Parker is thrown into the finely manicured claws of St Sophia’s boarding school, far from friends and family. Could this be a new beginning? Or rather the unfolding of mysteries she never knew?

 Lily’s new high school to her horror is the mother hive of the filthy rich, and whilst the outside is all long eyelashes, blond curls and lip gloss, these girls are just looking for a new girl to sink their teeth into. The brats pack especially. But where there is evil there will also be good, this time under the guise of a punky-goth called Scout. A friendship, brats, classes, jealousy, the struggle to fit in, blue eyed boys... if only that was all!

Gossip girl goes to St Trinian’s (2007) where Mean Girls live, let it simmer for five minutes, change a few names and add a fantasy twist. This pretty much sums up the story.
The book is aimed at young teenage girls (age 13) who are into Gossip Girl, and have enjoyed reading Twilight, especially if more on the side of the canine than fanged.

From the strong presence of currently popular themes the story reminds me of those you create among friends. Merging and personalising mainstream storylines to create a new world that fits each person in the group likes and dislikes. The tone of Chloe Neil tells the story in a friendly way. The description of space and setting are good.

One thing really got to me during the reading. When anyone was asked something they ‘bobbed’ their heads. After several chapters of this you end up feeling like your standing in front of a shelf of those kissing dolls, who bob their head all the time.

On the action front, only one scene really got my imagination going. When the mystery starts a hooded girl appears. This hit just the right note, but after that my expectations were not met. The flip-flop as a major weapon did get a smile from me though, just for the sheer novelty.

© Nina Aumaure September 2010
petite_ninoushka at hotmail.com
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• Nina Aumaitre Review
This is a book about how it is so easy to misunderstand others, or to miss calculate how much of an impact we can have on them

More young fiction