La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust by Phillip Pulman

A prequel to the His Dark Materials trilogy, with Lyra as an 8 month old baby? I've waited nearly 20 years for this book, and the anticipation during the countdown to release nearly killed me. I also knew going into this that I shouldn't compare it to the trilogy, and for that reason alone I put off reading it. I shouldn't of though, because as with everything Phillip Pullman writes I fell in love with these characters and this world.

The tone of the novel is much darker, I feel, than His Dark Materials. Malcolm is the same age as Lyra in the trilogy, but the themes addressed are that little bit more intense. Lyra for the most part was protected and treasured from abject harm, whereas Malcolm and Alice are faced with a number of socially immoral confrontations. I think where Phillip Pullman excels is in his young adult/child main characters. He never shies away from making them curious, complex and forcing them into these awful situations. Malcolm is no exception. He's deeply interesting, intelligent yet naive and likeable. There's something essentially very pure about him and his love for this baby. Alice is more complex. At first she comes across as very off putting, snide and mean. But we see as time develops that this is doen to a deep seated amount of self loathing and doubt she holds about herself. It takes Malcolm to bring out her good side.

I couldn't mention characters withiut bringing up the man with the hyena deamon. Everything about him screamed revulsion, loathing and horror. Her contempt for life, constantly knawing on her stump, cackling and voiding her bladder and his (essentially) self harm from hitting her made me feel reviled. It's been a while since I've had such strong contempt for a character, and I'm honestly still not entirely sure I have the full feel of who he is as a character. He was very interesting. I also loved the little introductions and expansion on familiar characters Farder Coram, Lord Asriel and Dr. Relf. My little heart did a leap when we see Farder Coram and his beautiful cat deamon again, younger and more whole than when Lyra meets him in the future, and it's alluded we'll meet him again in The Secret Commonwealth. Mrs Coulter is also mentioned a number of times, and we see her once in the presence of Malcolm and Dr. Relf which was wonderful to read. I would have loved to have seen more of her, and see more of the relationship she seems to share with the man with the hyena deamon, as I felt this wasn't fully explored or explained.

The plot itself feels like two distinct novels. The first part follows in a very similar vein to Northern Lights and Lyra's Oxford, as we discover more of Oxford and its inhabitants as Malcolm becomes embroiled in a murder mystery with spies and secret acorns. It's quite slow in its unravelling and presentation of the action, and I admit I did struggle at first to get to know these characters. The second part, called 'The Flood' is more dynamic and I enjoyed it immensely. I loved seeing Malcolm and Alice's relationship develop, and the numerous strange situations they find themselves in as they try and keep Lyra safe. It does delve into the realms of magical realism near the end, and went a little 'out there' which I wasn't necessarily expecting, but I still really enjoyed it.

I did think the ending was a little abrupt, and left a few doors open as to Malcolm and Alice's fate in the future, but it also left me desperate for the next book. This was worth the wait.

La Belle Sauvage is available to purchase now from: Amazon

 - 4 stars

Book Review: Caligula by Simon Turney

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 rounded up.

This is not my usual genre of history. I know little beyond the widely known in terms of Roman history. However, I thought I’d give this a go and see if it piqued an interest. Unfortunately it didn’t.

Is Caligula really the cruel, sadistic tyrant he’s often portrayed as? Or is there more to the man than what history chooses to tell? Told by his sister Lavilla, we see the fun loving boy develop into the calculating man who must take care of his family in order to survive. With betrayal after betrayal we see his decent into madness, and what it truly means to sacrifice everything to rule with absolute power.

This was really well written, and is certainly a different take on the ‘known’  history of Caligula. It stresses the point that history is often an extension of the truth and shouldn’t always be taken at face value. There are not many surviving historical sources that tells us what Caligula was really like, with most stories coming many years after his death. This leaves his story very open to interpretation, and this was an interesting premise. The descriptions are also vivid and really help set the scene for someone who knows very little about Roman history. I wasn’t confused reading this at any point.

I also thought the overall atmosphere in the story is built up well. There’s an undercurrent of tension that builds gradually over time, mixed with constant underlying suspicion. It feels like Caligula needed to be constantly on his guard, never trusting anyone. No wonder he went mad with paranoia.

Unfortunately, for the most part, I found this rather dull, which I think is due to the subject matter just not really being interesting to me, and also because I found there wasn’t much character development beyond that of Caligula, who is wonderfully complex. There was so much potential to build Lavilla into a complex character, but this isn’t developed. She comes across as more of a biased narrator with an almost unwavering amount of affection for her brother that boards on worship, which I found annoying. Also I found that sometimes having her as the only narrator was rather jarring, and odd, as she seems to turn up in places she shouldn’t be just in order to overhear a conversation to further the plot. I think it would have been more beneficial in this instance to have more than one view point - for clarity and a more unbiased option of Caligula.

I think this would appeal to those who enjoy a Roman historical novel, as a do find the premise quite unique. However, without more interesting characters, it just wasn’t my thing.

Caligula is available to purchase now from: Amazon

 - 3 stars

Book Review: Happiness by Aminatta Forna

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of serendipity. The chance meeting of two strangers on Waterloo bridge caused by a fox. What follows is a story that transcends time, culture, and what it is to be truely happy.

This is a complicated tale, with an uneasy structure. It travels backwards and forwards between places and people, meaning it can be difficult to commit and get deeply involved with all of the stories. I'm not a fan of this kind of story telling normally, as I'm easily confused and distracted by multiple side stories within an overall arc. However, there is a real depth of emotion written here, that resonates throughout the whole story. At its heart is a sad tale of two lonely people hoping to connect with someone at a time in their lives when they just need to feel a deeper connection to something. That's an overlying theme here, as we see a connection not only with other people, but also something deeper and more primal.

Because of the added stories, the plot can sometimes be slow. However, I'm glad I persisted as this is wonderfully well written. Forna manages to capture the culturally rich life of London beautifully, and I found myself lapping up the colourful richness of it all. I loved getting a different perspective of capital life, that I haven't read anywhere else before.

I just wish this had been edited a bit more tightly, and some side stories maybe trimmed down, because I did find them distracting, however much I loved the writing style.

Happiness is available to purchase now from: Amazon

 - 3 stars

Book Review: WaR: Wizards and Robots by Will.I.Am and David Johnson

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is, by far, one of the oddest concepts for a book ever. It centres around Ada, daughter of the first woman to create robots (enemies of wizards) and her fight to change the past in order to save the future. Basically, it's a giant mashup of every science fiction concept known to man, mixed with a sprinkle of fantasy. It's oddly compelling, but very jumbled.

The story itself, because of this mix, is strangely all over the place. It feels like there's just too much going on, and a number of subplots are left underdeveloped - although it's fast paced and full of action to keep you engaged throughout.

The characters also suffer slightly from the pace by being underdeveloped. They're all very one dimensional, with little emotional depth. Geller is perhaps the best developed of the bunch. A young wizard sent to kill Ada and stop the war between robots and wizards, you can see his struggles and feel real empathy for him. I also enjoyed his relationship with Ada.

The conclusion feels a little rushed, and could have done with being a bit tighter and tying up more loose ends. However, that said this is quite an interesting, if sometimes silly, little jump into the light science fiction genre.

 - 3 stars

WaR: Wizards and Robots is available to purchase now from: Amazon

Book Review: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alice is used to life on the road, never settling in one place and trying to outrun the bad luck that seems to follow her and her mother around. But when Alice's grandmother dies at her home in the Hazel Woods, forcing the pair to return to the estate, Aluce soon finds that her bad luck is about to get a whole lot worse.

This is incredibly slow paced, and I also found the story itself incredibly misleading. I thought this was going to be a YA fantasy but most of the first half of the book is actually more of a contemporary setting with hardly any fantasy elements. It's also rather dull, and I couldn't even tell you what actually happens up till Alice enters the Hazel Wood other than endless travelling. By the time the fantasy aspects come into play, about half way through, I found I just didn't care anymore.

The writing itself also seems to play on pretty over substance. Most of it doesn't make sense and it's overly descriptive in a way that benefits no one other than to further confuse the reader. I repeatedly wished that the writing would just say it how it was, instread of taking me on elaborate and flowery prose of endless rambling.

The characters are hard to connect with, especially Alice who seems particularly unlikeable. She's selfish and stand offish, and I couldn't warm to her at all. She's also really mean to Finch, her supposed friend and companion - constantly disregarding his opinions and feelings for her own gain while being incredibly critical of every character she meets.  It left a bad taste, and I genuinely hoped at one point she'd get lost in the Hazel Wood and we could continue with just Finch. At least then he'd have gotten a chance to speak instead of being Alice's punchbag, and might have developed a proper personality. The other characters, the residents of the Hintermost, are irritating and unlikeable. All appear 'mysterious' or deliberately obstructive just because they can be. Not helpful.

The only aspects I liked, unfortunately, were the few and far between fairy tales told by Althea, Alice's grandmother. They were interesting enough to keep me going, but barely. Disappointing, and I felt that if this had been marketed better (i.e. Without the heavy fantasy push but rather an adult urban fantasy/contemporary) it would have found its preferred audience.

The Hazel Wood is available to purchase now from: Amazon

2 STARS

Book Review: Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Marlin is a Valkyrie, born and raised to slay the immortals and return them to the underworld before they can wreck havoc in the world. But when Malin’s mother fails to carry out a mission, and lets one of the immortal escape, she sets in motion a series of far reaching, life changing events that could change Malin’s life forever. 

I was drawn to this initially because of the mythology and background. It’s an interesting take on the Norse myths, told in a modern futuristic way, which I found unique. It’s also a quick read, with a consistent pacing filed with plenty of action and fighting that made it really easy to read. I do think it helped that I’d read up on some Norse myths before I started this however, as I found a lot of the background information isn’t really explained well and at times it could have got a little confusing. Sometimes the plot itself was also a little all over the place, bouncing from one area or character to the next, without any clear idea of where it was going to end up. It really could have done with some more coherency, and tightening up of the text. 

I also didn’t really feel any connection with the characters. They were overly simplistic, with little depth to them. I think the characters really suffered because of the short length of the story, and they had little chance to develop beyond the one dimensional. I also didn’t really see much of a relationship between Malin and her friends and lovers (although I loved the fact that she was bisexual), and I disliked the love triangle element. I found it slightly cliched, and harked back to more stereotypical and unoriginal YA fiction. 

The premise for this is wonderfully unique, but ultimately I felt that it failed to deliver on some key points, which was a shame.

Between the Blade and the Heart is available to purchase now from: Amazon

 - 3 stars

Book Review: In Search of Mary Shelley: The Woman Who Wrote Frankenstein by Fiona Sampson

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To coincide with the 200th anniversary of the release of Frankenstein, Fiona Sampson examines the inner influences and background of writer Mary Shelley.

I admit I know very little about Mary Shelley other than the fact that she married the famous poet Percy Shelley as a teenager and was widowed at a young age. I have also never read Frankenstein, but nevertheless I was intrigued to see what could possess a woman of this time to write something that is now considered a classic, in an era where women simply weren't encouraged to write 'this kind' of novel.

I found this well researched and thorough. Sampson manages to open up a notoriously private woman's life and fascinating past, where she was surrounded by some great intellectual thinkers of the time. It was great to see who or what influenced Mary to write her story. She manages to bring life to a woman tormented by her many pregnancies and infant deaths, and how her outpouring of grief and redemption comes in th form of writing. At times, these reads almost like a novel, and that's what makes it so engaging. It also flows well. Most chapters set up a scene before dissecting the chapter with various facts and interesting discussions. It's structured in such a way that it doesn't divert from the facts or diverge into various distracting sidestories, which I appreciated.

I do think I would have benefitted from reading Frankenstein before reading this. I think that's the main intention here, and although I gained a lot of insight into Mary Shelley, I would have gained more having read her novel first. I think I would have perhaps been more 'into' this as well having done that, as although I found the overall premise interesting I've found I'm maybe just not as interested in this time period as I am other periods of history. This is purely a personal preference however.

That said, this is a great introduction to Mary Shelley, a character full of intrigue with a fascinating past.

In Search of Mary Shelley is available to purchase now from: Amazon

 - 3 stars

Book Review: Owl Eyes: A Fairy Tale by Molly Lazer

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

On the surface this is a Cinderella retelling, if Cinderella was grittier and a bit gothic and depressing. I have mixed feelings about retellings. On the one hand I love the idea of taking something well known and turning it into something fresh and interesting, but I can be extremely critical if this fails. This falls somewhere in the middle. I admire the author for having he guts to take on such an infamous tale as Cinderella and try and reinvent it, but I'm sure it worked. 

The story is decent enough. It's well written and entertaining but I found it lacking any real depth and a lot of the story feels rushed and unstructured. We never properly explore the world, the magical elements or the characters to any great detail. Everything seems superficial, and I think the story suffered  as a result because I found I just wasn't invested in it. 

I also wasn't keen on the characters. Eleanor, Nora, had a very flat personality, lacking in any real emotion or a strong backstory. Nobody is really explored fully, and I often found myself wishing Jack in particular had more of an opportunity to shine and develop as he could have been a really interesting character. I did like the fact that there's no real 'romance' aspect to the novel though. It was refreshing. 

Interesting read, but it just didn't make me feel anything.

Owl Eyes is available to purchase now from: Amazon

 - 3 stars