Blue Salt Road - Joanne M Harris

"So begins a stunning tale of love, loss and revenge, against a
powerful backdrop of adventure on the high seas, and drama on the land. The Blue Salt Road balances passion and loss, love and violence and draws on nature and folklore to weave a stunning modern mythology around a nameless, wild young man.

Passion drew him to a new world, and trickery has kept him there - without his memories, separated from his own people. But as he finds his way in this dangerous new way of life, so he learns that his notions of home, and your people, might not be as fixed as he believed."

Harris understand storytelling and the deep emotional and moral power of the folk tale tradition. Like all the best artists, she takes the base but makes it wonderfully her own in this rich tale. She takes you there, to the wide strand by the ocean, the poor village, the whaling ships, and into the water itself, to a part of the world where both the Folk and the Selkie live. Although the story centres on one couple, slowly the wider picture emerges of a reality that’s different to anything we imagine at first, yet absolutely believable. Her characters are alive. Their good traits and  their bad; nothing is painted in black and white, not even love. It’s a very human story, as all the best ones should be, one that ends with bittersweet hope, and an unexpected twist. There's redemption and reclamation, along with every shade of emotion, and that, along with a lovingly-told story, is what makes it such a compelling read, with magic treading lightly between the words. 

Overall, a really intriguing story from one of my absolute favourite authors. I love the beautiful way she has with prose and she never fails to take me someplace else. I always feel deeply human after reading her books. This is a story of change, betrayal, forgiveness, identity, belonging, anger, loss and love.

Age Rating 14+ Nothing untoward, a few mild allusions to sex and the horrors of whaling. 

The Never Ending Story - Michael Ende

"Only the right name gives beings and things their reality. A wrong
name makes everything unreal. That's what lies do.

Bastian is nobody's idea of a hero, least of all his own. Through the pages of an old book he discovers a mysterious magical world - a world of dragons, monsters, witches and giants. A world that is doomed unless a human can save it. Can Bastian succeed in battling terrible foes and find the strength he needs to give the Empress a new name?" 

I enjoyed a huge amount of this book. However, I must admit that I understand why the movie decided to change where the story ended. The first half of the book is truly amazing and I loved every minute of it. However once Bastian has been taken into Fantasia, things started to get rather wobbly from a plot point of view. While still incorporating a huge amount of stunning imagery and fun ideas, the plot felt aimless and only loosely tied together. Bastian wanders from place to place, scenario to scenario with no drive or purpose. I understand what Ende was trying to express, he used a very old folklore theme, of the corrupting influence of power and finding the joy of your own identity. However I don't think this theme was as well expressed as the theme of the importance of imagination and creativity expressed in the first half. 

I must say that Ende certainly knows his mythology/ folklore. I recognised many themes, emotional motifs and plot beats from other stories. Quite similar to the Arthurian legends. 

Age Rating 13+. Nothing untoward but some emotionally intense scenes. 

The Guinevere Deception - Keirsten White

"A new fantasy series set in the world of Camelot, re-imagining the
Arthurian legend . . . where nothing is as magical and terrifying as a girl.

Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom's borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution--send in Guinevere to be Arthur's wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king's idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere's real name--and her true identity--is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.

To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old--including Arthur's own family--demand things continue as they have been, and the new--those drawn by the dream of Camelot--fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land."

I'm surprised that this book didn't work for me as I am a huge fan of White's And I Darken Trilogy. I also love Arthurian mythology and White's feminist spins on old tales, so what could go wrong?

Firstly, I think this book kept us in the dark for way too long. (It kind of is still keeping us in the dark as not much is actually resolved.) So long that it became uninteresting for me. All we know is that Guinevere is not the real Guinevere but a changeling witch, sent by Merlin to protect King Arthur. We spend so long not really knowing where the story is going, no plot direction, no tension what so ever. Guinevere's goal of protecting Arthur feels open-ended and not tied to any real conflict. This means that she spends a lot of time wandering around, chatting with familiar characters like Mordred and Brangien, and not doing much of anything. I actually had to stop reading half way through and go read something else I was that bored.

Even when a touch of drama appears, Guinevere is hurried off to safety. She is in no way strong or independent or bad ass and she uses so little magic she probably would have been better without it. If anything she was the complete opposite of empowering, being painfully useless the entire time. If the growing romance/s was supposed to be the main point of tension, I didn't really get a sense of that. Arthur was so bland and forgettable (though unfortunately all the characters were). This story and all of the characters where lacking the gritty realism and complex morality of White's other books. 

I also did not feel like this story was taking place in the 5th-6th centuries. There was very little to capture the feeling of the time and place, which is the exact opposite of what I would say about the author's And I Darken trilogy. I guess I also just don't believe that feminism is rewriting history to pretend sexism didn't exist, which it felt like this did. The way women are treated felt untrue to the times.

Overall a very disappointing book by a much loved writer. 

Age Rating 13+. I really can't think of anything untoward in this book. 

House of Earth and Blood - Sarah J Maas

"Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying
all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it."

Yes, I have returned to my guilty pleasure of Maas's work. 

When I heard that Maas's next work would be her first foray into adult fiction I was pretty surprised as I have always felt that, despite the fantasy genre which is for some reason always felt to be YA by publishers, her other series have been pretty damn adult with the heavy focus of violence, torture and sexual content. 

Now, I am no prude, but the swearing in this book was totally unnecessary and just came across as childish. If anything, it made Crescent city feel like a young Throne of Glass trying to impress all of her older friends with her edginess. Crescent City fancies itself quite the edgelord with its filthy mouth, drugs and sex but none of it is handled well. Drugs are treated as something casually edgy that the characters do without any sorts of repercussions. Violence is casual as well, and doesn't really serve any purpose in the story. Characters are killed off before we can really care about them properly. And the sexual content is... painfully cringey. (Though somehow there was less sex then in her YA stuff. Riddle me that.)

Then there's MC Bryce. I, personally, really don't see what people would find empowering in Bryce's character. She's gorgeous. She's sexy. Everyone, everyone,wants to fuck her. She's not like other girls. Yay for a women finding her strength outside of male validation, I guess?? Lol. She feels pity for whores because she only sleeps around to self-medicate for her emotional issues. (This is never addressed by the way.) She recklessly endangers herself by doing drugs but somehow she's deep and intelligent. Like, Maas was clearly trying to use Bryce's character to show how women shouldn't be underestimated because she likes to look pretty, something I completely agree with. However then Bryce has random hookups every five seconds (this is not safe from a STD or rape point of view), romanticises drug use (a whole lot of nope), and uses her body to monetarily gain? Why do women have to be highly sexual to be empowered? Also Bryce complains about men treating her like a whore when she herself admits to dressing like one and that most half - human women make a living through prostitution? I am feeling soo empowered right now. 

Strangely I preferred Hunt's character in this novel. Shock horror he has wings, would he really be a Maas ML if he didn't have wings. He was actually somewhat relatable, enjoyable to read about and strangely funny at times. However he too is cursed with the better then everyone, only one of his kind, probably a god in disguise trope that Mass has going on with literally all of her characters. Thus he comes of as one dimensional and lacking a certain grit I was hoping for. I understand that Maas was trying to be be feminist and veer away from the "toxic masculinity" but am I truly supposed to believe that a 200 year old General who is now a an assassin is actually just a sweet softie starved of snuggles who's PTSD comes down to crying in the shower?

One of the major points of this book is that there is a war going on in the background of the entire novel, between humans and the Vanir. Yes, the Vanir. If that sounded familiar, it’s because it refers to a race of elder nature gods in Norse mythology. However, SJM liked the sound of that word but didn’t like its meaning, so in this world (also called Midgard) the word ‘Vanir’ refers to all different kinds of mythological beings, including angels, fae, werewolves, demons, mermaids etc. I love stealing words from ancient cultures and disregarding its original meaning. 

Anyway, this war is going on because humans are completely oppressed by the Vanir, who see themselves as superior to humans in every way. (Which technically, physically, magically and lifespan wise they are.) However, most of the characters are actually sympathetic nice Vanir so the human plight is pretty much pushed to the background except when the half-human Bryce is being sneered at and she gets irritated by it. There are no full human characters, the most we see of this "oppression" is Bryce being given a snooty look in a restaurant. There are literally people dying, Bryce. This war and human oppression get less screen-time than Bryce’s perfect ass. How can I take this war seriously and believe the Vanir are meant to be the bad guys when we spend so much of the book talking about how sexy they are??

Now, on to a few of my small pet peeves. Why is so many of these people called tan? It feels like a get out of jail free card of having more POC in her work without ever actually saying so. Also, and I really don't know if this will make sense, but all of her LGBT representation still somehow feels so heterosexual. Last but not least..."alphaholes." Please in the name of all that is unholy, no.

I must admit, the reason that I enjoy coming back to Mass's work is very similar to Holly Black. Both of their plots and characters are okay, however it is the fantasy elements, fun writing and world building that really gets me. The whole aesthetic of the book, the visual images that Maas conjures up for you are just so much fun. Baby puppy werewolves lying in the grass, a nightclub located in a forgotten temple, a Fallen Angel wearing a baseball cap. All of Maas's work, no matter how problematic they are, are just fun to read. Large, grand, funny, over - emotional self insert fan fiction where everyone has superpowers, is descended from someone really important and is really really pretty. I am not saying it is perfect, but this book didn't feel slow to me at all. I was engaged and interested the entire time, and Maas does actually touch on a few good themes. I enjoyed the emphasis on friendship and how powerful that can be. 

Age Rating 18+. I am 19 and I felt uncomfortable, dear god it felt like reading a Mills and Boons with swearing. 

Honeycomb - Joanne M Harris

"A lushly illustrated set of dark, captivating fairy tales

The beauty of stories; you never know where they will take you. Full of dreams and nightmares, Honeycomb is an entrancing mosaic novel of original fairy tales from bestselling author Joanne M. Harris and legendary artist Charles Vess in a collaboration that’s been years in the making. The toy-maker who wants to create the perfect wife; the princess whose heart is won by words, not actions; the tiny dog whose confidence far outweighs his size; and the sinister Lacewing King who rules over the Silken Folk. These are just a few of the weird and wonderful creatures who populate Joanne Harris’s first collection of fairy tales."

This is a gorgeous collection of super short (2-5 page) stories that read like a cross between fairy tales and fables, each interconnected to a larger picture. The Lacewing Prince is a selfish and cruel ruler of the Silken folk, touching many lives with his behaviour, but as time goes on he starts to face the consequences and mature.

They’re really easy to read and particularly good if you only have a couple of minutes to spend reading at a time, though I will admit that I read the whole book in a couple of settings.

The stories carry a mixture of moral messages and explore different themes. She’s unapologetic in her criticism of certain characters and themes, without ever directly even criticising them leaving it up to your interpretation. 

Honeycomb is a book that you need to take time with, but will pay back richly if you do. It mixes myth and magic, nature and fear to form an intelligent and multi-layered prose poem that both celebrates traditional dark Fairy stories and brings the style to a modern-day audience. It is one to dip into, to read and reread, and I rather suspect would be excellent read out aloud. I really can't tell you how much I loved this book, there where moments I just had to look up from my book and relish the images conjured up. This is my second of Harris's books and I must say I am really blown away by her prose. It is poetic and lyrical yet never becomes overblown or shies away from the less beautiful aspects of the stories theme. If anything, the beautiful prose serves to highlight the pain or fear or horror of what is occurring. 

As someone brought up on Fairy-tales, this had a very nostalgic air to me and accurately revived the aesthetic/feeling of the originals, though still being so unique and original. 

Age Rating 15+. These are adult fairy-tales, and while some stories are okay for children, certainly not all. There are some very dark themes that are explore such as abuse, sexism and death. 

A Pocketful of Crows - Joanne M Harris

"I am as brown as brown can be,

And my eyes as black as sloe;

I am as brisk as brisk can be,

And wild as forest doe.

So begins a beautiful tale of love, loss and revenge. Following the seasons, A Pocketful of Crows balances youth and age, wisdom and passion and draws on nature and folklore to weave a stunning modern mythology around a nameless wild girl.

Only love could draw her into the world of named, tamed things. And it seems only revenge will be powerful enough to let her escape."

Joanne Harris has written a powerfully magical and fantastical tale brimful of folklore. It is beautifully written, poetic, lyrical, and a short read. I think it's fair to say that its whimsical, dark and gut-wrenching writing is without a doubt the main character. Poetry without poetry is my favourite. It reads like a dark fairytale, fully aware of it's pagan influence and origins. It has not been white washed, so their is sex and violence. This is the story of innocence, love, betrayal, loss and revenge. 

Our wild girl encounters William MacCormac, a man of privilege and power, the son of a influential lord and saves him. Neither can forget each other, and William persuades her to come live with him and names her Malmuira, the dark lady of the mountains. There are ominous signs and portents but the girl ignores them. Naming means taming, and despite the warnings of her community, she gives up her freedoms to stay, all for love. She is treated with contempt and fear and by others in William's household, whilst rumours abound of her being a wicked witch who has bewitched the young lord. William's love proves to be less than enduring and the girl once called Malmuira must fight to free herself of the taming influence that the name has had on her. It is a story of reclaiming yourself, your identity and your self respect. This is a wondrous and mythic story that weaves a spell over the reader. Highly recommended. 

Age Rating 16+. As I said, there is death, violence and sex though not incredibly explicit. 

Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik

"Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her
father's inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.

When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk--grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh--Miryem's fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar.

But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love."

Spinning Silver is a loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I say "loose" because you will recognise certain elements from the original - turning things into gold, the importance of names, etc. - but this is a completely different story with different characters and many new plot lines. This actually disappointed me as I was looking forward to a more recognisable retelling. There's also not just one Rumpelstiltskin character, as several characters embody different aspects of the traditional imp. 

I love that it's a very pastoral fairy tale with forests and country magic. The setting of Russia, with the description of Russian foods and the heavy, oppressive snow was wonderful and made it all the more unique. The setting of the book gives it a lot of it's atmosphere, and it works very well. There are parts that follow the characters through quiet daily farming activities, but there is always magic and fear thrumming just under the surface.

I found it really interesting that Novik explored the idea of a Jewish moneylender in this Rumpelstiltskin. It was unique take and created a very clever way of making something magical into something made of a strong will, and how easily these two concepts can overlap. 

However, structurally I do have a few issues with the book. I counted no less than six different perspectives - honestly, I may have missed someone - and you have to learn the symbol/image for each character, as that is the only way you'll know whose point-of-view the book has moved to. This can get extremely confusing. Unfortunately this caused a disconnect between the characters and myself as I was unable to fully emote with them or become attached. 

Though I appreciate books with multiple layers and complex plots, I think shedding some parts of this would have only benefited it. Some chapters lean away from complex and interesting, and toward dense and confusing. Despite encountering wondrous and unexpected forms of magic, Novik's characters are neither astonished nor surprised. Their flat response evokes a perpetual sense of apathy, a problem that's exacerbated by glacial pacing, further compounded by two of the female protagonists having such similar plot lines and personalities as to feel redundant.

Spinning Silver holds all the ingredients of a magic spell and there are some truly wonderful moments, but the execution leaves one cold and unsatisfied.

Age Rating 15+. Domestic violence, murder, discrimination. 

Tithe (#1) - Holly Black

"Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she
travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms - a struggle that could very well mean her death."

Yes, Yes I know. Another Holly Black. I am just a sucker for her description of Fae. So first of all, on the good side… the fairies . The way Holly Black draws her fairy worlds and fairy characters is genuinely so imaginative, gorgeous, and… creepy. Every time I dive into one of her books, I find myself both terrified and enamoured with her fairy world. Holly Black always knocks the fairy stories out the park. Tithe is a raw, dark faerie tale in keeping with Black's usual style. While not suitable for younger readers (lots of swearing, torture and violence, and mature themes), I loved its take on the darker side of faerie. Black's understanding and vision for Fairies is excellent and is exactly how I imagine them.  It also deals with faerie themes like Changelings and the knowing of one's True Name very well. 

Roiben had a lot of potential. The idea of being trapped in a different court, sent there by your beloved Queen where she knows you will be humiliated and tortured, but can do nothing about the terrible things you are made to do because they have your true name and have to do everything they say. I mean how absolutely horrific. However he did need to be fleshed out more as he did feel a little one dimensional at times. 

Kaye, though, is a bit of a blah main character. I found that she was one of those early YA protagonists who’s written just generic enough that she’s easy to make into a self insert, but at the cost of an engaging motivation or quirky personality. Cool outfits do not a character make. I think this book really suffered from being so short, and I mean it is really really short. The characters don't have time to be developed, and neither does the romance that is probably one of the worst Insta-loves I have ever come across. I just don't see how these two characters could fall for each other - especially in such short amount of time. Kaye saw Roiben once and fell instantaneously in love with his ... hair?  I mean, they know each other for 4 days max, have nothing in common, never really have a heart to heart talk to make us understand what attracts them to each other. 

It dallied with some themes but didn’t stick with them in any meaningful way. I find Black’s work tends to do this often. I’ve never read something by her that had anything to it. It’s all aesthetic for aesthetics’ sake, which is fine but undeniably tiring after a while. A quick, light read with plenty of beautiful descriptions. 

Age Rating 16+ Surprisingly high rating, drugs, sex with dubious consent, domestic abuse, swearing, minor's having sex, torture and humiliation. Other than that,
though completely fine. 

Winter Rose - Patricia A McKillip

"Sorrow and trouble and bitterness will bound you and yours and the
children of yours...

Some said the dying words of Nial Lynn, murdered by his own son, were a wicked curse. To others, it was a winter's tale spun by firelight on cold, dark nights. But when Corbet Lynn came to rebuild his family estate, memories of his grandfather's curse were rekindled by young and old - and rumours filled the heavy air of summer.

In the woods that border Lynn Hall, free-spirited Rois Melior roams wild and barefooted in search of healing herbs. She is as hopelessly unbridled - and unsuited for marriage - as her betrothed sister Laurel is domestic. In Corbet's pale green eyes, Rois senses a desperate longing. In her restless dreams, mixed with the heady warmth of harvest wine, she hears him beckon. And as autumn gold fades, Rois is consumed with Corbet Lynn, obsessed with his secret past - until, across the frozen countryside and in flight from her own imagination, truth and dreams become inseparable..."

This was my first McKillip book, and I'm just a little disappointed actually. From the first pages, I thought it was going to be a combination of beautiful writing, fantasy with a solid plot and well developed characters. I'm afraid it only delivered the beautiful writing, and couldn't just hook me to the rest of the story.
It's a very slow going book, with lots of descriptions, and atmosphere. Which is absolutely fine if well executed, but there should have been a bit more balance for a more plot or better set up for fantastical elements.

However it could be argued that is sparseness in characterisation and plot was a literary choice on McKillip's part. The book does feel exactly like an old fairy-tale your mother would tell you. Simple, beautiful and slightly incomprehensible. If you just relax into the book and don't try to understand it, I think it would improve your reading experience. 

There is much to admire in this book: some beautifully lyrical, poetic writing, especially of dreams and visions and mysterious moments of two worlds intermingling. But ultimately it is undermined by a climax that remains too elusive, abstract and muddy (featuring dialogue that suddenly becomes jarringly melodramatic) and a general feeling that the poetic prose is keeping the emotional heart of the story at arms’ length.

I am still interested in reading more of Patrica A. McKillip’s work, since she is clearly gifted, has a rich imagination and the ability to paint beautiful pictures with her words. Her focus on fairy-tale and folklore, while keeping much of the traditional style of the old stories, is also right up my street. 

Age Rating 13+. Nothing untoward. An illusion to child abuse. Might struggle with comprehension but hey so did I. 

The Queen of Nothing (#3)- Holly Black

"Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude
learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…"

Was this series the most perfectly-plotted? The most unique? Did it break any new ground? No to all of the above. But I read every page of this with my heart pounding and a lump in my throat-- how many perfectly-plotted, unique and ground-breaking books can I say that about? These series really has been a wonderfully guilty pleasure. 

I was waiting with baited breath to see how Holly Black finished this series, especially with Wicked King being on top form. The Queen of Nothing was...not that. Don't get me wrong, I ate it up. It was fantastic. But it did not quite compare to what came before. 

I think I can tell you exactly why: the book was too short. All three books were very fast-paced. That's part of their magic. They don't give you time to breathe. But with this one I often wished Holly would slow down, focus more on the details, set the scene, make me feel the atmosphere and tension. I fear that that's why a certain character literally fell victim to negligence. I did not wait two books for Locke to die a very painful death for him to just die between two books without me being able to witness it. I deserved that. Taryn, too, never actually receives the absolution or punishment she needed. She was this complex, unpredictable character. Until she wasn't. She became nice, docile even. Her character arc was thrown out of the window.

I felt that Jude, someone who's entire character and character arch has been about revenge becomes far too forgiving. Madoc may have been punished but in a very unpunished way. I wanted someone to suffer! I wanted Jude to her usual brutal self. 

I also needed more of Jude and Cardan's relationship; they went from supposed enemies to sleeping together seemingly out of the blue, then the main event happened and then the super cheesy ending. Not much was shown in  how their relationship is actually going to work. These two characters that have been supressing their love and struggling with extreme guilt about their attraction to each other now are going to be a cutesy normal couple. Jude, a brutal vengeful solider and Carden, the most debauched and cruel Fae?? Really?

These books have been a guilty pleasure for me and I have been imagining so many wonderful and awful ways it could end. I wasn't disappointed. It was thrilling, and mostly satisfying. There where areas that I had issues with and I do feel that it lacked the emotional impact or nuance that the other books did. However, saying that I did thoroughly enjoy it. 

Age Rating 16+. Sex, death and torture. 

The War for the Oaks - Emma Bull

"Eddi McCandry sings rock and roll. But she's breaking up with her boyfriend, her band just broke up, and life could hardly be worse. Then, walking home through downtown Minneapolis on a dark night, she finds herself drafted into an invisible war between the faerie folk. Now, more than her own survival is at risk—and her own preferences, musical and personal, are very much beside the point.

By turns tough and lyrical, fabulous and down-to-earth, War for the Oaks is a fantasy novel that's as much about this world as about the other one."

I had high hopes for this book. It sounds like it should be just up my street...however...it was OK, just OK. The narration is somewhat annoying occasionally, which makes the characters somewhat annoying, but the action sequences make up for that. I can't fault this book too much, since it's the first of its kind and therefore, like most pioneering writing pieces, reads more like a lengthy writing exercise. 

The book certainly does have it's good points. The music scene backdrop was fun and at times refreshing; The 80s fashion is hysterical; the Fae had an amazing otherworldly feel to them which was wonderful to read about; the aesthetic is fabulous; side characters where lovable; and the prose itself was skilfully written. 

But for me, it always comes down to the characters. I couldn’t feel any attachment to them… and therefore I had no emotional engagement whatsoever with this book. Phouka was my favourite character as I felt that he had that great mixture of bravado and confidence, with insecurity and doubt. It is unfortunately Eddi I  had a problem with. She has little to no personality other than snark. I mean, personally, if I have just found out powerful ancient Fae exist and one is sitting in my lounge, I would wait a bit to figure out the world before straight up insulting and backtalking him. But that's just me. She isn't a terrible protagonist, but she needed to be fleshed out more to get me to relate to her. Show me that her snark is her way of dealing with stress, a coping mechanism. That kind of thing. 

I also felt the novel was slowly-paced. This isn’t always a bad thing depending on the story, but in this case it often seemed like a chore just to push through to the next chapter. There was little exploration into the Fae or their world and instead chapters of well not much happening. The reason for Eddi to be involved is also tenuous and not fully explained or developed. I liked the idea for the reason she had to be there, it felt very unique but lack explanation.

Age Rating 15+. Murder, threat, sexy times. 

The Wicked King (#2) - Holly Black

"You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world."


I have mixed feeling on this book.



On one hand I adore the character Jude. She is intelligent, feisty, realistic and sassy. She thinks things through and never makes a decision that makes me face palm, which to be honest is a rarity in YA female protagonists. I love her capacity for holding contradictory feelings in balance, for complexly alloyed affections. For stubborn bravery that seems more of a result of chaining her fears and not unhooking their leashes just yet. For bottomless generosity of heart with undertones of naked lust for power and petty, capricious malice. Jude is full of so many wants, too many to prioritize, and they all feel desperate. I would almost say that I liked her more this book than the first one, she seems to have come more into her power and feels more comfortable with her role and power grabbing ways. I also am a sucker for a morally grey protagonist.



I also absolutely adore Holly Black's prescriptions of the Fae, their world, their clothes. As someone raised on stories of the Irish Tuatha De Danaan and every other culture’s old faerie myths, I have a real soft spot for them and love different incarnation and people's interpretations of them. With a stage magician's flair for misdirection, Holly Black weaves a captivating spell with languorously descriptive writing, the atmosphere was so vividly imagined I felt like moss would just start appearing around me, and branches would just grow from any surface I looked at. I love the malicious, inhuman, brutality of Black's Fae.



The political intrigue is fabulous in this book. You won’t know who or what to believe, and you surely won’t know who to trust. All these storylines come together to create something so beautiful. This book was a wild ride from page one to the very last page. Actually, especially the very last page.



Now onto something I was less sure about. I personally quite enjoy Carden's character, not to the depths that others do, but he is certainly very interesting. He seems to be a consummate arse and to be honest he is, but he has a level of depth and complexity that is great to explore. He was never loved, he was abused by his brother and neglected by his parents. The only way to gain any kind of attention was being the worst person in existence.



However, something I am not quite so sure about is the romance. I think I am going to be the unpopular opinion here, but I just find it problematic. Both these characters are deeply broken, manipulative and their interactions display that. While I love books that explore the darker side of human relationships and their consequences, I don't like highly problematic relationships being portrayed as romantic to a younger and impressionable audience.



If you read this book with the awareness that the relationship is not one to model actual relationships on and the behaviours displayed are problematic, then you will have a wonderful read. Through the use of breath-taking set pieces, engaging characters, and a gratifying emotional hook that will keep the pages whirring, ending this second instalment with a spinning sense of history repeating itself and a cliff-hanger that has you reeling.



Age Rating 15+. Some brutal violence, sex scene that weren't graphic but where obvious, extreme humiliation and semi-torture while imprisoned.

Sixty - One Nails (#1) - Mike Shevdon

"Sixty-One Nails follows Niall Petersen, from a suspected heart attack on the London Underground, into the hidden world of the Feyre, an uncanny place of legend that lurks just beyond the surface of everyday life. The Untainted, the darkest of the Seven Courts, have made their play for power, and unless Niall can recreate the ritual of the Sixty-One Nails, their dark dominion will enslave all of the Feyre, and all of humankind too."

Sixty-One Nails is boldly compared to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere on the front cover, a claim that got my attention, but made me suspicious as well. Was there any chance that Shevdon's novel could compare?

The answer is . . . not really. To be honest, other than the beginning in which the main character Niall is drawn into an otherworld-London, there is very little to compare to Neverwhere.

The book explores the structure of the Feyre councils. Blackbird, an very old Fey, as well as Niall, the main character, are on the run. They are considered “tainted.” Having human DNA is not a positive. To have any form of protection Niall must find a way to be accepted by one of the Feyre courts. The 7th court, or “The Untainted” are a select group of Feyre that believe consorting with humans is something to be cleansed and engaged in rampant war with the other courts. They have been sealed off but are gaining access to the world a foothold at a time.
The premise is wonderful and the execution was mostly very good. I liked the characters, they felt real and witty. Though they really, really suffered from insta-love, I mean they know each other for two day and then they have a baby together and want to get married. Like what?? She is hundreds of years old and chooses this dude, over everyone she could have??

The world was well built, the different courts need more exploring but I can see great potential. I also really enjoyed the use of a real world ritual. 

On the other hand, this was in sore need of a severe, even ruthless, editing. There were far too many repetitive bits of dialogue, and we were told so many times about what would happen "if the barriers fell", and there was even one chapter that ended on a final bit of resolution about what Blackbird and Niall would do next (you know, to prevent the barriers falling? Because IF THE BARRIERS FALL...), and the next chapter started up as if readers could have forgotten what had just been decided, slowly and with much discussion, the page before.

There was also way way to much description, so much so that I found myself happily skimming this book. 

Age Rating 14+. Overall an okay book for a quick read. Adore the stunning cover. One scene of fayre sex which personally wasn't necessary but hey. Also some sexual illusions too. No swearing however. 

A Court of Wings and Ruin - Sarah J Maas

"Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places."

The more I read of these books the more embarrassed I get. I personally enjoyed to a certain extent both of the last books but this one, this one got under my skin, and not in a good way. 

Let's start with the plot. There almost isn't one. The book can be broken up into three parts, 1 where Feyre is in the Spring court. I was disappointed at the wasted opportunity for some underhanded manipulation here. After how the last book ended, Feyre was kind of "undercover" at the start and in a position for lies and deception. Except it was mostly her swanning around and quietly seething to herself about how much she hated Ianthe and how much of a douche Tamlin is. I thought this whole part was boring when it should, and could, have been extremely tense, exciting and badass.

Part 2 is the largest section of the book. The strategizing and alliance building between courts and potential allies. I think the worst thing was the overall pacing. It's a long book, but I can normally sprint through Maas's works in a day, yet here it was such a slog. While it was great to see the other High Kings, it lacked a pull, a sense of urgency, some kind of tension to make me need to know what happens next. 

Finally Part 3, the actual war. So boring and there is no real sense of threat to any of the characters. The amount of random people and dramatic entrances that show up is belittling and frustrating. It's like the moment when the Riders of Rohan show up at Helms Deep but think of that happening, like, 5 times in one battle. Like by number 2 I don't care anymore. At least Feyre is brave and strong, though. Which is why she’s “too tired” to do anything after a loooong day of watching other people fight in a battle, followed by Mor winnowing her home. So courageous. How does she do it!!! I am not going to even talk about the whole Rhysand dying then coming back debacle. It was underhanded and completely unnecessary. 


Now I need to talk about the one thing I really, really detested and feel so embarrassed writing about. The cringy, cringy smut. If I have to hear the word growled ever again I will throw something. I found myself skipping whole pages out of sheer self preservation. Thanks for turning me off hetero sex forever I guess. I'm not even being dramatic this time, it was legitimately so bad that with every passing page, I've become more and more convinced that I had died and was atoning for my sins in hell. Guys, you're not defined by your genitals you paint your future with your actions starting with THAT GODDAMN WAR YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO STRATEGISE FOR???? At least don'T DO IT IN THAT GODDAMN LIBRARY FOR WOMEN THAT HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED??? 

The sloppy writing continued outside of the bedroom/library. Adjectives and descriptive passages where overused, overwrought and felt copied and pasted. The amount of times something or someone "unleashed themselves" are too many to count.

Maybe if a copyeditor had found the strength to make it through this book, they could have stopped the way SJM insists on using the term “Hybern.” IT MEANS SO MANY THINGS. “Hybern” is used as the nomer of the evil king, the word for his people, the name of his kingdom, and the title of the land it’s situated on. That is just...basic bad worldbuilding, no?

I have always really enjoyed the way that Maas tries to make her books feel feminist and empowering to women. So it’s an utter shock that this narrative also lives nearly entirely within the bounds of gender roles. Reading about men (Rhys, Cassian, Azriel, all the high lords) fighting in battle while the women (Feyre, Mor, Elain, Nesta, Cresseida) watch and tend to the wounded later is so refreshing. Doesn’t make me want to blow my brains out at all.

And no, Mor being assigned to babysit Feyre later on, only heading into battle because Feyre tricks her into fighting so she can sneak away does not make it better, thanks.This is definitely, certainly the feminist YA fantasy you’ve been waiting for, folks.

One of the main points of Feyre's character arc should be her discovery of independence and of her inner strength, of the fact that she doesn't necessarily need anyone, especially a man, to guide and direct her every step. A shame the impression we get from the whole series is the very opposite: Feyre's character growth (not automatically meant as an upward trajectory) seems to be irreversibly connected to the "male" who is (even virtually) at her side. In this book, she and Rhysand are pretty much a single entity. Can I feel a tinge of outrage at this, please? We women are very able to be complete on our own, thank you very much. The whole "mating system" (I can't even, it's too ridiculous) has me not exactly convinced in this regard too.

Morrigan, once a mysteriously broken character with hidden depths, now just represents the worst bisexuality rep I’ve ever read. Letting a close friend of yours pine after you for decades because it would be "too awkward" to tell him you like girls. I mean how selfish and self centred can you get? I was horrified. 


I’m not gonna lie, this book nearly scored some points when they unleashed those underworld gods (yeah the bone carver/his twin sister/and that scary shadowy thing were really fucking cool) but then Maas just killed them off... so easily. Another funny thing, Elain managed so easily to stab the King of hybern, the terrifying big bad, and finish him off but those ancient creatures went down faster than you can say mmmkay. The power system and hierarchy are shot to hell in this book. It makes no sense. 

The tear of utter salt that mists my eye whenever I think of what this book did to Amren. Amren in acomaf was this badass unknown creature who had no real responsibilities besides putting god's fear in people and drinking A-class blood, but as it turns out, everything good was fake, I wanted her to wreak havoc, I wanted her to morph into her true calamitous self, I wanted a fucking dragon companion.... But one battle and she dies?? I mean what reason was there for an all powerful angel that has just been unleashed and wasn't injured in anyway to die?? AND DOn't even get me started on Varian, IM SORRY BUT WHERE THE HELL DID HE COME FROM??? that was so random?? just as random as Lucien's father?? where's the fucking build up?? Excuse my French. 

To finish it all off I've never seen such a cheesy ending. It felt like I had just swallowed a monumental bucket of melted sugar and I couldn't even breathe because the very air got stuck to the sticky back of my throat. Basically it made me finally understand that Maas's main interest was to make sure none of her precious babies got so much as a scratch. They all come out fine, not a hair out of place. 

Overall the entire story felt rushed and at the same time achingly slow. I didn't feel any real threat to the world or characters. Definitely my least favourite of the trilogy. Feyre's abilities are put on the back burner and she is renegaded to dutiful wife and supporter. Rhysand is unbelievably and frustratingly perfect. No human being is that wonderful and I felt like I was listening to a traumatized ken-doll talk. 

Age Rating 17+. The unbelievable amount of sex scenes. These two really need to be stopped.