Book Review: It'll Be OK, It's Just A Hole In My Head by Mimi Hayes

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

3.5 stars rounded up.

‘I’ll be OK...’ are the memoirs of Mimi Hayes, focusing on the initial diagnosis and her subsequent recovery after a brain haemorrhage caused by a cavernous hemangioma (which she calls an angioma). It covers the difficulties she faces getting her initial diagnosis and the rocky road to resuming a normal life after surgery.

I have a personal history with regards to brain injuries like this, and I work everyday within a busy Neuroradiology department. As such, I feel a certain affinity towards stories involving anything neurological and was initially drawn to these memoirs because of this. The author is endearing as she takes us through her story, and I instantly warmed to her as she recounts her ‘back story’ of sorts in the build up to her haemorrhage. Her story is easy to follow, and I found the writing style matched well with the author’s obvious quirky personality - although I admit that at times I found the endless movie references a little grating. It felt almost as though she was using humour, along with the movie references that often ended up going off on a tangent, to deflect from digging deeper into her emotional state at the time. This often took away from the more serious points that she was trying to get across. 

I would perhaps have liked some explanations in terms of how the American health care system works in comparison to my own beloved NHS. Beyond knowing that you need health insurance, I have no idea how Americans access healthcare, and I think a small paragraph outlining how this system works may have allowed me a greater degree of understanding with regards to the difficulties Mimi encounters when initially trying to gain a diagnosis from her doctor. Perhaps a more detailed outline of what a cerebral hemangioma is also would be helpful to readers who perhaps don’t know what they are (and their tendency to bleed).

I liked the photos that we’re scattered throughout. They added a more personal touch that allowed me to connect with Mimi and put faces to names. I also loved the interactions between Mimi’s family, especially with regards to the Halloween costume ‘incident’. They were written about with an obvious amount of love that just jumped off the page and was wonderful to read about.

Granted this isn’t The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, but I enjoyed this, and with a bit of tighter editing to decrease the amount of times this went a bit off topic, it would make a good account of one individual’s recovery following brain injury.

 - 3 stars

Book Review: Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

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

Ash Princess tells the story of Thora, a girl destined to be queen in a country enslaved by an evil tyrant. It follows her fight for freedom and the difficulties she encounters when forced to make a choice between her people and her friend.

To me this is your YA bread and butter, and it follows every predictable trope known to the genre. You have the typical evil villain, determined to keep our heroine downtrodden. You have the suppressed heroine, destined for greatness, who doesn’t know her own strength. And you have the obvious love interest and a weird love triangle of sorts between childhood friends. It’s written well and it’s entertaining, but unfortunately it was all too predictable for me and it’s all been done before. There was nothing unique or different about the story - especially if you’ve read a lot of YA fantasy.

As stated, I found the villain very obvious with no subtlety to him at all. He’s one tone with no hidden depth. He’s just a tyrant. The other secondary characters are a little more complex. In particular I liked the Kaiserin with her hidden intelligence and all seeing eyes, and Artemisia, who gets some of the best lines with her straight talking personality. At times I thought these characters were woefully under used though, as the story instead chose to concentrate on our protagonist Theo/Thora, her ‘friend’ Cress, Prinz Soren and childhood friend Blaine.

I found Cress to be extremely vapid and ornamental, especially early on in the story. She’s interested only in clothes and gossiping - all the while treating Thora like some kind of pet. Their relationship irritated me, as Thora is so obviously conditioned to see her as a friend when in reality she’s being incredibly naive and repeatedly manipulated to be compliant. This results in Theo making excuses for Cress’s behaviour, even when it’s painfully obvious that what she’s doing is wrong.

With regards to Soren, Blaise and Theo the only aspect of their relationship I enjoyed was the subtle courting and flirting in the beginning between Soren and Theo. Theo’s manipulation of Soren demonstrates her inner strength to get what she wants when she puts her mind to it, and it had the potential to go a long way. However, half way through the book Soren disappears on a mysterious trip and we don’t see him again until near the of the novel, wasting so much possible tension and character development. By the time he appears again I’d lost interest. The interactions between Blaine and Theo I found, for the most part, awkward and a little forced. I would have preferred more Soren and Theo, due to the complex nature of their relationship.

A lot of the novel is quite slow in pace, with endless internal dialogue devoted to inner turmoil and angst from Thora. There’s little action, just endless talking about what the right thing to do is without actually doing it. I also found some of the plot points confusing. Theo repeatedly states that the Kaiser needs her alive and that she’s valuable, yet at one point he’s willing to marry her off to a duke known for abusing and killing his wives as if she’s worthless. It’s never really explained why she would be of any use to the Kaiser alive, especially as he’s so keen to kill everyone else who threatens his rule.

Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be picking up the sequel to this, unless reviews suggest a drastic change in pace and character development. It suffers too much from a deja vu feeling of every YA novel before it. This is a shame because it had a lot of potential to develop some unique characters in the genre, but fell a little short in execution for me.

 - 3 stars

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

As a dabbler in true crime fiction, I’ve got to the stage where I feel I can appreciate a really good, well researched book. And this is such a book. It follows the jagged history of the East Area Rapist/Original Night Stalker (later renamed the Golden State Killer by McNamara) and his reign of terror and misery through Sacramento and the surrounding areas during the 70s and early 80s before mysteriously vanishing without a trace. It’s a story of countless victims, and the ongoing hunt to find the man responsible. 

Michelle McNamara lived and breathed the Golden State Killer case, and this comes across in I’ll Be Gone In The Dark. It’s heavy on details, descriptions and the numerous ways that she and others have tried to find this illusive serial killer over the years. It’s an obsession that she readily admits too, and this book is essentially years of labour and the delicate piecing together of every bit of evidence and clue that could possibly relate to him and his journey from burglar to serial rapist and murderer. The passion and determination for the case and the need to solve it is obvious in every page. 

It’s also the style of writing that drew me in. It’s at once captivating and personal, with sections reading almost like a memoir of Michelle’s life and what initially drew her to this case. It’s endearing, and I couldn’t fail to like Michelle and her relentless pursuit of a man she’s never met yet knows so intimately. 

What makes this book all the more interesting is the fact that a suspect was arrested in April 2018. Two years after Michelle’s death, a man may finally feel that cell door close behind him as justice could be just around the corner. The fact that he was found via DNA from a genealogy site - a suggestion that Michelle herself alludes may help to find him, makes this all the more bittersweet. It’s also always with hindsight that we can see the clues and hints that were missed. Reading this through the eyes of someone who knows a little about the arrested made the clues and trails that Michelle goes down that little bit more exciting, as I could see how tantalisingly close they were to discovering who this man was. 

I found the third part of the book set a different tone to the rest due to Michelle’s untimely death leaving the book unfinished, resulting in her researchers having to piece together her thoughts from notes and old transcripts. This left the last third feeling a little more disorganised than I would have liked, however this was an excellent true crime novel overall, made all the more interesting through recent break through sin the case and the hint of personal reflection involved. If only Michelle were still here to see what she has helped to accomplish.

 - 4 stars

Book Review: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. However, my ARC copy would not download onto my kindle, therefore I bought the finished version on release day (mainly because of my love of Naomi Novik’s previous novel Uprooted). This review will be based around that finished copy.

A perfect read for a chilly Christmas Eve.


There’s something about Naomi Novik’s fairy tales that I find irresistible and evocative. She manages to weave these fantastical tales that are steeped in tradition around grounded and very real women full of life and character, while delicately introducing complicated relationships that capture the very heart of the story so well.

Miryam is the first character we’re introduced to. Described as resourceful, shrewd and emotionless in her pursuit of debts, she’s a glorious example of a character who must look inside herself to discover her talents and save herself and those she loves from destitution. She can sometimes come across as standoffish and cold - but I found this the perfect counterpoint to her Staryk king who is so similar to her in personality, yet she can’t see it. Their relationship, at once complicated and hard, is one of my favourite aspects of the book. It was great to see it develop as the story progressed from sullenness to something that could be described as amiable.

Irina is Miryem’s counterpoint, the winter to her sun. The daughter of a duke, married to the tsar, she soon realises that there’s more to her husband than meets the eye. She must quickly learn how to be a tsarina and defend her people against a threat much bigger than herself. A threat steeped in fire and hunger. I found her very similar to Miryem in terms of rising to her position as ‘queen’, to discover that she has a natural talent to rule. One that outshines her husband’s. I also enjoyed her relationship with the Tsar, as she struggles with the beast and the man separately. I would have liked to have seen this relationship explored more, as I found it rather complex and politically fraught but I understand the importance of allowing Miryem’s relationships to take centre stage towards the end.

Wanda I found interesting, as she’s everything Miryem could have been if her father was crueler and she wasn’t so shrewd. However, her story peters out halfway through the novel and doesn’t really develop the way it could have. I found she’s rather sacrificed in favour of Irina, and her character becomes less important and more unsubstantial towards the end of the novel.

The settings and world building also really stand out in the novel, especially the descriptions of the Staryk lands and the harsh winters of the human world. I found myself a little lost amongst the forest trees with the characters on many occasions, willing the harsh Staryk white road into being so I could follow it. I do find it odd that the novel is released in the summer, as this is such a pure winter tale that speaks of harsh frosts and bitter winds. It’s perfect for winter evenings.

I will admit that at times I found the Staryk culture a little complicated, with the various concepts of debts and promises and how they must be repaid etc. rather convoluted in their explanations. However, as I was experiencing this along with Miryem it didn’t distract from my overall enjoyment of the story.

I was disappointed that there wasn’t an easier way to distinguish between the many characters who tell the story. The ARC copy apparently had symbols to differentiate between the characters, but the finished book did not. This would have been incredibly helpful, as sometimes I struggled to understand who was telling the story - especially as the tale progressed and more characters were added to the roster, and did dampen my enjoyment somewhat.

Although this doesn’t quite match Uprooted for me in terms of overall enjoyment, I loved reading this. Naomi Novik is firmly on my ‘must read’ shelf for all future novels and I encourage everyone who loves fairy tales and complex relationships to give this a go.

 - 4 stars

Book Review: Perfect Remains by Helen Fields

I’m very hit and miss when it comes to crime novels, but this had some good Goodreads reviews so I thought I’d give it a go. It follows the typical pattern of killer on the loose being tracked by troubled detectives as they rush to uncover the clever mastermind before he can kill again. I suppose the main ‘twist’, or difference, is that the killer hasn’t actually killed the woman he’s supposedly taken (not a spoiler - you find this out in the first chapter). He’s just set it up in the belief he’s one step ahead of the police.

The plot is pretty good. It’s reasonably fast paced and doesn’t diverge too much from the main storyline. We learn enough about the killings and crime scenes, from both the police and killer’s perspectives, to keep me interested right until the end and the interweaving between the killer initially setting up these crime scenes and the police falling into his traps was well done. I found I got a great deal of satisfaction from seeing the police finally discovering the truth, and the race against time to pin him down.

This definitely felt more like a psychological, character driven story rather than the traditional ‘whodunnit’. A lot of the story centres around the various character interactions and their relationships rather than the crimes themselves, which at times made for an interesting insight. D.I. Callanach, our French-Scottish protagonist, is hard to like at first. He’s standoffish and curt, snapping at his officers and making no friends in his new job. It made it hard for me to warm to him, and at first I really struggled to connect with the story. However as his backstory is addressed, we get a better understanding of why he is the way he is, and this made it easier to build a connection with the character. In comparison, I found Ava immediately likeable. She’s intelligent, but not in an obvious over the top way, and is passionate about her work. I enjoyed her sub story (although I admit I didn’t really see what the point of it was in terms of adding anything to the overall plot other than expanding her role in the novel). I also participate enjoyed their dynamics and interactions together, which I feel has been set up subtly to suggest more than merely a working relationship in future novels. The secondary characters are also reasonably well developed, and again I enjoyed their various interactions with both Luc and Ava.

The antagonist killer is suitably arrogant and creepy. There’s a sense of foreboding that seems to follow him around, even when he’s not actively killing or stalking, that permeates all of his interactions with people. I don’t think I’ll be able to smell moth balls again. I did feel we didn’t get as good a backstory as our protagonists to really fully explore his reasons behind all of his actions, and felt the plot could have gone further with the aftermath of his deeds. However, overall I thought he was a good foil for Ava and Luc.

The ending is good, and wraps everything up well with no loose endings while building relationships enough to keep me intrigued for future novels. I just wish the start had not been so slow in its character development, or this could easily have been a 4 star read from me. That said, this is a hard genre to get right for me, and this definitely had me more interested than most.

 - 3 stars

Book Review: China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan

I’m really enjoying this series. It’s fun, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is over the top entertaining.

In China Rich Girlfriend, we follow Nick and Rachel two years after the events of [book:Crazy Rich Asians|18158562]. Nick is estranged from his family, and on the brink of marrying Rachel while still helping her in the search for her long lost father. A chance encounter between Nick’s mother and a Chinese playboy soon thrusts Rachel back into the lives of the Chinese ultra rich, and the opportunity to become embroiled in the scandals and dramas that surround these often strange and eccentric individuals.

Although this starts out by centering on Nick and Rachel, the story soon diverges to include Rachel’s extended family and friends in China. As such, we don’t see much of Nicks family, who I fell so in love with in the previous novel. In addition, the story is based almost entirely in mainland China. The introduction of so many colourful characters, after I had just got to know all of the ones in the first novel, did get a little confusing at times and I missed all of Nick’s aunties and uncles and their eccentricities. However, Carlton and Kitty Pong in particular brought enough intrigue and angst to the story to keep me entertained. Yes, some of the story is completely unrealistic and self indulgent, but I knew going into the story that it would be like this, and it’s one of the things I love about it.

In particular, I loved the slow developing relationship between Astrid, the one relative of Nick’s we do follow, Charlie and Astrid’s deteriorating marriage to Michael. Touched upon in the first book, we get an intimate look into their marriage and the rather obvious failings into a relationship that cannot be saved by throwing money at it. I think Astrid is my favourite character. She tries so desperately to mold her life around what her husband wants - sometimes at the cost of loosing a part of herself in the process, when to the outside world she comes across as effortlessly chic. She’s clearly not the right person for Michael, who has developed into a mean spirited and bitter money making businessman. He’s the perfect example of what money can do to an individual when they haven’t been taught to respect it or aren’t so casually use to having billions at their disposal.

The conclusion really ramped up the tension too, and took a plot twist I wasn’t expecting but became completely wrapped up in. I actually wish that there’d been a bit more direction and structure earlier on in the novel to take more advantage of the ending. This felt much more of an exploratory novel, introducing China to the reader much in the same way that Singapore and Hong Kong is shown to use in the first book.

That said, I can’t wait for the next book, if only to get reacquainted with Ah Ma.

 - 4 stars

Book Review: However Fights Monsters by Robert Ressler

I’ve read a few of these FBI non fiction murder books now, most noticeably Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit, which I found more interesting than this. Unfortunately I found Robert Ressler not as charismatic as Douglas in his examination and explanation of various cases - although his knowledge is undeniable. He’s just a bit more sedate and academically inclined compared to Douglas’ more sensationalist approach. I will say his personality is slightly less irritating than Douglas though, as he tends not to self congratulate as much (it does happen though). I would have preferred more talk about the various cases rather than Ressler’s personal background too, but understand that it might have been necessary to include it to gain an insight into Ressler’s way of thinking etc.

The book is also obviously dated, with no new chapters referencing anything past the early 1990s. I really need to find more modern texts, but so far nothing is quite as superior as these for definitive facts and information relating to violent crimes etc.

Overall, this was good but historical, and covers a fair few crimes I hadn’t heard of and examined them in a clean analytical way. Any recommendations for something more recent would be appreciated!

 - 3 stars

Book Review: The Hoarder by Jess Kidd

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

This was a deliciously quirky book about a cantankerous old man called Cathal Flood and his trash filled home,  his carer Maud and the family old mystery surrounding the disappearance of a local school girl and the death of Cathal’s wife.

This is very much a character driven story. Maud, our main protagonist, is perceptive and likeable. She cares about people in such a way that allows them to shine in her presence and bring out the best of their personalities. This is most obviously seen in her interactions with Cathal,  as their power struggle to reclaim Cathal’s delapidated and hostile house turns into something deeper than merely that of a carer and her charge. It’s also mirrored in her relationship with Renata, her eccentric transgender landlady, who exudes a vulnerability that only Maud can penetrate. The three of them together - although Maud is the only one to interact with the others, is powerful and deeply entertaining. All three are full of colour and character, perfectly balanced and developed well.

I also really enjoyed Maud’s interactions with the various saints she can ‘see’, who often follow her around offering illicit advice at the wrong moments - much to her chargrin. The saints presence often provided some much needed light relief to the overall story, and added a quirkiness to the book that surprised me. It’s definitely unique and unusual.

The story itself is also developed well. The mystery surrounding the house and Cathal’s family creeps up on you as an afterthought to the character development, until I was desperate for answers. The drama unfolds slowly, but with a good amount of tension and drama to propel the story to a satisfying ending.p that I didn’t see coming. There’s enough of a mystery here to draw in readers who enjoy a good secret, yet its also different enough to be enjoyed by readers who like to indulge in the paranormal and weird.

The only aspects I didn’t enjoy too much were the paragraphs dedicated to Maud’s backstory relating to her sister’s disappearance and the various dreams. I didn’t think they really added anything to the story, and rather distracted from the main plot. They didn’t really add anything to Maud’s character either, and the conclusion, in comparison to the main story, was rather lacklustre. To me, I could have done without.

That said, I can’t recommend this enough to everyone and I’m already adding Jess Kidd to my authors to look out for in the future.

 - 4 stars

Book Review: Eve of Man by Giovanna Fletcher

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

Eve is the first female to be born in 50 years. In an ageing world destroyed by man, she’s raised away from the conflict in the ‘dome’ - a paradise of school lessons, dancing and talking to her AI ‘friend’ Holly. But there’s more to Holly than meets the eyes. As Eve approaches her 16th birthday, can she accept her inevitable fate as the saviour of her race, or will a forbidden love force secrets out into the open?

I tried to like this, I really did. On paper it should be right up my street. Dystopian YA, female lead, ideas of gender suppression - but I just found it incredibly simplistic and uninspiring. It all just feels a little bit ‘been there, done that’ with a rather unsophisticated take on The Handmaid’s Tale, and this idea that women have been oppressed and controlled, which seems to be a recurrent theme in dystopian fiction at the moment. The writing style is very overly descriptive in terms of feelings, which I don’t think really works here, as nothing is left for the reader to interpret and develop their own opinions. It’s all telling, with no subtleties, which I think would have helped elevate the text.

The world building is also rather limited. Other than an overview at the beginning, which gives an outline into the current state of the planet and humanities apparent lack of respect for the environment due to no future generations to pass it to, there’s little explanation as to why the world is how it is. Why are no female being born? What exactly happened? Would a world full of mainly men really result in global catastrophes? I find this slightly condescending to believe. Perhaps this will be expanded on in future literature, but I really think more time should have been spent trying to flesh out the world that I was suppose to care about. The glimpses we see of life outside the dome were some of my favourite segments, and I found the hints of environmental destruction and how the ‘Freevers’ live far more interesting than any character in the dome.

Eve and Bram, as the two narrators, have very distinct voices and it was easy to differentiate when each of them is in control of the narrative which helped with the flow of the story. However, they do unfortunately suffer from what comes across as instalove, and I found quite a lot of their scenes together quite cringy - especially the gushy declarations of love. We’re given a background to suggest that Eve and Bram have ‘grown up’ together and know each other well, but they’ve never so much as touched. It’s a very ‘clean’ romance, which is rather childish and simple but to me it also feels more like infatuation, and the love of the unknown rather than romantic love - which makes the second half of the book and the motives behind it even harder to understand.

A major issue that I found in the book is this very clear divide in the story into two distinctive parts. The first half is very Eve focused, and centres around her life in the dome and her relationships with Bram and the ‘Mothers’ - the ageing women who care for her. The second half is very much more of a revolutionary fast paced action story. I found it quite jarring, although I did enjoy the second half more. However, again I found Bram’s story a little too ‘easy’ for him. Everything falls into place with very little struggle and strife, and his character goes from beaten down son of high powered genius to revolutionary leader without any real believable development of character. In comparison, Eve comes across increasingly more like a damsel in distress as the story progresses, with little ability to really fight for herself without the help of others.

This could have been a good story about gender dynamics and the distribution of power in a world devoid of females and the continuing struggle to preserve the female race. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t enjoy it was much as I wanted, but I genuinely hope this finds an audience with younger readers as an introduction into dystopian fiction with an innocent romance.

                                                              2 STARS

Book Review: Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh

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

A wonderful conclusion to a duology that’s built upon its predecessor to create a magical world with colourful characters set against the backdrop of Feudal Japan. The story follows almost immediately after the conclusion of [book:Flame in the Mist|23308087], with little time to catch your breath before the action begins. We find Mariko being transported to the Emperors palace to meet her future husband, the emperor’s eldest illegitimate son Raiden. Okami is captured, bound in chains beneath the same palace, and Kenshen is still dealing with the aftermath of his misdemeanours, with blood on his hands and his loyalty to his new emperor called into question.

This felt immediately like a more mature and well developed novel compared to the previous instalment. The characters are well established, allowing the author to build up an emotional connection with the reader. Mariko is now not only a fierce and confident ‘spy’, but also a source of inspiration to those around her - especially Yumi, who can see a similar conflict she shares with her own brother in Mariko. There’s also a certain amount of jealously over her ability to be readily accepted for who she really is by the Black Clan, which gives Yumi the strength to follow her own path based on Mariko’s courage. It was good to see both characters flourish after a promising introduction in The Flame In The Mist. As usual, Marko’s interactions with Okami are suitably tense and filled with the right level of passion to propel their love story throughout the novel.

I was surprised to find that my favourite character in the novel was actually Raiden. A deeply complex character, the older brother forced to serve a younger brother, brought up to hate him yet still resolutely loyal and protective of him. There are feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and a growing respect for his would-be bride Mariko that spills over into protection - not only for her, but the whole court. Kanako, his mother, is similar in her initial complexity. Again, she’s fiercely loyal to her son but I found that she was a little more reserved in her personality with little backstory to support her overall scheme and justify her actions. I wanted to know more about why Kanako made the various choices she makes throughout the novel, and also how.

The world building is subtle, with talk of demons and a complex magical system that binds humans to various creatures via a sacrifice. However, I felt it needed developing a bit more, and was lacking in detail. This was perhaps my main issue with Kanako, who’s story and plan is so closely linked to these demons that with a ore in-depth explanation of her journey and process to becoming ‘one’ with her various demons, I might have understood her more.

Other themes through the novel included the pattern of accepting responsibility for your actions and the idea that respect should be earned not given freely. Roku, as Emperor, has no one to keep him in check, allowing him to grow sadistic and mad with rage. Theres no empathy or compassion for his elders and respected council, leading to anarchy and destruction in his city. There’s no honour or goodness, unlike Okami, who has the respect and loyalty of his Black Clan family and the ability to lead where anyone will follow. They’re the light and darkness to the story and perfect opposites and the eventual showdown between the two demonstrates this well.

I enjoyed this thoroughly, and thought it was a refreshing YA fantasy novel that covered some important themes in an entertaining way.  A great addition to the genre.

 - 4 stars

Book Review: Fame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

After a slow start, this built into a wonderfully fun tale of trust, lies, magic and warriors. Some have described this as a ‘Mulan’ retelling, but beyond taking the identity of a young man and joining a band of warriors, I felt this was so much more than that.

I was particularly taken with the themes and settings within the story, as they felt so authentic and were described well. The forest where Mariko begins her journey with the Black Clan in particular is suitably menacing, with descriptions of otherworldly creatures and man eating trees. There’s an underlying presence of things that are always watching, hiidng just out of sight, waiting to guide or hinder an unfortunate victim. The tea house and emperor’s palace, where we’re introduced to Yumi and various secondary characters, are suitably a polar opposite to this as we are exposed to opulence and excess - another level of foreshadowing that exposes the corrupt nature of the empire.

Mariko is a strong protagonist, although I admit to feeling annoyed with her in the beginning. She believes herself to be worldly wise, cleverer than most people she meets and her only hindrance is her sex. She initially looks down on the Black Clan as murderers and thieves, believing herself to be far superior. However, I liked her development over time. As she becomes more worldly wise, she opens herself up to more points of view and the rose tinted glasses she’s worn her whole life begin to fall. Her conflicting feelings for her brother also help to build on overall feeling of inner turmoil and a conflict of loyalties that helps propel the story forward.

The various relationships between Mariko and the members of the Black clan certainly help to shape Mariko’s changing point of view. From hostility to friendship and more, it’s built on gradually and in a realistic way. I particularly liked the dynamics between Okami, Mariko and Ranmaru. We have the headstrong leader, the carefree warrior and a girl who equally hates and admires these two men. The mixture of confusing emotions makes for a great amount of internal struggle and tension with arguing and cerebral mind games that’s delicious to see unfold, and builds to a great scene in a hot pool.

Some storylines were left a little undeveloped towards the end, such as Yumi’s story and the real truth behind the attack on the convoy that brought Mariko to the forest. The chapters involving the emperor and his wife/courtesan also only show hints of some foreshadowing of darker magic and a larger overall plan that I presume will be expanded on in future novels. There’s also a cliffhanger ending, which I tend to dislike in novels as I find them untidy.

However, overall I really enjoyed this. I’m so glad I picked it back up again after initially thinking it was too slow. The gradual build up and development of these characters set in a wonderful and more diverse world really made for a strong YA fantasy with the right amount of magical realism to keep me wanting more. I look forward to the sequel.

Book Review: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

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

A powerful story, that even nearly 40 years after it was first published is still incredibly hard hitting and relevant today. Dana, an African-American writer, can travel through time. Intrinsically linked to a boy called Rufus, who lives in the pre Civil war Maryland, she appears to him whenever he appears to be in danger. Connected through time, Dana becomes embroiled in plantation life, and makes the often difficult decisions needed to survive and return to her own time.

I was surprised how deeply involved I became in the storyline. There’s no shying away from the brutality of life for slaves in the ante bellum South here. Everything is told vividly and convincingly. It’s violent, cruel, raw and very real. The characters are full of life and complexity too. Not least Rufus, who we follow through Dana’s eyes from child to man as the son of a plantation owner. At first, we feel something similar to pity for him. His father ignores him, his mother mollycoddles him, and he’s friendly with his slaves children. Brought up to abuse them without really understanding that he’s doing so, his rude introduction to Dana catches him by surprise, and we hope, maybe change him into a better man than his father.

There’s a scene we see between some slave children, where they play act a slave auction as if it’s normal and unordinary. Dana and her husband Kevin are appalled by this, and it reminds them that no matter what they may feel about integrating into this lifestyle, they’re not of this time. Their attitude is grossly different to the contemporaries they’re surrounded by, and this is mirrored in Rufus as he grows up to be a person Dana comes to despise, down in part because of his upbringing and environment. It’s a deeply complicated codependent relationship, as Dana tries to shape him into a ‘better man’, but being pulled up short by the times and expectations. For example, Rufus sees no harm in repeatedly humiliating and beating Dana to remind her of her place, just as his father does, yet feels some level of shame in doing so and feels a ‘need’ for her never to leave him. It’s a kind of love that’s toxic, but one Rufus believes is acceptable between a plantation owner and people he believes he owns.

There’s a certain level of complicity that runs throughout the novel, as Dana seems to readily slip into this role of slave and accept that she may never return to her present time. She accepts Rufus’ often brutish treatment of her, along with the other white men she comes across, without any consideration as if it’s her birth right as a black woman during this period of time. Perhaps this is because of the deep level of fear that seems to permeate the novel between all of the slaves. It’s as if at any moment, any of them could be sold or beaten to death (or worse). They’re so downtrodden, it’s hard to imagine how anyone could rise above this to lead any kind of revolt or rebellion and it amazes me that anyone of this time did. These are the people history tend to overlook, when they faced such abject adversity to make them truly heroic . 

I would liked to have seen more of Dana and Kevin in their time together ‘after’ and how deeply the emotional scars ran into the future, and how they’re altered by their time spent in the past. However, this was a wonderful read.

 - 4 stars

Book Review: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

4.5 stars. Easily.

This was pure escapism at its finest. Charting the lives of the Chinese super rich through the eyes of newcomer Rachel, boyfriend Nick and his various family members, this was a wonderful bit of writing that instantly transported me into another world. With backdrops such as Singapore mansions, private islands, luxury chartered planes and the wedding of the century, everything felt so over the top and luxurious. It’s a world I cannot begin to imagine inhabiting, but I really felt as though I was there experiencing everything for the first time with Rachel.

At times it felt like I was reading a gossip magazine, with the various scandals and dramas wrapped up in haute couture. It’s a wonderful guilty pleasure. All of the characters are colourful and eccentric, either steeped in the cliched ‘old money’ traditions or dripping in ostentatious over the top displays of wealth, yet they’re also unique enough to carry and support the overall story arc. In particular I liked the secondary characters Astrid, ‘the goddess’ with her not-from-money husband and Alistair, the son marrying a Taiwanese soap opera actress known as ‘Kitty Pong’. I also really liked Nick’s Ah Ma, the typical matriarch running everything behind the scenes, while displaying at outward appearance of class and icy coolness.

Nick and Rachel are supported really well with all of these secondary characters, and really it’s because of them that I continued with the story, as I found Nick and Rachel by themselves to be quite dull. There’s no real drama involved between the two, other than a predictable storyline that reaches a climax too late in the plot. However, throwing the extended family into the mix really makes them shine for their ‘ordinary’-ness. Their lack of drama highlights the absurdities of their family, and makes their love story seem quite sweet and simple by comparison. However, we all known it’s the drama and bitchiness that bring this to life.

If anything, I found the ending rather abrupt after a slow build. Some things are not concluded to my satisfaction, and above all I wanted more. However, that said I can now devour the next instalment and immerse myself back in this fabulous world.

 - 4 stars

Book Review: A Tudor Christmas by Alison Weir

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

Feeling Christmassy? This is a great book to get you into the spirit of the season, while taking you on a journey through the Tudor period and all the festivities involved. It’s well structured, divided into chapters based on the 12 days of Christmas, and the various activities the rich and poor participated in. There’s plenty of little facts scattered throughout which highlight many aspects of Tudor and Christmas life I never knew about, and also brings to life this concept that through the ages, will always knew how to throw a party.

In the chapters there are various carols, pictures, recipes and poems to bring to life the stories told of Christmas time. I thought this was a nice touch, as it lent itself an air of authenticity and really added to the Christmas feeling. I felt more immersed in the stories, and at times I could almost imagine myself in a great hall alongside Henry VIII eating my roasted goose. I did find a few of the poems a little long, which distracted from the text itself, however this was few and far between.

This was a lovely little read about one of my favourite times of year, and I love that I can now see the history behind a lot of the traditions which I originally thought were Victorian. In particular I enjoyed the chapter on Boxing (or St. Stephen’s) day and it’s links to the rich giving alms to the poor, as well an annual hunt for a Wren. It was these little touches that are only going to enhance my enjoyment of the season. Some chapters I wasn’t as interested in as others, which does tend to happen for me in this style of book, as I found I was less taken with the chapter on games etc. enjoyed during the festive period. However, the chapters I did enjoy balanced these lulls out well.

Recommend to the Tudor history buffs and lovers of Christmas. I just wish it had been longer.

 - 3 stars