Tahlia Newland

Tahlia Newland's You Can't Shatter Me is an affirmation of positive thinking and healing through meditation. It's a book that belongs on any young reader's, parent's and teacher's must-read list. Bullying is a great concern for any parent who has a child in the school system whether it be at the elementary or high school level. Newland depicts a heart-wrenching picture of the cruelty and humiliation experienced by the victims of bullying.
The characters are well fleshed out and memorable. Carly, a feisty teenager, wants to create her own life story and is determined to be courageous and be a savior of the underdog. Dylan, her new nerd boyfriend who knows how to fight, discovers through Carly's admonition that he can also be a bully. Justin's bullying power is severely challenged by Carly's self-love approach.
The Symbolism of the Magical Elements addition at the end of the book makes it easy to understand Carly and Dylan's different shifts in perception throughout the story. Magic realist elements are used to further the plot or present the different themes.
This is certainly a book to be read and discussed in all classrooms; a most enjoyable read and a keeper on my bookshelf.
… (mere)

Throughout the Diamond Peak series, Newland has been preparing Ariel for her ultimate goal. Ariel’s compatriots have absolute faith in her abilities but Ariel, as much as she’s grown, is very realistically not yet ready to trust herself. Ariel is working her way figuratively and spiritually to that final uphill destination. Ariel and Nick’s relationship has deepened and sacrifices might have to be made. Newland leaves a credible uncertainty in her story that brings readers to the edge of their seats.

This is a tough story as is befitting a novel about the life and death of humanity. Newland doesn’t give her young adult audience a break and while young readers may not get the message and depth of symbolism immediately the story will stay with them.

Newland has written the novels in the Diamond Peak series so that they can be read as an individual work much like any novel in the Lord of the Rings series can be enjoyed independently. The quality of the writing style rivals the works of masters like Tolkien and if there were any technical errors, I missed them. The clean flow allows for a fluid immersion experience in the storyline. The story has moments that one would not expect which heightens the sense that anything can happen.

“Eternal Destiny: Diamond Peak #4” is a fabulous story and fitting end to the Diamond Peak series.… (mere)

The story commences when the teenage heroine of Tahlia Newland's "Lethal Inheritance", Arial, is hurtled into a new life, discovering that she has a unique inheritance when her mother is kidnapped by demons. To rescue her mother, Arial must venture from her apparently safe, suburban world into a hidden realm.
"Lethal Inheritance" is a fantasy novel, the first in a series called "Diamond Peak". I purchased and read this novel to dip into the booming field of fantasy. Previously, my fantasy reading was only LOTR and Phillip Pulman. I'm otherwise a lapsed science-fiction fan.
The author classifies her "Diamond Peak" series as metaphysical fantasy: "the characters’ experiences, though cloaked in fantasy, are the journey we all take through life whether we know it or not." This set me, in my possibly somewhat nerdy way, watching for metaphors: of course, there is a mountain to climb; the demons that must be defeated feed on fear and negative emotions and can only be defeated by managing these emotions. (At one point, the demons are described as being more like weeds than truly autonomous, sentient creatures, though their malevolence as depicted does seem to me to give them more agency than this. There is a detailed "natural history" of the Hidden Realm to work out if you're that sort of person.)
For me, the most arresting images were those of a man drowning in mud while denying that it was happening, the "Lures" and finally a path of shifting stones. The Lures are simulacrums of aspects of the real world: beach resorts, shopping centres, fairgrounds etc, where, “If you start believing everything’s real, you might want to stay, and once the Lures become your reality, you can’t see the way out.” The shifting stones tilt and twist and attempt to tip walkers off. The only way to survive is to put your feet "according to how things are now, not how they were a moment ago or how you think they will be."
This is interesting, however I'm of course not suggesting that "Lethal Inheritance", and its followers in the series, should be read the way I did it: somewhat self-consciously on the watch-out for metaphorical allusions - because I happened to read what the author said about it. The story's images seem good enough to be absorbed unconsciously.
"Lethal Inheritance" also has a few romantic "oo-er" moments for young girls, eg, "Fire blazed in the pit of her belly and raced through her body" and "… she glimpsed his finely muscled chest through his open necked shirt." Well, fair enough.
I suggest the novel and the series as a whole offers an alternative to the "Dr Who" assistant model: you know, where the girl always falls and twists an ankle during the chase scene ("Oooh! Aaagh! Doctor - DOCTER!") and then has to be rescued from the monsters by a bloke. The Diamond Peak series should be great for teenage girls, offering via its heroine an active, engaged role model.
… (mere)

I think everyone now a days is aware of the problem of bullying. I think everyone has at least one experience with bullying, be it being the victim, the person doing the bullying, or the person standing on the sidelines observing it. There has been a lot of talk about this issue, and a lot of different ideas about how to teach kids and teenagers about this problem. This is a book geared toward young adults, and it fits the bill.

Carly is that brave girl who decides to take a chance, do the right thing, and stand up to a bully. Of course it doesn't end up all roses for Carly, which I personally believe is one of the reasons why kids don't stand up to bullies (or even adults sometimes). Carly and Dylan grow close while trying to conquer their own individuals problems while helping each other.

One thing that is good about this book as that it examines the situation, the dynamic between all the individuals, from different perspectives. You get an insight into everyone, even the bully. Newland paints a picture of what it is like for everyone. This is a pretty good take on the issue, while still being a fun read for the young adult crowd.… (mere)