Book Review: Out Of The Blue by Sophie Cameron

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

The angel's started falling from the skies 10 days after Jaya's mother died. Determined to catch one alive, Jaya's father uproots their shattered family to Edinburgh - but Jaya's still struggling with her grief. With her family reaching crisis point, the unthinkable happens - a Being lands at Jaya's feet, and the extraordinary begins to take shape.

This is more than a story about angels, it's a story about grief, coping with loss and learning to move on. The author deals with these issues in a sensitive and compelling way, as the story weaves through Jaya's struggle with understanding her loss by building up this incredibly touching relationship between her and the Being she finds (named Teacake). It's almost as though she's learning to heal by putting all her energy and love into caring for Teacake. It actually reminded me a little of E.T. - we have Jaya hiding an other wordly being and learning to overcome a language barrier and gain their trust. However, that said this relationship is not the central aspect of the plot at all - which I found a little misleading given the blurb. It's almost as though the fantasy aspect is a sideline to a more contemporary book, involving Jaya and her friends and family, which I wasn't a massive fan of.

The descriptions of the angels (or Beings) and Edinburgh are also really beautiful. I love books set with Great Britain, and Edinburgh is such a fun, vibrant city (especially during Fringe) that it was great to see this brought to life on the page. I also loved that the Beings are a little different from the normal angel stereotype - full of colour with gold blood, and the secondary set of characters are full of diversity - although lacking any real complexity or emotional depth compared to Jaya. I think this is because the book itself is a little on the short side, and although this means the pace was good, the character's suffered as a result.

I also wasn't keen on the ending. I found it a little rushed, and also a little far fetched. However, that said the book overall was good and managed to convey some very complex emotions well. A decent read, but I think the fantasy aspect should be downplayed slightly to reach a better audience.

 - 3 stars

Book Review: The Unmumsy Mum by The Unmumsy Mum

I liked this. There’s a certain amount of solidarity you share with someone who’s gone through a similar parenting experience to yourself. I’m a seasoned mother of two (soon to be three). I know it isn’t all baking (I hate baking) and doing ‘fun’ things with chubby cheeked angels - but it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who knows this. Parenting is hard work. It’s boring at times (ten episodes of Hey Duggee in a row is enough to drive the sanest person over the edge), and lonely. A trip to B&Q is often the only light on the horizon of an otherwise groundhog style day.

But you know what? It’s ok not be be ok all of the time. Mum guilt is real, but it’s also ok to draw a line under today and start again. I think that’s what I gained most out of this book. There’s power in the perspective and reflection, and I enjoyed reading about the good times and the bad. It’s what life is all about.

It wasn’t a perfect read. A lot of this feels rather gratuitous, and more a personal memoir for the authors’s boys (nothing wrong with that, but I found the sections where she speaks directly to her children a little grating). It’s also a little outdated now as the author has since gone on to have another child, which changes the tone of some of her comments about the baby period being over. Again though, that’s life, circumstances change and families expand. I guess it means the author will just have to write another book as a mum of three.

I’d recommend this to all newbie parents. In fact, just all parents. We’ve all been there.

The Unmumsy Mum is available to purchase now from: Amazon

 - 3 stars

Book Review: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

What's it going to be then, eh?

I've watched A Clockwork Orange a few time, enjoyed it, and have had the book on my TBR for years. Since this year I'm trying to embrace more classics, I thought I'd finally pick this up. It was a decent read, but I'm not going to lie - I struggled.

I think the main thing putting me off was the language. The book is wrote in first person narrative by Alex, in Nadsat slang. It's a mix of Russian, Cockney rhyming slang and sometimes even made up words. There's no dictionary, so the reader has to slog through trying to piece together what Alex is saying. And at first, it feels like gobbledegook. But I found as the story progresses I got more use to the terminology and it was easier to deduce what Alex is going on about. It helped that I'd seen the movie too, as I had a rough outline of where the plot was going. Yes, the violence depicted is awful - but the language used also seems to diffuse the horror of it. It's as though Alex, the future narrator version, knows the viciousness of his crimes and he's trying to lure you into his world and make it seem less awful by the way he talks.

Alex is a deplorable character. He has no morals, no guilt at the actions he takes. However, he's not alone in acting this way. His drooges, or followers, allow and encourage his behaviour and the various victims that get in their way seem to almost accept their fate as a sign of the youth of today. His parents seem scared of him, his social worker and school do nothing to change his behaviour. Even after his time in prison, with his choice of actions taken away, Alex never seems to feel remorse for anyone other than himself. He laments only at his lost ability to envoke 'ultra violence' on those he chooses.

The last chapter was never included in the American release, or indeed in the film. I can understand why, as it seems to alter the readers overall perception of Alex that is built up throughout the novel. However, I liked the sudden change in tone and feel it gives a more optimistic outlook that people, when given the choice, can change for the better if they want to. Because that's what is at the heart of this novel. Choice and free will. I liked this more than I thought I would, and appreciated the overall message it was hoping to deliver.

A Clockwork Orange is available to purchase from: Amazon

 - 3 stars

Book Review: Unveiling Venus by Sophia Bennett

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

Mary Adams, one time scullery maid, finds herself rubbing shoulders with the high society of London and Venice as alter ego Persephone. But with an ambition to rise to the top, she must sacrifice everything and betray those she trusts most.

I loved the descriptions of Venice in particular. It makes you feel like you’re there, and I enjoyed seeing the city through Persephone’s eyes as the streets, paintings and lifestyles are vividly brought to life. The lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous are also well depicted, and really help to make you fall into the time period, with sumptuous costumes and beautiful fancy homes.

The main character, Persephone, is also deeply compelling, intriguing and carries the plot well. I loved the idea of a lowly scullery maid having a glamorous alter ego. Although she’s a stereotypical ‘beauty’, and an ideal candidate for a painter’s muse. Liked her relationship with Kitty, it feels genuine and they counteract each other well with their personalities. They’re well developed, and have a range of emotional depth I rarely see in this kind of historical YA novels. I also enjoyed Persephone’s relationship with the wide range of secondary characters and servants who seem to reference her time as a scullery maid. There’s a good level of camaraderie between them that makes Persephone more endearing to the reader.

Arthur provides a worthy antagonist to the group, swooping in and stirring the pot enough to create tension between Kitty and Persephone. He’s very easy to dislike, which I often find is a hard thing to recreate in a realistic way in YA fiction. Most villains are all too often over the top and over dramatic. This wasn’t the case here, as Arthur is able to manipulate both Kitty and Persephone, and sew the seeds of doubt without resorting to outlandish plans.

I would have liked a deeper in-depth look at the artistic works described. Persephone ‘sits’ for several painters, alluding to being a subject of one rather famous painting in particular, yet we never see it, which I found disappointing. It would have been far more scandalous to see people’s reactions. I often felt that the artistic aspects of the plot fell a bit flat, and didn’t really enhance anything. The pacing was also a little off in places, and a little disjointed as we see Persephone flit from Venice to London and beyond. I think if the story had stayed in Venice, I would have enjoyed this more.

A good example of YA historical fiction, which is a rare thing. The descriptions of Venice and characters stand out in particular, but I wanted a tighter plot.

 - 3 stars