Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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

When I started reading this I had no idea that with each husband, I’d grow ever deeper in love with Evelyn Hugo. This is a closer look at the life behind the glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood, where the cost of fame and fortune may be greater than you expected. It explores the manipulation of people without regrets, the lengths people will go to for fame, and at the heart of it it’s about a great, all consuming love affair. 

Evelyn is a star. A beautiful, shrewd star. As she tells her life story to Monique, a journalist she’s actively sought out to tell her story to, we see her shed the hidden layers and lies she’s held on to her whole life. What starts as a guarded confession to the great love of her life quickly turns into something far more encompassing, and demonstrates just what sacrifices Evelyn has made to hide her true self, and protect those she loves at all cost. She doesn’t regret, she doesn’t forget, and because of this you may think that Evelyn might be quite emotionless. But she’s far from it. She’s an actress, born to display only what she wants the world to see, yet we see moments of true vulnerability scattered throughout the story. She’s complex and unpredictable, with a strong sense of pride and self. She’s under no illusions that she’s a good person, and that’s what makes her so deliciously intoxicating to read about. She’s the heroine and the villain. 

I love the way the plot unfolds, told chronologically from the introduction of each new husband, scattered together with the present day and Monique’s story. Both characters bounce off each other well, as Monique struggles to assert herself against Evelyn’s dominant personality at first, before using her as an example to sort out her own life problems. I worked out the link between the two women quite quickly into the establishment of the story, but that didn’t spoil it at all. Far from it, I think the reader is suppose to know the real reason for the meeting between these two women before Monique is told the truth. It adds to the complexity of the characters, and enhances Evelyn’s moral ambiguity. 

The secondary characters who support Evelyn’s journey are also wonderfully fleshed out, especially Harry and Celia. Without them this story would be missing the heart that it needs as they help to show the softer side of her personality and shape Evelyn into a better person. There are moments of grief, laughter and love between them all that’s beautiful to read. It’s their stories, all woven together at times, that adds such a richness to the story. The husbands all pale into the background by comparison.

Highly recommend. This isn’t my normal genre, but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this. It’s utterly remarkable, and very well written.

Book Review: The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic

I’m unsure how to rate this really. On the one hand it was a quick read, and I enjoyed it, but it had an awful lot of flaws. 

The basic premise is runaway Neil gets picked up by a major university Exy team, who are all a bunch of misfits just like him. Exy is some kind of made up sport that’s a cross between lacrosse and football, and while they can’t seem to play without fighting, there’s a whole lot of trouble in Neil’s past just ready to catch up with him and he’ll need his teammates help to stay hidden. 

The plot and pace were both a little all over the place, and the writing feels very ‘new writer’. There’s no nuances to it, no subtlety that could have propelled this into an exciting read, and there’s a lot of idle chit chat. There’s also only one Exy game in the whole book. I found this disappointing as that section alone was more entertaining and exciting than the rest of the book put together. There’s lots of moping around from all the characters, lots of fighting and going to random clubs without having any clear agenda as to why other than to be sexually assaulted, and there’s lots of conversations using highly derogatory and offensive terms which I was deeply offended by. But not a lot of action, or development of the plot. By 75% of the way in, nothing had really happened and the characters were acting in exactly the same way as they were in the beginning. 

Also, not being from America, all my American sports knowledge comes from watching The Mighty Ducks and Field of Dreams as a youth. So unless there’s a giant corn field with the ghost of a dad in it, or someone’s attempting a flying ‘V’, I have no clue about sports like this. I have no concept of the world of collegiate sport and how it works. As it’s not elaborated on here I sometimes didn’t really understand what was going on. Sport scholarships aren’t really a ‘thing’ here. There’s also no discussion about what Exy actually is, leaving this very open to the reader to interpret. Again this left me quite confused at times as the characters start kitting themselves out in protective gear and fling sticks around. 

I suppose the best thing about the story is the complex relationship between all the different characters. They bounce off each other well, like a massive dysfunctional family, and all have a distinct voice. Andrew in particular is incredibly interesting and complicated to understand. His apathy for the sport he’s so good at and his intense relationship with Kevin is troubling and intriguing. Hs time with Neil is especially heated and full of an undercurrent of danger and tension, and I’d be interested to see where it leads. Dan is also a great character, acting as captain it’s her job to keep the group from tearing each other apart, acting as part mother hen and part dictator. Some of the others I found to be less rounded. Renee never seems to say much, and I felt was woefully underused given that she seems to take everything in and can see right through Neil. Allison and Seth are also largely underused, with Seth just coming across as a hothead most of the time. <spoiler>This makes his death by ‘overdose’ at the end largely uninspiring and underwhelming for me, as I wasn’t particularly vested in his character. We also never see Allison’s reaction to it, which would have been far more emotive than Andrew’s group, leaving the ending incomplete for me </spoiler>. 

As I say, this was a quick read and I enjoyed it for the mix of characters. But the plot would really need to ramp up for me to consider reading the next book.

Book Review: The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

I’m not entirely sure what the hell I’ve just read, but this managed to absolutely blow me away in terms of twists and turns very early on. Without giving too much away, what starts as an immigration test decends into something far more realistic, and terrifyingly possible. 

It’s an examination on a future Britain that seems at once incredibly believable and tangible. A way to test and justify fairly who can enter the country in a near-technologically advanced universe. It’s fast paced, morally ambiguous with a lead character in Idir who’s amiable, polite and family orientated. I can’t quite believe what Neuvel has managed to get down in just over 100 pages, but it really managed to make me re-examine my own beliefs and the Subconscious acts of discrimination that I wasn’t aware of. There’s a tight evaluation on human psychology, social prejudice, even sexual discrimination all brilliantly shown via Idir’s thinking process. The feelings of intense stress, pressure and anxiety that Idir goes through are really well done, and PTSD is described in a sensitive yet deeply emotive and powerful way. It’s incredibly thought provoking, and raises a lot of issues relevant to the current climate around what it is to be British, and who ‘deserves’ to live here. 

If anything, I wanted more engagement from Deep etc as I felt his character was largely underused and underdeveloped, but this doesn’t detract from what is otherwise a really good novella. One to read in one sitting and ponder for days later.

Book Review: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

I get where this novella was going - it’s a short but sharp examination of xenophobia and it’s ridiculously nonsensical commentaries from those who insist Britain must remain ‘British’. We follow family unit of mum, Iron Age obsessed dad and Sylvie as they join a group of university students on an ‘experimental anthropology’ expedition that sees them reenacting life in the Iron Ages on the Northumberland moors. Except this is more than just an experiment for Sylvie’s dad, who believes that this is how Britain should be, at its best. 

I just couldn’t engage at all with the writing style. It’s almost stream of conscious-like, and at times I had to reread sentences multiple times to understand what was going and who said what. It disrupted the flow of the story significantly for me, and I struggled a lot trying to connect with what was going on. I really think this would have benefitted from reading it all in one go, as there was never really a good point at which the story comes to a natural lull before the end and perhaps I might have gained more insight reading it this way. 

I liked Sylvie, and I felt sympathy for her situation as she comes across as desperately sad and scared, without anyway out of her situation because of a man who likes to hold all the power without any opposition (her father). At time’s we see her fight this, giving backhanded comments to get a rise from her father when surrounded by the university students, but it’s always comes with a later punishment. Her father comes across as extremely bitter, misogynistic and xenophobic. He clearly sees himself as a proper ‘man’s man’ who believes that women should stay in the kitchen while men go hunting, and Britain has been in decline since the introduction of other nationalities. He’s very black and white, and I think this lack of any subtle depth really didn’t help me warm to the story. 

A different read for me, that carries an interesting message, but the writing style was very off putting.

Book Review: The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

I have so much to say about this book that I’ve been holding back reviewing it until I had time to fully invest myself in my thoughts. I know it’s only March, but I think this is my favourite read of 2019 and it’ll be pretty tough to beat. 

In the third book of the Winternight Trilogy we follow Vasya immediately on from the conclusion to [book:The Girl in the Tower|34050917]. There’s no time to catch your breath, no month long interval, it’s straight into the heart of the action and issues surrounding Vasya and her family. There are riots and pitchforks, fires, and accusations of witchcraft and sorcery. And leading the rabble is a certain priest with a silvery tongue, guided by an ancient enemy now released from his prison. Arden has such a way with words I fell immediately back into this world, experiencing everything alongside Vasya and Solovey. The confusion, the chaos, the sights and smells of Moscow just jump from the page and I felt their anxiety and fear right there with them. When you’re crying before you’ve even reached 10% in a book, you know it’s touched you deeply. 

When this writing craftmenship is interwoven so perfectly with magical folklore and real, known, history it combines to make a truly exceptional read. I loved the introduction of the mysterious territory known as ‘Midnight’ and the field of horses. Getting to see some of Solovey’s, and later Vasya’s, mysterious past was bittersweet and touching too, and just added to Vasya’s strength of character. The descriptions of seasons past, as we walk this journey, is wonderfully descriptive and fully immersive again. The plot is always driven and forceful, and the pace continues throughout with multiple twist and battles. 

Vasya has also come so far as a character, and it was an absolute pleasure to see her develop further here. She’s constantly trying to learn who, or what, she is, while trying not to give in to the free spirit inside her that tells her to flee into winter. She’s willing to sacrifice everything, including her supposedly immortal soul, for her family, and I loved her for that. Her ability to admit her failings, while still yearning to be what she’s expected to be makes her vulnerable yet deeply endearing. She’s a complex woman with strong convictions and a moral backbone that is decidedly unique and wonderful to read. 

The priest Konstantin is another deliciously complicated character. His mixture of pure hatred and lust for Vasya has not quelled, fuelled by his relationship with a spirit who takes pleasure from suffering and internal torment. He’s a deeply troubled man with a gift for creating beautiful things, and although he hates Vasya he hates himself more. There’s a strange mix of pity and anger that I felt when reading about Konstantin. At some of the truly terrible things he does, I hated him like no other, yet Arden has this ability to make me feel sorry for him. It’s close to how Vasya feels towards him too, and to see both of their internal struggles towards the other is quite electrifying. 

I couldn’t write this review without touching on Vasya and Morozko’s relationship. At once deeply complicated, and now, rather fractured, we see each of them learn from one another, and what they are to each other. It’s touching and beautiful, sweet and passionate all at once, but never overpowers or is as important to the storyline as Vasya herself is. She never needs Morozko to fulfill her destiny, but rather must discover it for herself and rescue him. It’s a reversal of the stereotypical ‘girl in the tower’ (which makes it even more ironic given the title of the previous book in the series). I love Morozko. His icyness, aloofness, quite literally melts when Vasya gets through his defences. 

<spoiler>Solovey. How can I write about what happens to Solovey? Heartbreaking. And it’s never swept under the carpet or used simply as a plot device. The grief is always there, always apparent when Vasya looks at other horses. The guilt and ache she feels when riding the ‘fire bird’ feels so real, and respectful to Solovey’s memory, that I felt deeply touched by it. I haven’t sobbed over a book in a while, but this managed to grab hold of me very tightly and feel that grief personally. </spoiler>

A really wonderful, magic story full of folklore and history, love and friendship. A must read.

Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor really is completely fine, and I think herein lies the problem.

This is an interesting enough story. We see Eleanor struggling to get by in life following an incredibly traumatic childhood. She’s socially awkward, odd and standoffish. She has no friends, no family except the omnipotent ‘Mummy’, and tends to live on the fringes of society. Then she meets Raymond, a new coworker, and they bond over helping an elderly chap recover from a broken hip. We see Eleanor learn that it’s ok not to be ok, what is it to feel affection from and for others, and she slowly grows into herself.

However, I just couldn’t warm enough to Eleanor. I found her incredibly irritating and unrealistic. She’s overly critical of pretty much everyone, while seeming to stumble through life in a dead end job that requires minimum mental stimulation. She does herself no favours by being cold towards everyone she meets. Her manner of speaking throughout the novel was over the top, and often at first detracted from the story. She also goes from feigning ignorance over various cultural references (ie SpongeBob Squarepants, Deal or No Deal), to comparing someone to the Unabomber - which didn’t feel realistic. Over time, as we learn her backstory (the blunt way she explains her time with Declan did make me feel for her) I began to warm to her personality, and sometimes she does have some funny moments, but mostly it was too little too late.

One redeeming quality was her blossoming friendship with Raymond. From abject disgust over his smoking and eating habits, this feeling changes overtime to reflect a little bit of a kindred spirit in such an incredibly warm hearted individual. His feelings of horror on learning how Eleanor has been treated by everyone just demonstrated what a lovely, gentle soul he is. To grow up in a loving environment and have a mother who so obviously adores him, it’s interesting to reflect if this is how Eleanor could have been if she were ‘normal’.

I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy this - I did, but I’m not enamoured the way others seem to have been. The plot is relatively sedate, and to be honest this feels distinctly more like a character piece rather than story driven. And when you’re not keen on the protagonist that’s always going to be a problem for me. I just can’t get into a book when I don’t enjoy the main character. I’ve read a couple of novels along similar lines lately (Convenience Store Woman and The Kiss Quotient) and I think in both cases, those protagonists were more interesting and better developed than Eleanor. I think that perhaps this novel suffered because of my recent enjoyment of those books, because it became too easy to compare them.

So yes, Eleanor, you really are completely fine.

Book Review: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

What a weird little book.

Convenience Store Woman follows Keiko, a 36 year old Japanese woman who seems to have slipped the social ‘norms’ by working as a part time convenience store clerk for the past 18 years. She has no husband, no desire to change her job, and is shunned by a society who deem her behaviour odd, and at worst, disturbing. She speaks at times as though she’s embodying the convenience store, as though it speaks through her, and often describes herself as only truely feeling like a human being when she was ‘reborn’ a shop worker. Within the shop she feels a certain level of order and security that cannot be found outside. Here she has a manual and rules to follow that make her a valuable team member.

Keiko speaks without any real emotion, as though it’s beyond her capacity to feel empathy or comprehend how to function within the wider society outside of the convenience store. We see her emulate the dress sense of her fellow coworkers, as well as adopting their way of talking in order to ‘fit in’ and seem less of an outsider. This makes it difficult to connect with her, as she often just feels confused when confronted with difficult or awkward situations rather than having any kind of emotional response. Sometimes I felt she was like a giant void of darkness, sucking all the humanity out of herself to the point where any kind of ‘normal’ response from the people around her (such as her sister crying in front of her) begins to seem almost alien to the reader - just like it would to Keiko.

The introduction of Shiraha only furthers this disconnection from the reader, as we see Keiko struggle to understand what exactly their relationship is, and what exactly they can gain from each other. I did feel pity at one point that she couldn’t see that Shiraha was taking advantage, but I felt he wasn’t particularly well developed in the short amount of time devoted to him in the novel to really care. He just came across as mean, and insane.

A weird book that at times almost feels like a love affair to the oddballs of the world, and in particular one woman’s love for a convenience store that becomes the centre of her world.

Book Review: The Wicked King by Holly Black

When I read The Cruel Prince in 2017 I was blown away by the magical world of Fae and political scheming. But that was nothing compared to The Wicked King. Nothing. 

This kicks up everything that was divulged at the end of the previous novel and twists it. Constantly plotting, scheming and internal fighting have left Jude a shadow of her former self. She’s poisoning herself everyday to build up a resistance, but it feels as though the palace itself is doing more damage than the Faerie fruit. As Madoc said, it’s harder to keep power than to obtain it, and Jude is constantly learning that to play with the big leagues is pretty hard to pull off. Especially when you’re mortal.

The chemistry between Cardan and Jude is perfect, and hits the right note between disgust, hatred and desire. When Jude at one point whispers ‘I hate you’, to see the smoulder in Cardan’s eyes. God. I don’t think I’ve met a pairing so equally matched in wits and glorious, unadulterated, sexual tension. This is what I want from my book romances. It’s no romance at all, but feels like it’s destiny. They’re two sides of the same coin, yet also so desperately different. Jude, mortal, vulnerable and yearning for power over a people who destroyed her family. Cardan, deliciously cruel to please others, yet seeking a love he’s wanted all his life. Their sparring of words is glorious. 

The extension of Bomb and Roach’s past together was nice to see and I loved the little snippets of Jude and Bomb together, acting for all the world like normal teenage friends. I like the Bomb, she has an integrity about her that’s rare in these Fae, and has the potential to be a true ally, and friend. Taryn I still dislike, as well as Locke. They seem well suited in their ability to appear friendly while ultimately still playing the game themselves. In fact, all of the supporting characters all well fleshed out and full of life to help build this constant level of tension and pressure around Jude and Cardan. 

The plot is full of twists and surprises that I didn’t see coming, and continued to be fast paced and interesting right up until that deplorable ending. There are plenty of plots and schemes interweaving together in such a clever way that you don’t see what’s coming until the chosen moment when everything comes to a head. Honestly, I’ve not enjoyed a book like this in such a long time, and I cannot wait to see how it will all end. Is it 2020 yet?!

Book Review: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

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

3.5 stars. 

I’m surprised by how much I ended up enjoying what is essentially a gender reversed ‘Pretty Woman’ with an autistic female protagonist. I’m not a romance fan. And I’m certainly not a contemporary romance fan. So I went into this with a lot of trepidation but an open mind following some very favourable reviews. And for the most part it was really fun. 

Stella is the main driving force behind why I enjoyed this so much. She comes across as such a genuine individual who’s perhaps not your stereotypical romance character. She’s flawed, seen as a bit ‘odd’, with an obsession for statistics and maths. She struggles with social interactions and hates large social gatherings. Yet she’s also quirky, kind and giving. She’s described as ‘pretty’ by Michael, but more because that’s his type rather than because she’s stunningly beautiful. It’s his growing affection for Stella that drives his lust, rather than it merely being about looks. Their relationship feels open and honest, and very real. Nothing feels forced (rather the opposite, as Michael is very determined to endure Stella never feels pressurised) and is always respectful. Both of them feel so inadequate compared to the other, and I found this incredibly endearing. 

The sex scenes are also really full on, but never felt cringy or smutty (I’m looking at you Maas). Granted, this isn’t something I’d want read aloud to my mother, and reading it while sat in Costa Coffee with my 5 month old baby was an experience (I’m a total book prude, who knew?!). But, it felt necessary to the story. There’s clear boundaries with Stella, and lines that cannot be crossed at first, so it was kind of sexy to see Michael work around them in order to show her what love and sex should be rather than what she’s been subjected to in the past. I wouldn’t say it’s a slow burner by any means, but the romance is there, and it was believable. This was also helped by the plethora of supporting characters from Michael’s family, as they added a degree of warmth and understanding to his character and his personal insecurities that without would have made him feel very unattainable and unrealistic. 

The writing isn’t amazing. Some plot lines seemed a little too convenient or far fetched (ie everything involving Phillip and Aliza) and the ending was a little too contrived for my tastes but I think that’s my main issues with romance novels anyway. There’s not enough ‘grit’ for my personal preferences. But as far as romance novels go, this is the first I’ve really enjoyed for a long time.

Book Review: Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures by Stephen Fry

When I was a child my favourite movie was Clash of the Titans - the 1981 film with Maggie Smith as Athena and Laurence Olivier as Zeus. Medusa was, and is, the scariest monster I have ever seen on TV and I regularly had to leave my light on when I went to sleep because I thought she was going to come and slither up the stairs and turn me to stone.

Anyway, from a young age I’ve had a healthy obsession with Greek Mythology and I’ve read many, many books on the subject. My favourite story still to this day has always been Perseus and his hunt for Medusa, so I was overjoyed to see that Fry was continuing his jaunt into the Greek myths after Mythos with an account of the golden age of the Heroes. They’re all here - the labours of Heracles, Theseus and the Minotaur and Oedipus among others (including my beloved Perseus), and they’re retold in the easy accessible way Fry has with words. I’ve read these stories so many times, but Fry genuinely manages to make them less convoluted and confusing (which is so easy to do with these tales when there is no single original source and the family trees are a little large and rather incestuous), while still managing to entertain and make me laugh.

None of the richness to the stories is lost, and you can tell that Fry has a genuine passion and knowledge of the subject (the footnotes alone denote a higher level of understanding than most), while giving sources to further reading if one wishes. The conversational tone really lends itself well to these stories, and you can almost image Fry standing in front of you (or sat round a hearth) reciting them. Its been wonderful to dip back into this vast history and I sincerely hope that Fry continues to cover the rise and fall of Troy in another edition to the series (it’s hinted at) to complete this ‘set’ of Greek myths and tales.

Book Review: Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch

A great follow up to The Hanging Tree, Lies Sleeping continues to follow Peter Grant and his search to hunt down and thwart the plans of The Faceless Man and his apprentice while getting himself mixed up in the demi-monde world, which this time involves bells, along the way. 

As I said when reviewing The Hanging Tree, I’ve found these novels to get better and better as they progress as the world is now so well established, and the characters are all charismatic and varied. In particular, this wouldn’t work if Peter himself wasn’t so damn likeable. He’s flawed - always trying to be the ‘do gooder’, likes the sound of his own voice, far too inquisitive to the point of verging on annoying...yet he’s down to earth, the every man of the Folly to counterbalance the extremes that are Nightingale and his associates. It helps that I’m also extremely fond of Beverley too. Goddess, girlfriend, and maybe more? I love all the Rivers, although we seem to see Tyburn and Bev the most, and the introduction of Walbrook here added another layer to their mythology. 

The world building and mythology is convoluted, and the writing style at times can get overly bogged down in descriptions and facts about London/buildings/literally anything. But I’ve come to expect this now of Aaronovitch, and there’s a certain charm in it that I find quite endearing. Yes, it can get complicated trying to decipher who or what various members of the demi-monde are, and what magic is, but we’re seven books in now and I feel like I have a good outline of this world and the creatures who inhabit it. We’re learning along with Peter, and it’s a fun ride. 

This expanded on the plot from The Hanging Tree well, delving deeper into the ultimate plan of The Faceless Man. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of his world and his weird cat creatures and pale ladies and how/why they’re working for him - but this small mystery that remains only adds to his air of menace.

I really hope there isn’t a long wait before the next installment, because the fast pace of this coupled with an exciting ending has just left me wanting more.

Book Review: Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

Catwoman explores the origins of Selina Kyle: assassin, master jewel thief, sister. We see her rise from the poverty stricken streets of Gotham as she fights for her sister’s wellbeing, before being reborn as a Wraith - the ultimate weapon to bring down the city that dismissed her in her time of need.

I liked the story, and I enjoyed the fresh approach to Selina’s story. She’s portrayed as an ultimately vulnerable young woman who’s just trying to find her place in the world and I could often see these undercurrents of sadness as she fights her way across Gotham. I like that she’s multifaceted, which is how Catwoman should be. She’s not a hero, and doesn’t pretend to be one, but she’s also not a villain. Everything she does is for a greater purpose, even if her means of getting there may be portrayed as slightly dubious.

However, it’s her relationship with Ivy and Harley that was a real highlight for me. The three of them are presented as flawed, damaged beyond compare, yet they still manage to form this incredibly strong bond that’s also highly complicated - due in no small part to Harley’s inexplicable bond to the Joker. The three are sometimes a mirror image of each other too, and I think that’s why their relationship is so powerful. Each has a deeply troubled past, lacking in love and respect, and they find this in each other. I would have loved to see more interaction between them and have this relationship explored on a deeper level.

Selina’s relationship with Batwing I found more lacklustre. There’s no real development in their relationship in my opinion, and it just comes across as a little forced. Batwing himself is a decent character with enough backstory to carry a story of his own, but here he really just feels like a stand in to the stars of the show and it comes across as very one dimensional. I do think it’s harder to make the heroes more interesting. There’s less scope to give them complicated moral dilemmas to overcome, and unfortunately Batwing does suffer because of this.

I also found the plot a little lacking. The reveals are a little obvious, told without that art of subtlety I’ve come to expect in Maas. It feels very clunky at times, and the pacing is a bit all over the place - going from fight scene to pages of monologue with no in between.

I think I’m not a big enough fan of the genre to continue the rest of this series, but I’m glad I took the time to read this one. Catwoman is by far one of the most entertaining characters in the DC universe.

 - 3 stars

Book Review: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

It's my birthday today, so I'm reviewing one of my favourite books of last year.

Laini Taylor writes the most beautiful prose, and can spin the most magical stories. Her characters are complex, complicated and flawed. Muse of Nightmares is no exception. This follows directly on from Strange the Dreamer, with no time in between. We’re taken straight into the story, and almost hit the ground running as we see Lazlo and Minya face off for the first time. It’s Minya who’s the star here, especially during the first half of the book. She’s bitter and spiteful, using Lazlo’s love for Sarai for her own agenda. The subtleties she has over her power, the ability to hold and wield the souls of the dead, and the way these are exposed to her ‘family’ are wonderful to read. She’s an individual starved of love who’s witnessed an event no one, but especially a child, should ever witness and it’s changed her irrevocably. She’s an utterly unique and wonderful character to read. Her unpredictability combined with this immense sense of responsibility just makes for such an interesting girl. She’s vicious and unrelenting, yet fiercely loyal.

Muse of Nightmares also sees the expansion of the backstory we are first introduced to in Strange the Dreamer. We see Skathis and the other Gods before the beginning of their reign of terror over Weep, and we finally discover the horrifying reason for the Godspawn. The two stories interweave with a degree of subtlety that develops into a wonderful conclusion, and the introduction of new character’s Nova and Kora fit well into the already developed tale. I was particularly taken with the strong bond between Nova and Kora, and their persistent and ever present belief in each other. They’re another example of the irreparable damage Skathis has caused for his own greedy gain, but also of how strong the bond of love can be and the perseverance of both.

Towards the end of the novel we’re given a little hint of the wider universes and how they link to Laini’s previous novels, which was cleverly done (and made me do a little inward squeal). I really hope that the world’s we’ve been exposed to can be further developed as the conclusion to this story was left open ended enough to do that. I’d love to see Karou interact with these characters who have also been perceived as vile and unnatural, much like the persecuted chimaera of The Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

I really don’t think my review could ever do this novel enough justice. I just love Laini Taylor’s ability to take characters you wouldn’t expect to find as the ‘heroes’ and flip the idea on its head. The Gods are the antagonists, yet their reviled children are the innocents. It’s just such a unique concept, and I love it and will probably continue to love everything she writes.

 - 5 stars

Book Review: The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge

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

What a wonderfully creepy little book, perfect for this time of year. The Twisted Tree tells the story of Martha, a girl who can feel people’s memories when she touches their clothing, as she returns to Norway after growing concerned for her grandmother’s safety. What follows is a story steeped in Norse mythology, tentative friendships and one incredibly scary monster lurking in the woods.

Martha is a great character. Her ability to see people’s secrets just by touching others clothes is such a unique concept, and one that has come with a price. She’s blind in one eye, scarred for life following an incident at the twisted tree in her grandmother’s back garden. And this incident has perhaps scarred Martha more than she initially lets on. She’s guarded, closed off from her parents and the one friend she has back in London, and unwilling to interact with people. She also sees herself as hideous, a monster, who no one could ever love - let alone like. It’s this vulnerability that really drew me to Martha, and made me really feel for her.

Stig is also an interesting character. From his sudden appearance and very shady, secretive background, to his hidden feelings of jealousy and self hatred - he mirrors a lot of Martha’s personality while also being a different kind of closed off. When the two characters are together, they perfectly mirror each other’s growing confusion and anxiousness to create a wonderfully creepy atmosphere. They bounce off each other on such a level that their tentative friendship feels comfortable and develops perfectly over time. Their feelings for each other are subtle, and enhance the story rather than overpowering it. They both need each other for different reasons.

It’s the atmospheric feel of the book that really gives this an edge, that builds into a frenzied crescendo right until the end. Most of the book is played out within Martha’s grandma’s cabin, and the feelings of claustrophobia and anxiety roll off the pages as we find both Stig and Martha struggling to cope with what lies in wait for them outside, and in. The vast emptiness of outside crowding in, almost as if the environment and the twisted tree are a living being, coupled with the fleeting hints of terror from ghosts, whispers on the winds, and one very tense excursion into the woods all made me feel incredibly creeped out. I loved it.

The only reason for not giving this 5 stars? I felt there was a lot of unfinished business with Stig. At the end of the novel I had more questions than answers with regards to his past and personality and I felt more could have been done to tie up these loose ends.

This is an impressive debut, that’s perfectly suited to those that enjoy the creepy and atmospheric mingled with a unique magical concept steeped in mythology. I couldn’t put it down, and I eagerly await what the author has next to offer. Highly recommend.

 - 4 stars

Book Review: To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

I’m a slave for fads and those ‘most talked about’ lists, so obviously I had to read this. Especially as I watched the Netflix movie first (granted I haven’t watched all of it yet) and I admit it was cute. I’m not normally a fan of anything contemporary, especially YA, but this I enjoyed.

I think I liked the overall feel the most. It’s like a toasty ham and cheese sandwich. It’s comforting, friendly, with no nasty after tastes. Everything is kept sweet and innocent with lots of lovely family moments, and I enjoyed experiencing them all with Lara Jean. Yes, at times her personality was a little grating. She’s ‘too’ nice sometimes, and comes across as a pushover but then I see a lot of myself at her age reflected in her character. She’s an introvert who loves to read. I’m sure a lot of people on Goodreads can relate to that. I also liked that this isn’t so much a typical YA contemporary. The story feels like it’s as much about Lara Jeans family as it is about friends, and these important boys, in her life.

The romance elements, although obvious, are also well thought out and develop reasonably well over the course of the book. You can see the relationships grow over the course of the story and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I grew to enjoy Peter in particular. He’s charismatic and likeable. The ying to Lara Jean’s yang.

At times I did find the plot a little meandering, with a slow pace. Not much happens between Lara Jean, Peter and Josh for a long time and although I can appreciate that this was to build up various relationships, I would have liked a bit of drama or excitement along the way. Because of this, it took me longer than normal to read as I found I couldn’t invest myself in the story. I’m glad I stuck it out though, as the last third of the story really comes into its own to a rather satisfying (although very much a cliffhanger) conclusion.

It was cute, and I didn’t hate it, which is always a bonus. However, I don’t think I’ll be reading the other books in the series.

 - 3 stars

Book Review: The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee

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

The Towering Sky is the third and final instalment of futuristic teen series ‘The Thousandth Floor’. Following in the same vein as the previous books, we see our privileged and beautiful narrators as they navigate the fall out of various secrets finally coming to light, mixed in with a little teen angst and drama.

This instalment is really all about Avery and her relationship with adopted brother Atlas, as well as being the ‘darling’ of the New York scene and the travails this incurs. I like Avery. She’s described as a genetically designed perfect individual, but she never sees herself as this. In fact, she’s deeply insecure, constantly comparing herself to her friends while remaining deeply loyal to the end. She comes across as a genuinely good character, who exudes a warmth while remaining charismatic and interesting. This can be hard to do in novels like this, where most characters appear vapid with little substance to them. Avery is more complex than this, and I would say she’s well developed.

Leda is another well developed character, troubled by her unpredictable nature and struggling with her past actions. It was nice to see her interactions with Avery and Watt, although I did find the conclusion to her storyline a little too ‘neat’. I would have liked to have seen her interact with the other narrators a bit more too. Especially Rylin, who she shares a lot in common with.

The weakest character was Calliope. I found her storyline unnecessary, and she comes across as more of an enigma. We don’t know much about her history, and I found myself not really caring. Her story also isn’t linked in anyway to the main plot, and aside from a brief interaction with Avery she doesn’t communicate with any of the other characters - making her a little redundant. I could have done without her to be honest, and felt that as a whole her character had an air of ‘missed opportunity’ about it. She could have been very handy to have around as Avery’s world decends into chaos. I also found Rylin a bit of an accessory, and her storyline was rather bland and predictable.

I found this very similar in tone to the other novels in the series. It’s a total guilty pleasure that is very easy to read, and flows reasonably well. It’s nevr going to win literary awards for the writing style. It’s simplistic, and very ‘young’ in tone - but this suits the overall feel of the novel. I will say that I was disappointed in certain plot points that petered out and didn’t conclude to my satisfaction - such as the murder mystery element that started well, and then was sort of forgotten about only to be hurriedly concluded. I also found certain reveals of secrets that have been built up over the course of the three novels to fall rather flat, which was disappointing. I wanted to see more the fallout, rather than the rushed ending that I got. I wanted more of the trauma, and less of the fairy tale.

That said, this was entertaining and a rather enjoyable light read after some heavy nonfiction. Would recommend.

 - 3 stars

Book Review: The Storm Keeper's Island by Catherine Doyle

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

What a wonderful story. The Storm Keeper’s Island follows Fionn, sent to the island of Arranmore with his sister Tara when his mother becomes too ill to care for him, into the care of his grandfather. Fionn’s grandfather is the Storm Keeper of Arranmore. The maker of storms and wielder of elemental magic that protects against the darkness of ancient sorcery. With Fionn’s arrival, this darkness starts to awaken, leading Fionn to face his fears and protect the people he loves the most.

The characters are so full of life and vigour, and really help to propel the story forward by making you care about them. Fionn and Tara have a typical sibling relationship full of bickering and fighting that’s only heightened by Tara’s teenage love for Fionn’s island enemy Bartley. It’s obvious they love each other however, and the sibling bond comes into full effect as the story progresses. I would have liked to have seen more of Tara. She’s quite the enigmatic teenager who spends most of her time either in her room or roaming the island with Bartley, and I felt she had a lot of potential that wasn’t fully explored as she comes across as quite a resilient and tough character.

It was the relationship between Fionn and his grandfather that really stood out for me. It’s a relationship full of joy and a love for each other that’s also tinged with sadness and sentimentality as it develops. It’s a passing of knowledge and stories about the island and their family from a master to the apprentice, told with a sprinkling of magic and mystery. Add to this Fionn’s desperate longing to hear stories about his father, a man who died a hero before he was born, and you get a real sense of love between these characters. Fionn’s desire to see his father Cormac is built upon to create a wonderful bittersweet moment that is both subtle and elegantly done to such an extent that it took me by surprise, yet was also so obviously meant to happen. The writing really is outstanding.

The secondary characters we meet throughout the story help support and encourage a feeling of community spirit amongst the islanders. You get the feeling that everyone of the island has a strong familial connection to the area, and will do anything to protect it and their ancient traditions. Any outsider would have a hard time integrating into the island life without a host of eyes casting suspicious glances.

The island itself could also be said to be a character in its own right. Descriptions are vivid, and really big to mind a feral and wild environment that’s filled with hidden beauty. It has a personality all of its own that welcomes and calls to Fionn and his desire to be free from his familial responsibilities. The descriptions of the weather also add to this overall atmospheric feel, and allow the reader to become deeply involved in the island. I was desperate to smell the sea air, and feel the gusty wind on my back as I stood at the port with Fionn. It’s also so distinctly and passionately Irish, and I love that.

The plot is full of mystery and magic. It’s well paced and the world building is well explored and explained properly. It’s simple, to the point, yet also compelling and believable while retaining a uniqueness about it. The writing carries you through the story as if told by an old friend or relative, with a hint of folktale about it. You could almost imagine it being told over a fire like tales of the past. My only niggle was the ending. There’s a certain degree of unfinished business that sets the story up for a follow up, however I can forgive this given the wonderful story.

I’m excited for the next novel, and would honestly encourage anyone who loves a story steeped in magic and familial love to read this.

 - 5 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

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