Signal Erased

Signal Erased  by Adele Jones (Rhiza Press) ISBN: 9781761111433 RRP $19.99

Reviewed by Melissa Wray

It must be said that the front cover of this book is exquisite! It is difficult to tell from the picture, but the detail is fantastic, and the embossed title and image is incredible. Amazing work by Carmen Dougherty and the design team at Rhiza Edge.

Signal Erased will have you hooked with its intrigue from the very beginning. So much so that it will be difficult for the reader to stop once they begin. Anna has a gift for singing, but she doesn’t realise how much of a gift until she alters a scientific experiment using song. The people involved will stop at nothing until they get what they want from her. Even if it means Anna’s very existence might disappear forever.

After being bridesmaid at her sister’s wedding, Anna accepts a lift from the popular and good-looking guy, Chase, from her school. But after some reckless driving, Anna finds herself making her way home alone, only to be kidnapped for a science experiment that leaves her invisible and unheard by those around her. Jones creates a realistic science fiction parallel within the storyline that continually raises the stakes for Anna before she disappears forever.

Anna’s situation becomes more complicated as she is forced to rely on Rennie, her new brother-in-law, who up until now has been relatively invisible to her. The connections between the characters in this story are very well written and enjoyable to read as they unfold. Not forced or rushed but caring and tender. Adding a lovely level of sensitivity to the high stake’s storyline.

You don’t need to understand anything about science fiction or frequency waves. This book will nevertheless keep you wondering about the outcome until the very end. Jones’s writing style is easy to read, humorous at times, and always well crafted to create a seamless flow throughout the story.

This book is a high-stakes, action story that also leans into relationships and being vulnerable. Signal Erased is suitable for a 12+ year readership.

Integrate

Integrate by Adele Jones (Rhiza Press)

PB RRP $17.99

ISBN 978-1-925139-09-9

Reviewed by Peta Biggin

Blaine Colton had been handed a genetic death sentence until revolutionary gene therapy changed his life.  Living a relatively normal existence, he is called to an unscheduled post-treatment appointment just weeks before his eighteenth birthday.  Informed that his life saving procedure was never approved, he is held against his will.  Subjected to constant testing, refused contact with his parents and deprived of necessary medication, Blaine begins to suspect that something is wrong.  Wanting answers, he escapes the Institute and the ambitious Chief Scientist, Dr Melissa Hartfield.  Now a fugitive with a failing body, Blaine must find Professor Ramer, the developer of his therapy.  But the Professor has vanished and time is running out. Fast

Integrate is the first YA novel for Queensland writer Adele Jones. 

It is a fast-paced adventure set in Brisbane and follows Blaine Colton’s attempts to reclaim his life and freedom.  Well written and easy to read, this is not a book filled with action but it is a tense story that compels the reader forward.

Blaine is a likeable, sympathetic character and it’s easy to be swept up in the trials and challenges that he endures throughout the story.  Despite overcoming many obstacles, it is his internal battles that I found particularly compelling and poignant.  Not only because they present Blaine as a young man beset by self-doubt and a faltering faith in those close to him.  It also provides an insight into the mind of a person who was, before his therapy, living with serious disabilities.  Unable to communicate or control his body, Blaine was nevertheless fully aware of the people, conversations and activities around him.  Through him, the reader is given a glimpse into an existence few of us will ever experience; a subtle reminder of the humanity of those less able than ourselves.  

What I also appreciated was that, despite being largely positive, the reader was not presented with a neat, tied-in-a-bow conclusion.  There are, like everything in life, no certainties; Blaine is not guaranteed a “happily-ever-after”.  There was a particular degree of satisfaction at the outcome, without an unnecessary fairy-tale ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed Integrate.  I found it easy to read and at times hard to put down.  The book would be more appealing for teenage boys as there is plenty of adventure and only a hint of romance.  It is a great first YA novel and hopefully not the last.

Adele Jones is a Queensland author whose writing is inspired by a passion for family, faith, friends, music and science.  She has had a variety of poems, short stories, meditations, devotions, magazine articles and an historical fiction novel published. Integrate, her first YA novel, was awarded the Caleb Prize for unpublished manuscript.   She can be found online at: http://www.adelejonesauthor.com/