review

Outlander: Book One Review

~ fionareads ~ 1 Comment

Gabaldon_outlanderThe year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord… 1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

“Oh, aye, Sassenach. I am your master . . . and you’re mine. Seems I canna possess your soul without losing my own.”

Outlander is a beautifully complex and mesmerizing story with multi-layered characters, authentic settings and dramatic, unexpected and all-encompassing storylines. It’s the kind of book that you will live through alongside the main characters – you will feel Claire’s bewilderment and fear, her gutsy determination, her love and heartbreak and you will feel as though you are standing alongside her in every aspect of her life. The historical context is so accurate it is amazing!

For a while now, people kept recommending Outlander to me, but I avoided the books because, for one, the sheer size of the series daunted me, and two, I was put off by the time travel aspect (ironic, since I love Doctor Who!) But, I often find that time-travel literature can be cheesy and too unrealistic to be believable.

However, now I have finally read Outlander, I can confidently say that it is the most original historical romance I have ever, ever read. It was way more involved that the typical man meets woman trope, and it was so historically accurate and vivid I felt myself completely submerged in the world of the Scottish Highlands, 1743, for the whole two weeks I was reading it.

Claire is a World War II combat nurse who accidentally wanders through an ancient stone circle in Inverness whilst on a post-war honeymoon with her husband, Frank, in 1945. She suddenly finds herself in the 18th Century. Even in this, she is brilliant – sarky, intelligent, with a quick wit and a quick tongue to match. She’s compassionate, competent, a kick-ass nurse and an independent woman who doesn’t let the abrupt, seemingly-impossible change to her timeline phase her. She’s a refreshing change from the princess-type heroines of a lot of historical fiction.

Jamie Fraser, the Scottish Clansman who slowly becomes the love of her life, is at times sweet and heart-stoppingly romantic, and others an extremely dangerous and passionate warrior. He is one of the most charismatic and appealing male leads I’ve read in a long, long time. And every time he calls Claire a Sassenach… God. I go weak at the knees! Understandably, however, readers are completely divided over Jamie because, although he is gorgeous and lovable for the majority of the novel, there is one extremely disturbing scene that enrages any 21st-Century reader, including myself. As upsetting as the scene was (I won’t mention it due to spoilers, but it deals with domestic abuse) it was very accurate to the times and the way that a man would have treated his wife in that period. Although it doesn’t excuse it, I was able to forgive and get past it and still fall in love with Jamie, just as Claire does, as I could view it within its historical context. There are quite a few sexually abusive scenes in the novel, which, although they do not subtract from the overall enjoyment of the story, they are quite hard to get through.

Regardless of this, what is so brilliant about Gabaldon’s characters and the world she has created is that they are delightfully multi-dimensional, and extremely complex, just as real people and real life can be. Claire somehow finds the courage to made difficult choices in a period of history when choices were often non-existent for women. She is stubborn and determined almost to a fault, and she has a passion and unending support for Jamie that matches his own for her perfectly. Jamie, on the outside, is tough and warrior-like, while on the inside, he is kind and sensitive, with excellent intuition and a backstory full of pain and suffering. He is also intelligent, self-depreciating and almost poetic in the things he says to Claire.

“When I asked my da how ye knew which was the right woman, he told me when the time came, I’d have no doubt. And I didn’t. When I woke in the dark under that tree on the road to Leoch, with you sitting on my chest, cursing me for bleeding to death, I said to myself, ‘Jamie Fraser, for all ye canna see what she looks like, and for all she weighs as much as a good draft horse, this is the woman'”

Their romance is probably my favourite part of the novel – there is true honesty between them, which brings an openness and vulnerability to both of the characters which is such a beautiful addition to the story. I love the way that the author creates a strong friendship between them before they become lovers, and then lets this friendship continue to grow deeper even after they are married. The intimacy level of these two characters is perfectly depicted, and the best that I have read in a novel for a long time, and not just because of the sex.

Outlander was so meticulously researched and Gabaldon manages to weave all the historical accuracies into the plot without destroying the authenticity of the emotional journey. At its heart, Outlander is a historical novel that is packed full of details of 18th Century life in the Scottish Highlands, and as well as recounting events leading up to the Jacobite rising of 1745, the character’s lives are deeply delved in to and an extraordinary picture is painted that truly transports you to another time and place.

There is adventure, history, fantasy, romance, violence and drama. Outlander is a book that literally sucks you into its pages. It is a fully immersive experience that is so engrossing, you find it almost impossible to put it down.

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Book Review – The Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

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Image result for flame in the mistThe only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.

So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.

The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

“I’ve never been angry to have been born a woman. There have been times I’ve been angry at how the world treats us, but I see being a woman as a challenge I must fight. Like being born under a stormy sky. Some people are lucky enough to be born on a bright summer’s day. Maybe we were born under clouds. No wind. No rain. Just a mountain of clouds we must climb each morning so that we may see the sun.”

I knew I would love this book from the moment I first heard about it, and I was lucky enough, back in February, to get my hands on a proof copy. It was pitched as a mix between Mulan and 47 Ronin, with a bit of Robin Hood thrown in. However, this particular story takes place in feudal Japan and focuses on samurai warriors and the seven principles of Bushido or the Way of the Warrior. Now that it is out in hard copy (yay!) I have read it once more, and can finally put my thoughts into a coherent review…

Flame in the Mist is told through two alternating perspectives: our kickass, sassy main character Mariko and her twin brother Kenshin. The story begins as Hattori Mariko is on her way to meet her betrothed for the first time – the emperor’s son. Along the way, her and her entourage are forced to travel through the dark forest or risk being late to the palace. But, the dark forest is a dangerous, deadly place, frequented by the Black Clan. Mariko’s cart is consequently attacked during the middle of the night, and she barely escapes with her life after convincingly playing dead, whilst the murderers search the rubble. What then ensues is a battle of self-preservation and survival as Mariko must make her way through the woods nearly naked, alone, and a woman. She is stalked and attacked by a homeless vagabond and she has to fight for her life, culminating in her chopping off her hair (true Mulan style) and donning the disguise of a young man who has run away from home.

She then goes on to track down her attackers in the hope of discovering why her convoy was targeted. Things, however, do not go as planned, and she soon finds herself deep within the ranks of the Black Clan, a Robin Hood/Lost Boys-esque group of warrior rebels, and her supposed killers. She must keep her true identity hidden if she ever wants to survive whilst also gaining their trust and learning their ways. Meanwhile, Mariko’s brother and brutal samurai soldier, Kenshin, is out on a mission to prove that his sister is still alive, tracking her, and getting into all sorts of fights along the way, and find the criminals responsible for attacking her.

There were some brilliant, unexpected plot-twists and action scenes in this book. The plot is intricately woven with mystery and intrigue, from the world-building to the mystical, rain drenched woodland setting, you find yourself completely submerged amongst its many folds. Ahdieh’s writing style is just beautiful. The passages of description were lyrical, whimsical, and stunningly detailed. This is the first book I have ever read that is set in feudal Japan, so I can’t speak for how historically/regionally accurate it was, but it had me believing in every essence of the world from the very start. I could almost smell the scent of oak and cherry blossoms and rainwater that Mariko lived and smelt every single day. And just as we experienced in the Wrath and the Dawn duology, the author manages to successfully and authentically include Japanese terms that only added to the tangibility of the story. (There was also a glossary in the back for times of confusion, but I soon found myself understanding the terms in context to the events.)

Mariko’s character development is probably my favourite aspect of the novel. She is often called ‘odd’ or ‘curious’, both of which she originally has an adverse and negative reaction to. She later comes to realise that these labels only make her who she is. She is sarcastic, witty, completely bad-ass and brave and she totally, wholly owns herself and her idiosyncrasies. Her confidence grows within the Black Clan, far more than it ever would have done if she had remained simply a daughter and wife, as society had mapped her future to be. She is a creator, an inventor, and a warrior, and she develops this within the Black Clan, making weapons and learning to fight. Even as she pretends to be a boy, she still remains completely feminine in the sense that she is always struggling with an internal crisis of identity – pondering the strength of being a woman and a woman’s place in the male-dominated world of feudal Japan.

The romance in the novel is also excellent. It is slow-burning, as mysterious as the world in which it is set, and you never quite truly know what is going to happen next or what the couple are really thinking. Can they be trusted? Does he really like her? Is this a game or is it real? You are never really sure, as is often the case with the ‘enemies falling in love’ zeitgeist. This varied plenty from the common star-crossed lovers’ trope though, and it is beautifully, realistically and slowly done. As well as the romance, you find yourself falling in love with the Black Clan – originally meant to be enemies – they are endearing and comical and they stole my heart.

As expected, in this book Renee is responsible for some seriously incredible world building, tangible characters, another perfectly independent kick ass heroine, and a plot so intricate you find yourself completely submerged amongst its many folds.
There is fighting and flirting, a wonderfully evasive and extremely steamy romance, a heart-stopping twist, and cleverly spun lies.

In summary, I am totally lost to this beautifully brutal world of feudal Japan. Of sharp, smart Mariko and her gutsy determination, of the shadows of the forest and the mystery of Okami and the Black Clan… I need a sequel now!

Samurais, shadows, secrets and deadly revenge… what’s not to love?!

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Book Review – Strange the Dreamer

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The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around— and Lazlo Strange, war new-release-date-2orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance to lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?
The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? and if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

This book was heartbreaking and mystical and catastrophic and shattering and beautiful. It was the perfect fantasy novel. Laini Taylor’s world building is so tangible – God, I wanted Weep to be real. I wanted to walk through the halls of Lazlo’s library, and ride on horseback alongside Eril-Fane, and meet a blue-skinned goddess like Sarai. Laini Taylor’s ability to create magical, fantastical storylines is just breath taking. The world, the language, the characters… everything about this tale captivated me. The ending has broken me, in all the right ways. I need more of God-slaying Eril-Fane and assassins who are acrobats and armies of moths and a strange dreamer who reaches for his impossible dream, and grabs it with both hands…

Strange the Dreamer starts with Lazlo Strange – an orphan, a book lover, a dreamer, who has always been ostracized for being different, and has grown up constantly dreaming of the Unseen City. He is such a realistic, yet whimsical and loveable character; the perfect protagonist, and you empathise with him almost instantly. He immerses himself in his books, and lives amongst their pages, researching and learning every single thing there is to know about the Unseen City, Weep.

When Lazlo was a young boy, the name of the lost, unseen city was stolen from everyone’s minds. Not a soul could remember it’s name; the only word left in it’s place was Weep. Of course, if you dream hard enough, your wildest imaginings can come true, and the story truly sets sail once Lazlo is given the opportunity to adventure into the far reaches of every dream he has ever had, and find out the truth behind Weep and it’s inhabitants.

‘He read while he walked. He read while he ate. The other librarians suspected he somehow read while he slept, or perhaps didn’t sleep at all.’

Not only does Laini Taylor create feeling, beautiful, wholesome characters who make you feel like you are living their adventures with them, she also proves her place as the ultimate wordsmith of YA. The writing style of Strange the Dreamer seems to eclipse all her previous books: it is lyrical, tangible, poetic, almost to the point of too much. It hits that perfect sweet spot, without going overboard, and the imagery and pure imagination takes your breath away with every turn of the page. The very sentences themselves feel dreamlike and mystical – almost tricking you into believing you truly have been transported to another world.

Hidden within these pages we have never-ending libraries, mysterious journeys, hidden cities, ghosts and moths and goddesses with blue skin; mythical armies, warriors and God-slayers, star-crossed lovers and magic, nightmares, demons and salvation… In Weep, Laini has created a mystical world that leaps off the page and embeds itself into your very being. It is an addictive, descriptive, all-encompassing creation of a place that demands to be remembered, even after the book is closed. In Lazlo, Sarai, and Eril-Fane, you also meet characters with secrets, demons, dreams, and hearts filled with the capacity to love. Everything about the plot, these characters and their world is truly unique and so perfectly crafted.

The most prominent message I took from the story centers around race and how we, in a world currently ridden with racism and fear-mongering, detrimentally blame individuals of a certain skin colour for bad things that other people of that same skin colour have done; about how unaccepting the world is, as a society, of people who look different from ourselves. There is also a focus on the history of humankind and how younger generations are wrongly blamed for their ancestors mistakes. But this tale teaches us that we are not our ancestors, we are not our parents, and we should always strive to do better than the history behind us.

‘Sarai was seventeen years old, a goddess and a girl. Half her blood was human, but it counted for nothing. She was blue. She was godspawn. She was anathema. She was young. She was lovely. She was afraid.’

At it’s basest, Strange the Dreamer is also just about an orphaned underdog and a feared, blue-skinned girl who both just want the chance to be so much more. They speak to the hearts of all the dreamers, the bookworms, the misunderstood and the hard-done-by, and tell us that magic and dreams really can come true. Monsters, gods, hidden cities and armies of moths notwithstanding…

‘It was impossible, of course. But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming?’

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Book Review – Caraval by Stephanie Garber

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Whatever you’ve heard about Caraval, it doesn’t compare to the reality. It’s more than just a game or a performance. It’s the closest you’ll ever find to magic in this world . . .

Welcome, welcome to Caraval–Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.

‘Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.’

Caraval is a truly enchanting, magical and obscure story written in the most lyrical, descriptive prose. 

Although it is written in third person, the novel is entirely from Scarlett’s point of view only, and you cleverly never know anything of the other characters intentions or feelings until it is too late.

The use of description and imagery that related to colour and smells and sounds was stunningly crafted, with the novel an abundance of tangible sentences like: ‘Scarlett could still smell her father’s perfume. It smelled like the color of his gloves; anise and lavender and something akin to rotted plums.’

Caraval is, first and foremost, a game, and this is crafted not just into the story, but in to the readers imagination, as you realise that not only is the boundary between reality and illusion blurred for Scarlett, but it is for you too. You cannot know, for sure, what is real or not real. You can only guess, and wonder, and read on, as Scarlett is sucked further and further into the travelling performance of Caraval, her trust and awareness of real life facing hurdles at every turn of the page.

It is interesting that the author chose to write the story from the point of view of a character who, for most of her life, had been scared to take risks and always played it safe. However, once her sister, Tella, is suspected to be in danger, you witness Scarlett adapt into a confident, risk-taking person who will do absolutely anything to save her sister. Scarlett is an excellent, realistic protagonist and you really feel yourself going through every heartbreak and shock and knock back alongside her. She is cautious, but brave and clear headed and her strongest trait is how deeply and unashamedly she loves her sister.

‘She imagined loving him would feel like falling in love with darkness, frightening and consuming yet utterly beautiful when the stars came out.’

The romance in the book was also very cleverly planned out and really played on the idea of nothing quite being what it seems. The chemistry and sexual tension between Scarlett and Tristan was very slow-burning, in all the right ways. I loved that nothing was instant: they didn’t just fall head over heels in love. There was angst and confusion and perfect tension that matched the mystery and evocativeness of the story. In Caraval, you shouldn’t trust a soul, least of all your love interest.

If you loved The Night Circus, you will adore this. Be prepared to be enchanted; to be swept off your feet into a riddle of choices and consequences, where nothing is quite as it seems… This story will play with your mind and your heart, with twists and turns and a spellbinding cast of players to deceive you.

La La Land – The magical, musical masterpiece that is…

~ fionareads ~ Leave a comment

 

La La Land was a magical, all-encompassing love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood movies. The break-neck world of auditions and authenticity and romance and dancing. An all-dancing, all-singing, heart-stopping extravaganza; one perfectly wonderful bow to the days of sun-drenched boulevards, soaring, glistening jazz numbers and brightly coloured, twirling dresses and tap shoes.

From the moment I saw the trailer several months ago, I knew this would be a film for me. I adore musicals of any kind, but find that nothing quite beats the beauty of the old-school classics: the likes of Singin’ in the Rain, Funny Girl, Meet Me in Saint Louis and more…

This film truly captures that fondly nostalgic, sparkling spirit and successfully imprints it upon present-day Los Angeles. Across the plum-coloured sunrise, a low-lighted jazz bar and amongst a sprawling, typically LA traffic jam, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone work their deliberately casual, twinkling magic.

And my, oh my, is it magic. It feels like returning home to something you hadn’t even realised was missing; like watching a movie you realise was just waiting to be made. The nostalgia is almost heartbreaking. There is a subtle, ingrained sadness, even to all the joy. Most reviews I have seen talk of the heart-filling, ecstatic, smile-bringing happiness that encompasses the whole movie, but in actual fact, to me, it wasn’t so uplifting. I loved, loved, loved it. But part of what I loved about it was how it deliberately created a manic, unhappy undercurrent, even within the first scene. There is a repetitiveness, a mania to the dancing and the noise of ‘Another Day of Sun’ that heavily hints at the ruthless ambitiousness of Hollywood: true success comes at a cost to most, especially in La La Land.

All that Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) need is an opportunity. That one opportunity that will thrust them into the spotlight. That will make all the hard days, the rejected auditions, the meaningless jobs worth it. What they find, however, is each other. What starts off as a stunning, quietly magical boy meets girl story, ultimately does not end in happy ever after. The ending of the movie is tinged with extreme bittersweet regret and nostalgia, the likes of which had been building the entire film.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s performances are what make this story so spectacular. Mia, struggling through every single audition and becoming tired and frustrated at the lack of acknowledgement for her talents, is played so flawlessly by Emma, because Emma really is so good. Her ability to cry on tap, sing in a voice that is throaty, and not brilliant, but brings tears to your eyes and grief to your heart, even in a stone cold audition room – that is talent. The dancing also is not brilliant, but that does not matter. I realised that it is meant to be imperfect, like everything in the movie. There is supposed to be a deliberate casualness, a spontaneity that appears almost natural, genuine, effortless – and it works so well. The use of bright, sorbet-like, primary colours is also genius: the most average of scenes is made to look visually magificent. The whole of LA becomes a gorgeous, cinematic masterpiece similar to the likes of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

Once you’ve waltzed and tap-danced through the stars – as Mia and Sebastian very well do in an unabashedly beautiful gravity-defying fantasia – the only way is down.

Everyone in La La Land is wrestling, struggling with ambition. The film somehow manages to create a feeling in the viewer that at once fills your heart, and also makes you feel incredibly sad. In the most outlandish act of the story, the super-extravagant big finish in the brilliant, hat-tipping style of An American in Paris’s dream ballet, the movie merges into something gorgeously dream-like, but euphorically bittersweet. La La Land is a story of conflicts, and contradictions. But whether you believe it to be happy or sad, you will no doubt leave the cinema with a tear-stained face, a song in your heart, and a tap-dancing sparkle in your step.

 

My Holiday Reads – Mini Reviews

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I have spent the last two weeks travelling the beautiful Croatian coastline with my husband, and although we spent most of the time exploring, I still managed to fit in quite a few good books! A holiday isn’t a holiday if I don’t get through at least three!

9781447250944the-museThe Muse by Jessie Burton

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A picture hides a thousand words . . .

On a hot July day in 1967, Odelle Bastien climbs the stone steps of the Skelton gallery in London, knowing that her life is about to change forever. Having struggled to find her place in the city since she arrived from Trinidad five years ago, she has been offered a job as a typist under the tutelage of the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick. But though Quick takes Odelle into her confidence, and unlocks a potential she didn’t know she had, she remains a mystery – no more so than when a lost masterpiece with a secret history is delivered to the gallery.

The truth about the painting lies in 1936 and a large house in rural Spain, where Olive Schloss, the daughter of a renowned art dealer, is harbouring ambitions of her own. Into this fragile paradise come artist and revolutionary Isaac Robles and his half-sister Teresa, who immediately insinuate themselves into the Schloss family, with explosive and devastating consequences . . .

The Muse was the best book I have read in ages, and definitely my favourite book of the holiday! It transported me to another era, another place, another lifetime – Jessie Burton achieved what she always achieves. She is an excellent historical fiction writer and her prose is lyrical, beautiful and evocative. She adds miniscule details to things in a way that no other author does. I loved The Muse a lot more than The Miniaturist, which I did enjoy, but struggled with at times. The Muse was never boring, the characters had great depth, the dual timelines worked perfectly (which isn’t always the case!) and the storyline was incredibly intriguing and left you guessing until the last page. Nothing was predictable, but it was exhilarating, imaginative, and completely transported you to another time and place. The scene setting of Spain in 1936 and London in 1967 was what I enjoyed most about the story. It is a tale of love, lust, betrayal and danger, and the parallel settings and easy narrative voice help to draw you in spectacularly. I am so excited to see where Jessie Burton goes next – she has yet to disappoint me!

9781447266945carry-onCarry On by Rainbow Rowell

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Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

This was a book that I had had on my TBR shelf for a very long time, but was always hesitant to start it. It is an extension of the fanfiction that Cath writes in Fangirl, the novel by Rainbow Rowell. It is clear from Fangirl, and from the minute you start reading Carry On, that it is hugely based off Harry Potter. It is completely undeniable, and that definitely bugged me a bit to begin with. But, as the story continued, I started to fall in love with the characters, with Simon Snow, with Bas, with their chemistry and humour and romance. I also started to remember, hey, I love every damn thing that Rainbow Rowell writes! It was everything you expect from her writing, but funnier, sillier and more magical. Some of the spells made me literally laugh out loud they were so ludicrous – but that was definitely the point. The romance was excellent too – Rainbow is undeniably genius at writing flirtatious scenes, they almost made me squeal with happiness. My heart nearly burst out my chest when I read this:

“I let myself slip away… Just to stay sane. Just to get through it. And when I felt myself slipping too far, I held on to the one thing I’m always sure of – Blue eyes. Bronze curls. The fact that Simon Snow is the most powerful magician alive. That nothing can hurt him, not even me. That Simon Snow is alive. And I’m hopelessly in love with him.”

the-amber-shadows-9781471139284_hrThe Amber Shadows by Lucy Ribchester

four stars

Bletchley Park typist Honey Deschamps spends her days at a type-x machine in Hut 6, transcribing the decrypted signals from the German Army, doing her bit to help the British war effort.
Halfway across the world Hitler’s armies are marching into Leningrad, leaving a trail of destruction and pillaging the country’s most treasured artworks, including the famous Amber Room – the eighth wonder of the world.
As reports begin filtering through about the stolen amber loot, Honey receives a package, addressed to her, carried by a man she has never seen before. He claims his name is Felix Plaidstow and that he works in Hut 3. The package is postmarked from Russia, branded with two censors’ stamps. Inside is a small flat piece of amber, and it is just the first of several parcels.
Caught between fearing the packages are a trap set by the authorities to test her loyalty or a desperate cry for help, Honey turns to the handsome enigmatic Felix Plaidstow. But then her brother is found beaten to death in nearby woods and suddenly danger is all around… 

In true Lucy Ribchester style, this book had all the mystery and suspense of her debut novel The Hourglass Factory, with a little bit of romance and wartime setting added in. I really enjoyed this story – I am kind of obsessed with the World War 2 era, so it was great to read another tale about it. It was also interesting to read about enigma code and decrypting from another viewpoint! The suspense building was excellent and Honey as a protagonist was really easy to read and likeable. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a bit of mystery and history! Four stars couldn’t be stretched to five unfortunately, as I found the story to lack factual credibility a little too often, as with Ribchester’s previous novel. But for what it was, it was certainly a good read!

9781442408920_custom-ab1ee04526644c3ae958cba37007c84d709a2fb1-s6-c30Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

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Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

This is a story about a boy who is angry and sad and confused and can’t ever figure out why. It is a story about a boy discovering who he really is. It is a story about a boy learning how to fall in love with the world for the very first time. I loved everything about this book. I had finished it within a few hours of starting it, without truly realising how beautiful it was, how warm it made me feel. Aristotle was so relatable to me when I think back to how I often felt as a teenager, and the way that Benjamin writes is just out of this world mellow, beautiful, touching and life-affirming. There isn’t really much of a plot to this story, but in a way this is what makes it so successful – it’s beauty is in the author’s ability to depict everyday events and unnoticed emotions and the catastrophic feelings of a seventeen year old boy. This book made me cry, and think, and feel at one with the world. This was a beautiful story about love, identity and family, and I think everyone should read it!

Book Review – One by Sarah Crossan

~ fionareads ~ Leave a comment

One

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Grace and Tippi. Tippi and Grace. Two sisters. Two hearts. Two dreams. Two lives. But one body.

Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins, joined at the waist, defying the odds of survival for sixteen years. They share everything, and they are everything to each other. They would never imagine being apart. For them, that would be the real tragedy.

But something is happening to them. Something they hoped would never happen. And Grace doesn’t want to admit it. Not even to Tippi.

How long can they hide from the truth—how long before they must face the most impossible choice of their lives?

One is a beautiful story about 16-year-old conjoined twins, Grace and Tippi, that really got me to thinking about a way of life completely different to anything I am used to. It is a story that reveals what it means to have a soul mate – albeit not in the traditional sense of the word. The entire novel is written in beautiful, flowing verse that had me in tears and it will remain one of the most poignant stories that I have read this year.

Tippi and Grace have been by each other’s side since birth. They are conjoined from the waist down, and have lived their entire lives sharing every single moment. Having always been home-schooled, they now must attend the local private high school as juniors and face the possibility this brings of staring, disgust, ridicule and judgement.

However, they grow to enjoy normal school life more than they expected, and even make some friends. They smoke, they drink, they go on a road trip – they experience the normal teenage life they have never had the freedom to live before. The normal complications of love, boys, privacy, family drama and angst are discovered through a totally new perspective. When Grace’s health worsens and becomes life-threatening, the twins have to decide whether they wish to be separated for the first time in their lives – the outcome of which will bring a series of devastating physical, emotional and psychological impacts.

I have never read a YA book like this – it was incredibly life-affirming and powerful. I felt that it was extremely clever for Sarah Crossan to write the twin’s tale in verse, because she showed that a story can be deeply moving and hard-hitting, with just a few words. The use of verse also made the novel incredibly easy and free-flowing to read – I finished it in one sitting; in a matter of hours and I found that the words just swept you up completely in their stark, simple poetry. This way of writing created a distinctive and magically profound voice that I feel would have been impossible to replicate with normal prose.

I also found it interesting that the author chose to pen the story through only Grace’s perspective, rather than both the twins. Tippi tended to control all situations and decisions so it was effective to read the story from the shyer and less-dominant twin’s viewpoint.

In summary, Crossan has achieved a powerful, heartfelt, and deeply moving novel that explores the true meaning of the word sisters. The enormous amount of research into conjoined twins was apparent and it read as factually accurate, but also emotionally hard-hitting. It was amazing to read something that perhaps I wouldn’t normally pick up. It is the first time I have read a novel written in verse, and I am glad to say it worked perfectly. I think the writing structure contributed greatly to the meaning and significance of the story. Grace and Tippi’s is an emotionally deep tale that is all at once lovely, shocking and utterly heartbreaking.

One is like nothing I have ever read before, and is a unique and poignant exploration of friendship, sisterhood, strength, soul-mates and love.

Book Review – The Long, Hot Summer by Kathleen MacMahon

~ fionareads ~ Leave a comment

The Long, Hot SummerNine Lives. Four Generations. One Family. The MacEntees are no ordinary family.
Determined to be different from other people, they have carved out a place for themselves in Irish life by the sheer force of their personalities. But when a series of misfortunes befall them over the course of one long hot summer, even the MacEntees will struggle to make sense of who they are.
As media storms rage about them and secrets rise to the surface, Deirdre plans a family party for her 80th birthday-and with it one final, shocking surprise. 

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‘Relationships between men and women are about power. It’s all about the balance of power, and if you can’t get that right, then it’s a fight to the death.’

The Long, Hot Summer is an insightful, poignant and funny novel about the intricacies of real life. It covers everything from abortion, to adult relationships, mother-daughter complexities, theft, to politics, childhood, and how our experiences truly do shape us.

I loved MacMahon’s writing style – it is easy flowing and swallows you up whole. She has a real talent for writing descriptive prose, and it was so enjoyable to read, that I found I could not stop reading it. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about the characters, and their lives, and their individual stories. The author has a great ability to humanise even the coldest, and most unfeeling characters; I wanted to sit down and interview each of them!

The novel as a whole was incredibly insightful; MacMahon’s perceptions of the everyday are funny, poignant and sometimes, cynical. Each character experienced some sadness, and MacMahon’s interpretation of their experiences invoked a strong feeling of loneliness, yet there were other moments that were surprisingly life-affirming. I felt that she added unexpected insights into extremely normal topics, such as marriage, families, politics, etc. that I hadn’t really thought of before. I particularly loved that the strongest characters are revealed to be the most vulnerable.

The characterisations are great, and although none of them are really likeable, you find yourself warming to them. I loved Alma and Mick particularly – their stubbornness, but also their small, unspoken weaknesses that made them so real. The tragedy that strikes Alma changes her immensely and it was so intriguing to see how her character develops through this. Mick’s storyline was also great, and very, very funny – his mild kleptomania with the crippling consequences, and the fact that he is constantly compared to his brother, was amusing and revealing. I felt that perhaps he was the kindest character, and I liked him the most.

All the characters felt real, in some way, to me. They were very relatable in many different ways and had very humanistic flaws and weaknesses. There was no perfect protagonist, and I think this was why the story worked so exceptionally well. The novel split itself between the family, going from one point of view to another. I loved the structure of the story, written around all the different characters in the same family, all extremely unique, all on very different journeys, but somehow all also meeting up at one important moment in their lives.

I felt that this novel had great depth; it is a strong tale that weaves together the individual stories of many. It was compelling, moving, insightful and funny. The incredible character-based narratives are told with wit, and astute observation, and MacMahon has a great talent for putting normal relationships under the microscope and making warm, funny, and very, very truthful observations. The Long, Hot Summer is the perfect read for fans of family sagas, and Irish writers such as Marian Keyes and Maeve Binchy.

Thank you to Little, Brown for the opportunity to review this title!

Book Review – Always With Love by Giovanna Fletcher

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ALways with love

four stars

Sophie’s got used to being the girlfriend of Billy Buskin, the biggest movie star in the world. Sort of.

But when she and Billy take a trip to visit his family in Los Angeles, she quickly discovers she’s totally unprepared for the chaos of Hollywood, the paparazzi and Billy’s controlling mother. And when Billy extends his stay in LA, leaving Sophie to fly home to Rosefont Hill alone, it seems there’s more than just miles between them.

Now Sophie must decide if they can overcome their differences for good. Because not every love story lasts the distance . . .

I received this book for free from the publisher via Netgalley. Thanks to Penguin and Michael Joseph for allowing me to review this title!

Always With Love is Giovanna Fletcher’s fourth novel, and like all her others, it was heartwarming, light and lovely. It was delightful to hear more about Sophie and Billy, but I believe it would have been just as good a read even if I hadn’t read her first book, Billy and Me.

Sophie is a great protagonist, with real life vulnerabilities and worries, and this really helps the reader to relate to her. I love the fact that she is so down to earth, and that she helps Billy to stay grounded. The contrasts between his life in LA and her life in the picturesque and homely Rosefont Hill, was a wonderful addition to the story, and I was never quite sure whether he would choose to lose himself to that lifestyle, or return home to Sophie. The conflict and questions that this created was what kept me reading to the end. I found myself really rooting for their relationship from the very beginning! At one point, I wasn’t sure if they would make it, and Giovanna cleverly keeps up this guessing game until the last chapter.

My favourite aspect of the story was Rosefont Hill. The imagery was idyllic and the setting just perfect – I would love to live in a village like this. Reading about Sophie’s life in Rosefont Hill, and her contentment to settle for a humble and un-glamourous living was so relatable for me; I really warmed to her, much more so than in the first book. I feel like her characterisation was well thought out and she developed into a more independent woman as the story progressed. Her situation of struggling in a long-distance relationship struck a chord with me and I feel that Giovanna was extremely successful in portraying the realistic ups and downs of this kind of relationship.

The only thing that brought this book down to four stars, for me, was the awful cliché that men and woman can’t be just friends. I didn’t understand what this added to the story. It was unneeded and the book would have been so much better without it. I felt that it was added in superficially to make it more interesting, but it didn’t really work. Luckily, it didn’t really take up too much of the plot and I was still able to really appreciate the novel as a whole.

Giovanna injects pure warmth and love into her writing, you can literally feel it pouring out of the pages as you read. Her stories make you warm and fuzzy inside – especially the descriptions of Rosefont Hill with it’s gorgeous little tea shop and small-town lifestyle. Sophie’s romance with Billy is also super sweet and spine-tingling. He has definitely become one of my favourite fictional heart throbs!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Always With Love. It was heartwarming, funny and sweet. It was a charming story about real life relationships, the struggles of love, and the very important fact that home really is where the heart is.

Book Review – Uprooted by Naomi Novik

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uprooted

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‘Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travellers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years.’

I was unsure about starting this, due to it receiving such mixed reviews; people seemed to either love it or hate it. Luckily, I absolutely loved it. It has to be the most beautiful book I have read this year.

Uprooted tells the tale of a clumsy, plain girl named Angieszka (pronounced Ag-Nyesh-Ka), who lives in a small village on the outskirts of a dark and dangerous wood. The village is protected by a wizard who goes by the name the Dragon. The Dragon lives in a tower close by and protects the village and surrounding areas from the evil, corrupted wood. Once every ten years, he comes to the village and picks one girl to live with him in his tower for ten years. Nobody knows what happens to them whilst they are there, but it ultimately changes them, and they often decide not to return to their families.

Agnieszka worries for her best friend, Kasia, who is the most beautiful girl in the village. Talented, clever and attractive, she has been trained her whole life to expect this moment. She is expected by everyone in the village to be chosen next by the Dragon. Everybody is therefore astonished when clumsy, plain Agnieszka is picked instead.

‘You intolerable lunatic,’ he snarled at me, and then he caught my face between his hands and kissed me.’

Agnieszka is an incredible protagonist – relatable, funny, good natured, kind and strong. Her relationship with the Dragon; their disagreements, stubborn compromises and the journey they travel together are what make this story so special. Their gradual development into something more than friends is very slow going, but in a good way. Novik writes excellent love scenes that literally take your breath away. Their feelings for one another were portrayed subtly, understatedly, yet perfectly seductive, proving just how a good the writing is.

The writing style is magical. The main aspect of the story obviously being, well, magic, I was delighted to find that the prose reflected that in its entirety – it was whimsical, lyrical, unique, and the imagery created was absolutely beautiful.

‘There was a song in this forest, too, but it was a savage song, whispering of madness and tearing and rage.’

The Wood is fantastically nightmarish and creepy, and it plays its part well as the villain of the story. It stands as an ever-present, silent threat, occasionally swallowing villagers, driving people mad, or sending terrible monsters to destroy neighbouring villages. I don’t want to go into this too much as I don’t want to spoil anything. But, this book is so, so worth reading if you love fantasy, fairy tales and stories about magic.

I love fantasy that is based on folklore, and Novik cleverly roots her novel in the mythology of Eastern Europe; the story feels ancient and enticing. Just like reading an old fairy tale, this novel effortlessly recreates the familiar magic of all my childhood favourites – I felt wonderfully at home whilst reading this. You get the magic, the monsters, the wizards and the princes, but never in the way you might quite expect. Novik goes against all expectations, and nothing is as it seems.

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