Hurry Hurry by Air Traffic Controllers

A 60 Second Review by Helje

★★★★★ (4.25)
A ballad to all people who feel as if their life is slipping past, Hurry Hurry is a glimpse into the fleeting time we have on this Earth.
Initial Thoughts – This song is one of a kind and it was stuck in my head. I really liked the name choice of the band, and even more when I learned they chose the name because Dave Munro, a member, was a real-life air traffic controller.
The Band – The band Air Traffic Controllers is one great addition to your music collection. You can reach them here and hopefully will be able to catch one of their concerts.
Closing Thoughts – It is a great song for your spotify playlists or your midlife crisis playlist. I honestly played this song for a day straight and didn’t get tired of it. Great for sullenly staring out of windows and dance parties!

Song and Picture from Soundcloud

Half-Bad by Sally Green

A 60 Second Review by Anne Brees

★★★★★ (4.75)
Summary – In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world’s most terrifying and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan’s only hope for survival is to escape his captors, track down Marcus, and receive the three gifts that will bring him into his own magical powers—before it’s too late. (Summary from GoodReads)
Initial Thoughts – I was worried that this book would be too similar to Harry Potter since it was based around witches, but there were very little similarities. Sally Green has perfectly written Half-Bad to capture the allure of witches, while still holding on to her own individuality.
Plot – ★★★★★ The fast paced plot kept me turning pages until the very end. I continued guessing throughout the whole book.
Characters – ★★★★★ The main character of Nathan battles constantly between his ancestry and the way he was raised, adding a lot of flesh to the story. All of the secondary characters are complex and full of life, constantly making me smile throughout my reading.
Storyworld – ★★★★☆ The storyworld of Half-Bad pretty organized, but it could have used just a few more aspects to make it lifelike.
Style/Theme – ★★★★★ Sally Green daringly opens Half-Bad with a second person point of view that made me instantly love the book. Half-Blood teaches that your past doesn’t define you or your future.
Closing Thoughts – While I was nervous about reading Half-Bad, I’m so glad that I did. It was a wonderful read that I highly recommend to fans of fantasy. 

(summary and cover from GoodReads)

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

A 60 Second Review by Anne Brees

★★★★★ (4.75)
Written as a letter from a victim to her captor, this is Gemma’s desperate story of survival. (summary from the inside of the book jacket)
Initial Thoughts – This haunting book is based on Stockholm Syndrome. It’s an incredible story that I’m going to be recommending for a long time.
Plot – ★★★★☆ I thought that the plot was a bit slow in a few places. However, I was always anxious to start reading as soon as I had stopped.
Characters – ★★★★★ The characters of Ty and Gemma, the captor, was complex and believable,
Storyworld – ★★★★★ Gemma is kidnapped and taken to a desolate desert in Australia. The terrifying emptiness enhances the story so much.
Style/Theme – ★★★★★ Lucy Christopher captivated me with her writing style from the first sentence.
Closing Thoughts – Stolen is a must read. It will suck you in from the first page and won’t release you until the very last.

(cover from GoodReads)