JH Lillevik

I have as of late started to read more and more so-called self-published books and recently I came across this book by Jordan Morris. As most writers I was skeptical at first, but as I read more and more I became invested in the characters and their plights.

The book revolves around the kids at Waratah High School in New South Wales, Australia. I do not really know a lot about the school system in Australia, but as I read I learned a lot. The main characters in the books are Sebastian Vanderberg, Evie and Noah Smith and Dora Peterson. It also jumps regularly back to earlier incarnations of people in the books. This is to give a feeling of a mythical connection to the past, and I really like that. It takes a long while to make that connection, but it also gives the book some mystique.

The introduction of small mysterious events and some authorities that controls life at school, gives you a feeling of the helplessness that Sebastian, sometimes called Bastian, is feeling. His conflict surrounding the feelings he has for Dora and Evie is well-written and I feel the same feeling that I once had as a 15-year old.

Noah is the typical rebellious type and his constant inventiveness to provoke the authorities, is something everybody can recognize. Everybody has had that friend who always had to push the limit and provoke authorities, so I love that character.

One thing that kind of took me off guard and annoyed me a bit was the sections of Dora’s storyline where the author would switch between screenplay format and book format. I understand why it was done, but from a personal point of view, it did not fit my taste. Otherwise this is a really great book and I hope that it will gather momentum and become something great.