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nannyf's review
4.0
Sorana Salem is getting through school as best she can. She isn't part of the 'A' crowd but for the most part they leave her alone. She has a small circle of friends and is quite happy about that.
Halfway through the school year 2 new pupils arrive, identical twins Elyse and Melanie. At first they seem to be just normal pupils, but slowly things begin to change.
The twins start making 'friends' with the other girls, but is everything as straight forward as it appears? What really happens behind the doors of their home? And why exactly have they been moved to a new school virtually overnight?
Sorana finds herself part of something which very quickly gets out of control. Lies are being told, but can she figure them out in time to stop things getting totally out of hand?
The ending is extremely good, and we, the reader, eventually find out exactly what has been going on in the background and in the past.
This is the authors debut novel and I am extremely impressed with it. The book mentions films such as Heathers and The Craft, films I watched years ago, and this book definitely reminded me of such films with its storyline.
The ending could actually suggest the possibility of a sequel to Gemini Rising and I'm curious to see if the author plans to do so.
Halfway through the school year 2 new pupils arrive, identical twins Elyse and Melanie. At first they seem to be just normal pupils, but slowly things begin to change.
The twins start making 'friends' with the other girls, but is everything as straight forward as it appears? What really happens behind the doors of their home? And why exactly have they been moved to a new school virtually overnight?
Sorana finds herself part of something which very quickly gets out of control. Lies are being told, but can she figure them out in time to stop things getting totally out of hand?
The ending is extremely good, and we, the reader, eventually find out exactly what has been going on in the background and in the past.
This is the authors debut novel and I am extremely impressed with it. The book mentions films such as Heathers and The Craft, films I watched years ago, and this book definitely reminded me of such films with its storyline.
The ending could actually suggest the possibility of a sequel to Gemini Rising and I'm curious to see if the author plans to do so.
mandyist's review
5.0
This review first appeared on Addicted to Media.
Sometimes it’s okay to be not quite at the bottom of the pile in high school. Popularity is overrated and Sorana Salem is much more interested in music and Converse to worry about the mean girls at school. That is until the Johansson twins arrive at her exclusive private school in the middle of term. Beautiful and immensely cool, Sorana is immediately drawn to Elyse and Melanie.
Soon Sorana’s life is unrecognisable, consisting of parties and sleepovers, older boys and Ouija boards. With the free-spirited Johansson twins, life is exciting and just a little bit dangerous. That is until events begin to take a darker turn and inexplicable things begin to occur that leave Sorana doubting her sanity.
Soon Sorana realises that nothing is as it seems, especially not the enigmatic Johansson twins. Can she escape their clutches with her integrity intact?
Gemini Rising is the debut novel by Eleanor Wood and one of the first books released on the Harlequin UK Carina digital platform for up and coming authors. Eleanor describes herself as the love child of Judy Blume and Iggy Pop and you can certainly see that in Sorana’s character.
It is difficult to say too much about Gemini Rising without giving the plot away. In fact, it might not even be possible to assign the book to a particular genre for fear of spoiling it. Gemini Rising is ambiguous right to the last page and the reader is kept guessing throughout. If you like thrillers of any kind, be they psychological or paranormal, or if you’re definitely on the fence with respect to the unexplained, then this book is for you.
The strength of Gemini Rising lies in its interesting characters. It is harrowing to watch Sorana’s journey from not cool (and okay with that) to disturbed, distanced from her family and increasingly nasty. Likewise, it is fascinating to pick apart the facades that Elyse and Melanie present to the world, Elyse with her magnetism and Melanie with her silent observation.
Mean Girls meets Single White Female, Gemini Rising is a riveting and very quick read.
I give Gemini Rising by Eleanor Wood four out of five stars and would recommend it to young adult readers who like a slice of ambiguity and twist of plot above the normal young adult fare.
Sometimes it’s okay to be not quite at the bottom of the pile in high school. Popularity is overrated and Sorana Salem is much more interested in music and Converse to worry about the mean girls at school. That is until the Johansson twins arrive at her exclusive private school in the middle of term. Beautiful and immensely cool, Sorana is immediately drawn to Elyse and Melanie.
Soon Sorana’s life is unrecognisable, consisting of parties and sleepovers, older boys and Ouija boards. With the free-spirited Johansson twins, life is exciting and just a little bit dangerous. That is until events begin to take a darker turn and inexplicable things begin to occur that leave Sorana doubting her sanity.
Soon Sorana realises that nothing is as it seems, especially not the enigmatic Johansson twins. Can she escape their clutches with her integrity intact?
Gemini Rising is the debut novel by Eleanor Wood and one of the first books released on the Harlequin UK Carina digital platform for up and coming authors. Eleanor describes herself as the love child of Judy Blume and Iggy Pop and you can certainly see that in Sorana’s character.
It is difficult to say too much about Gemini Rising without giving the plot away. In fact, it might not even be possible to assign the book to a particular genre for fear of spoiling it. Gemini Rising is ambiguous right to the last page and the reader is kept guessing throughout. If you like thrillers of any kind, be they psychological or paranormal, or if you’re definitely on the fence with respect to the unexplained, then this book is for you.
The strength of Gemini Rising lies in its interesting characters. It is harrowing to watch Sorana’s journey from not cool (and okay with that) to disturbed, distanced from her family and increasingly nasty. Likewise, it is fascinating to pick apart the facades that Elyse and Melanie present to the world, Elyse with her magnetism and Melanie with her silent observation.
Mean Girls meets Single White Female, Gemini Rising is a riveting and very quick read.
I give Gemini Rising by Eleanor Wood four out of five stars and would recommend it to young adult readers who like a slice of ambiguity and twist of plot above the normal young adult fare.
b00kr3vi3ws's review
3.0
Sorana Soren is 16 years old attending a prestigious school. She is neither popular nor un-popular. Though she sometimes wishes that she could attend the public school, have the ability to go up to and talk to the popular girls in her class and that she had the ability to come up with witty remarks/retorts instantly, she is in general content with her life. But things change with the arrival of twin sisters in the middle of the year. There is enough chatter before they arrive and once they do, they change many lives around them – including Sorana’s.
The story starts with Sorana narrating her life before the twins which was kind of routine and had the familiar feeling. Then came the twins. It was easy to see the difference they made. From a generally nice, Sorana turned into someone who wasn’t very likeable. Skipping school, drinking alcohol, shoplifting, dabbling with the supernatural were only a few things that got her into trouble. Her dynamics with her old friends, Natalie and Shimmi, changed too.
The character of Sorana is a bit difficult to like. She is quick to pass judgements and easily influenced and manipulated and she does some pretty stupid stuff. I understand that teenagers are supposed to be most vulnerable and volatile, but there are things that every person with common sense would think twice before doing. Though Elyse and Melanie are twins, they have very contrasting characters. While Elyse is loud and predictable, Melanie is quite and unsettling.
The plot was quite a twisted one. There were a lot of things thrown into the mix and as a result it was kind of overwhelming. Lying, cheating, stealing, drinking and what not. At one point I started feeling if I have had abnormal teenage years because of the sheer amount of wrong things the girls in the book do. There were a lot of twists in the book – some expected, some unexpected. Also, the way the issues were handled in the book were kind of sending mixed messages to me as reader.
Overall, for me it was a rollercoaster ride. But I am not really sure about what kind of message the young minds would take away from it.
The story starts with Sorana narrating her life before the twins which was kind of routine and had the familiar feeling. Then came the twins. It was easy to see the difference they made. From a generally nice, Sorana turned into someone who wasn’t very likeable. Skipping school, drinking alcohol, shoplifting, dabbling with the supernatural were only a few things that got her into trouble. Her dynamics with her old friends, Natalie and Shimmi, changed too.
The character of Sorana is a bit difficult to like. She is quick to pass judgements and easily influenced and manipulated and she does some pretty stupid stuff. I understand that teenagers are supposed to be most vulnerable and volatile, but there are things that every person with common sense would think twice before doing. Though Elyse and Melanie are twins, they have very contrasting characters. While Elyse is loud and predictable, Melanie is quite and unsettling.
The plot was quite a twisted one. There were a lot of things thrown into the mix and as a result it was kind of overwhelming. Lying, cheating, stealing, drinking and what not. At one point I started feeling if I have had abnormal teenage years because of the sheer amount of wrong things the girls in the book do. There were a lot of twists in the book – some expected, some unexpected. Also, the way the issues were handled in the book were kind of sending mixed messages to me as reader.
Overall, for me it was a rollercoaster ride. But I am not really sure about what kind of message the young minds would take away from it.
serendipity_viv's review
3.0
Originally posted on www.serendipityreviews.co.uk
This book had an extremely strong opening. Right from the start I was hypnotised by the twins Elyse and Melanie. There was something exciting, yet dangerous about them, that left you feeling a little uncomfortable throughout the book. They reminded me of the twins in Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.
I really liked the main character, Sorana – just like her class mates, she was intrigued by the girls and I hoped as soon as she met them, many questions about them would be answered. Unfortunately, for me, I felt the questions surrounding their mysterious nature were answered a little late. I didn’t feel we got to know much about the girls until the last couple of chapters and even then I struggled to see the connection between the Gemini star sign, which had played such a major role in the plot to begin with plot.
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the story. I felt the characters were well written and intriguing enough that I wanted to know more. However, I did feel the ending let the book down a little, as it felt disconnected. I also felt the climatic build up fell a little flat when we were then told what happened, rather than actually seeing it all in a dramatic climax.
If I’m honest, I’d say that with a little more editing, this story could’ve been amazing. It had that mysterious about it which made you want to read more. I would definitely read more by this author in the future, as I am pretty sure Eleanor Woods has a lot more to give.
This book had an extremely strong opening. Right from the start I was hypnotised by the twins Elyse and Melanie. There was something exciting, yet dangerous about them, that left you feeling a little uncomfortable throughout the book. They reminded me of the twins in Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.
I really liked the main character, Sorana – just like her class mates, she was intrigued by the girls and I hoped as soon as she met them, many questions about them would be answered. Unfortunately, for me, I felt the questions surrounding their mysterious nature were answered a little late. I didn’t feel we got to know much about the girls until the last couple of chapters and even then I struggled to see the connection between the Gemini star sign, which had played such a major role in the plot to begin with plot.
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the story. I felt the characters were well written and intriguing enough that I wanted to know more. However, I did feel the ending let the book down a little, as it felt disconnected. I also felt the climatic build up fell a little flat when we were then told what happened, rather than actually seeing it all in a dramatic climax.
If I’m honest, I’d say that with a little more editing, this story could’ve been amazing. It had that mysterious about it which made you want to read more. I would definitely read more by this author in the future, as I am pretty sure Eleanor Woods has a lot more to give.
escapeebee's review
5.0
Full review also posted here on TotalTeenFiction.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author/publisher via NetGalley to review.
Gemini Rising tells the story of Sorana, whose world is tipped upside down by the arrival of two new girls at her school; twins Elyse and Melanie. Suddenly weird stuff is happening and the social spectrum is changing as Sorana and her friends get caught up in the twins' lives.
I could tell I was going to like this book from early on, because as soon as I started reading it I fell straight in love with the British setting. I love books set in the UK (and don't read nearly enough of them!) so it was really refreshing to dive straight in to a book set in a British sixth form. The scenes were so familiar and the pop culture references were spot on and made me laugh. I think I enjoyed the story even more because of that feel to it.
When Elyse and Melanie arrive Sorana finds herself drawn to them, as does the rest of the school. The twins were these fascinating characters who provide the backbone to the story, even though it's told from Sorana's point of view. I loved how different they were. Elyse was this bold, outgoing, loud character who completely dominates every scene she's in and Mel was really quiet. My curiosity about Mel was piqued all the way through and I couldn't wait to find out more about her because I just couldn't shake that feeling there was more than meets the eye! The story itself is completely gripping because of that constant feeling of there being something bigger going on and it all leading to something, and throughout the book the suspense just builds and builds.
The characters were the real strength in Gemini Rising and they were all incredibly well developed. Sorana herself is likable and has a great voice that narrates the story. I adored the relationship with her mum and sister as well as her mum's boyfriend Pete. The family dynamic was just spot on! Her mum is slightly overprotective yet they still seem to have a strong bond underneath it. It was interesting to see how Sorana juggled her moral compass when it came to trying to gain a bit of independence.
The book tackles some really great issues and ideas. Elyse is putting a lot of pressure on Sorana and her friends Shimmi and Nathalie, and the things she manipulates them into doing aren't that nice. There's shoplifting, drugs and bullying, but it demonstrated a very realistic take on things like that. I was impressed by how well the author managed to display Sorana getting swept up in these things but without making her a horrible character. Sorana is somebody who gets manipulated and controlled by peer pressure and I think it's a situation she has very little say in. Elyse spends all this time making her feel special and important and I think Sorana is very vulnerable to that because she feels like an outcast. There's a really great line in the book where Sorana talks about finding her "soulmate like friends" and I could completely relate to that desire to want to fit in and have a place in a group of friends, because that's something we've all felt at some point, even if that desire is misplaced.
Another thing I really enjoyed in Gemini Rising was the presence of music within the story. Sorana is obsessed by Trouble Every Day - a local band. I remember what a huge part of my life music was at that age (for me the obsession was Green Day!) and so I was really excited to see Sorana getting excited about gigs and finding other people who loved the band as much as she did. It's only a small detail but I think it was hugely important in creating that completely realistic feel of the book. I also found the focus on astrology really intriguing. Elyse has all this knowledge but the author has done really well at integrating it into the story so it doesn't feel like some sort of astrology textbook. It was interesting without being dull!
It couldn't be a YA novel without a touch of a love story and I enjoyed seeing Sorana juggle her feelings for the two main male leads. There's Josh, a son of one of her mum's friends who she's got history with, and the mysterious Jago who catches her attention. It didn't dominate the story but it was really nicely weaved in. I think because I came to care so much about Sorana I really enjoyed seeing her get a chance at finding a bit of love and attention!
I think Gemini Rising will appeal to a good range of people, from fans of contemporary to those who love a good mystery or thriller. It reminded me in places of Em Bailey's Shift so if you loved that then I'd definitely recommend getting your hands on this one, because I loved it even more. Gemini Rising created the perfect balance of fun characters with great senses of humour, drama by the bucket-full and this underlying tension which made it ultra creepy. Reading it really kept me on my toes and I was so desperate to keep reading and find out just what was going on and about to happen. The ending was a fast-paced, roller-coaster ride that really toyed with the emotions! It's a book I'll definitely be recommending from now on and I hope to see more from this author in the future.
Find more books like this at TotalTeenFiction!
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author/publisher via NetGalley to review.
Gemini Rising tells the story of Sorana, whose world is tipped upside down by the arrival of two new girls at her school; twins Elyse and Melanie. Suddenly weird stuff is happening and the social spectrum is changing as Sorana and her friends get caught up in the twins' lives.
I could tell I was going to like this book from early on, because as soon as I started reading it I fell straight in love with the British setting. I love books set in the UK (and don't read nearly enough of them!) so it was really refreshing to dive straight in to a book set in a British sixth form. The scenes were so familiar and the pop culture references were spot on and made me laugh. I think I enjoyed the story even more because of that feel to it.
When Elyse and Melanie arrive Sorana finds herself drawn to them, as does the rest of the school. The twins were these fascinating characters who provide the backbone to the story, even though it's told from Sorana's point of view. I loved how different they were. Elyse was this bold, outgoing, loud character who completely dominates every scene she's in and Mel was really quiet. My curiosity about Mel was piqued all the way through and I couldn't wait to find out more about her because I just couldn't shake that feeling there was more than meets the eye! The story itself is completely gripping because of that constant feeling of there being something bigger going on and it all leading to something, and throughout the book the suspense just builds and builds.
The characters were the real strength in Gemini Rising and they were all incredibly well developed. Sorana herself is likable and has a great voice that narrates the story. I adored the relationship with her mum and sister as well as her mum's boyfriend Pete. The family dynamic was just spot on! Her mum is slightly overprotective yet they still seem to have a strong bond underneath it. It was interesting to see how Sorana juggled her moral compass when it came to trying to gain a bit of independence.
The book tackles some really great issues and ideas. Elyse is putting a lot of pressure on Sorana and her friends Shimmi and Nathalie, and the things she manipulates them into doing aren't that nice. There's shoplifting, drugs and bullying, but it demonstrated a very realistic take on things like that. I was impressed by how well the author managed to display Sorana getting swept up in these things but without making her a horrible character. Sorana is somebody who gets manipulated and controlled by peer pressure and I think it's a situation she has very little say in. Elyse spends all this time making her feel special and important and I think Sorana is very vulnerable to that because she feels like an outcast. There's a really great line in the book where Sorana talks about finding her "soulmate like friends" and I could completely relate to that desire to want to fit in and have a place in a group of friends, because that's something we've all felt at some point, even if that desire is misplaced.
Another thing I really enjoyed in Gemini Rising was the presence of music within the story. Sorana is obsessed by Trouble Every Day - a local band. I remember what a huge part of my life music was at that age (for me the obsession was Green Day!) and so I was really excited to see Sorana getting excited about gigs and finding other people who loved the band as much as she did. It's only a small detail but I think it was hugely important in creating that completely realistic feel of the book. I also found the focus on astrology really intriguing. Elyse has all this knowledge but the author has done really well at integrating it into the story so it doesn't feel like some sort of astrology textbook. It was interesting without being dull!
It couldn't be a YA novel without a touch of a love story and I enjoyed seeing Sorana juggle her feelings for the two main male leads. There's Josh, a son of one of her mum's friends who she's got history with, and the mysterious Jago who catches her attention. It didn't dominate the story but it was really nicely weaved in. I think because I came to care so much about Sorana I really enjoyed seeing her get a chance at finding a bit of love and attention!
I think Gemini Rising will appeal to a good range of people, from fans of contemporary to those who love a good mystery or thriller. It reminded me in places of Em Bailey's Shift so if you loved that then I'd definitely recommend getting your hands on this one, because I loved it even more. Gemini Rising created the perfect balance of fun characters with great senses of humour, drama by the bucket-full and this underlying tension which made it ultra creepy. Reading it really kept me on my toes and I was so desperate to keep reading and find out just what was going on and about to happen. The ending was a fast-paced, roller-coaster ride that really toyed with the emotions! It's a book I'll definitely be recommending from now on and I hope to see more from this author in the future.
Find more books like this at TotalTeenFiction!
katlynduncan's review
4.0
Gemini Rising was an unexpected and thrilling read. Even though GR is set in the UK, the "high school" issues are universal. Sorana isn't part of the popular group but she is content with her life with her two besties. That is until the twins, Elyse and Melanie, swoop into Sorana's life flipping it upside down.
Eleanor has a knack for digging her claws into a reader and not letting go. She created a lot of tension very quickly, piling up the questions until the explosive ending. I would highly recommend this book to someone who is looking for something different and exciting.
Eleanor has a knack for digging her claws into a reader and not letting go. She created a lot of tension very quickly, piling up the questions until the explosive ending. I would highly recommend this book to someone who is looking for something different and exciting.
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