Sisters of the Winter Wood - Rena Rossner

"Raised in a small village surrounded by vast forests, Liba and Laya
have lived a peaceful sheltered life - even if they've heard of troubling times for Jews elsewhere. When their parents travel to visit their dying grandfather, the sisters are left behind in their home in the woods.

But before they leave, Liba discovers the secret that their Tati can transform into a bear, and their Mami into a swan. Perhaps, Liba realizes, the old fairy tales are true. She must guard this secret carefully, even from her beloved sister.

Soon a troupe of mysterious men appear in town and Laya falls under their spell despite their mother's warning to be wary of strangers. And these are not the only dangers lurking in the woods...

The sisters will need each other if they are to become the women they need to be - and save their people from the dark forces that draw closer."

I was so excited for this book. A retelling of Russian Folklore, centring on female connections. Offering a unique insight into Jewish culture and folk traditions. Shapeshifting and myths. The comparison of Kathrine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale. 

But no...teen angst, hormone stew and a never-ending train of terrible ideas with very little way of actual action. Truly a terrible read. 

It doesn't help that half this book is written in terrible meter-less "poetry". Line breaks don't turn indifferent prose into good poetry. They just make you seem pretentious. The good thing is that it reads quickly because there aren't many words. The bad thing is that it drives me batsh*t crazy. I'm not averse to poetry, but good poetry is compact and chewy, with lots of layers to tease out and the occasional transcendent phrase that opens up new ways of seeing or knowing. This is...not good poetry. 

Overall, It needed to be a much darker tale. The potential was there. The mythical and fairy tales on which this was based all have deeply sexual, violent themes and the discriminatory language and behaviour which leads to murderous violence against Jews within the narrative has clear historical origins. In fact, the author has a section at the end of the book that details the ways in which persecution and pogroms in Dubossary and Kupel affected her family, leading to desperate escape and even death. But instead, this is a story of youthful romance, a happy-ever-after tale of first kisses and forever love. It’s not what I was expecting or wanting. Instead of Grimm’s, this is Disney sanitised, with only the barest hints of the more monstrous reality. It’s a YA tale wrapped up in a beautiful cover, but the marketing to adult readers is going to leave many, including myself, disappointed.

Age Rating 14+. A book more suited to a younger audience. 

The Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1) - Deborah Harkness

"Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana
Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell."

This book genuinely put me into a reading slump. I really tried to persevere, as the plot hooks of what was in the manuscript and what happened to Diana's parents kept me engaged. However, I...I just couldn't anymore and actually had to put it down. Harkness's glacial pacing and repetitive/obsolete descriptions where enough for me to start clocking out. The descriptions of multiple wines, intimate knowledge of Diana's exercise routine and a Wattpad like fascination while wardrobe descriptions padded this book far beyond it's warranted length. I am no enemy to atmosphere, slow pacing or heavy descriptions. I have read my fair share of 19th century novels to fine with that. But none of this description actually does anything, it serves little to no narrative purpose. 

What irritated me the most, however, was Harkness's characterisation. At first, I thought that this book was going to be an intelligent Twilight for grown-ups. The female lead is Diana, is a highly intelligent woman and well respected in her field. She’s also the daughter of two powerful witches who were murdered when she was seven years old. The main character wasn't helpless, thought for herself, didn't immediately adore her bloodsucking, murderous stalker or find his abusive behaviour endearing, and didn't seem interested in losing her entire identity to the first good-looking guy who wanted to eat her. A rebuttal of Twilight, almost.

But no. Despite Diana's increasing Mary Sue-ishness as she develops every witch ability ever known, she must constantly be rescued and protected by Edward, er, Matthew.

Matthew, meanwhile, is a complete jackass. (Excuse my French) Trotting out the obnoxious "pack mentality" trope so often used in "paranormal romance" (a genre that really, really needs to be marked better so that those of us looking for "urban fantasy" won't be blindsided every damn time), Matthew is neatly absolved from all responsibility for his sexist insistence that Diana obey him as her husband and for his volatile, potentially murderous temper if and when she doesn't comply. Who doesn't want a hyper controlling boyfriend that keeps a huge amount of secrets, keeps important information away from you, uses his temper to make you obedient and says, “I might not be able to control myself if you step away” after a first kiss. Diana is the otherwise highly intelligent woman who acts like a child whenever she’s in his presence. She has to be bullied and bated into using her powers, and saved time and time again by Matthew. Despite Matthew’s continual marvelling about how powerful and strong she is, her strength is barely in evidence.

It is really unfortunate. I am a sucker for academic settings (having lived in Oxford myself), urban fantasy and the general aesthetic of this book was wonderful. Large French castles, ancient libraries, large dysfunctional vampire families (wish there was more of that), horse riding. All right up my alley, with the potential to be something really amazing. A fusion of urban fantasy and dark academia. Unfortunately Harkness's characters and pacing completely threw me off. 

Age Rating 16+. Violence, sex, threat, torture (very tame though.)

Sorcery of Thorns - Margaret Rogerson

"All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has
known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them."

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun and aesthetically unique fantasy romp. The characters, while not unique in their archetypes, where funny, relatable and loveable. Rogerson's dialogue between protagonists is witty and suitably banter-y. Nathaniel Thorn was easily my favourite character being wonderfully sarcastic and also bisexual. Yay representation! Rogerson's writing is also brilliant. Her rendering of scenes left me breathless with detailed images in my mind that I would want to paint if I had any artistic skill. Small interactions deepen characterisation and there are many imminently quotable passages, with much of Silas's dialogue being truly terrifying.  

Plot wise, it was predictable, which is not exactly a bad thing and there were enough plot twists to keep me engaged. The concept of this book was astonishing, the world building was interesting and truly the selling point. The atmosphere of the Libraries, the steampunk world, the statues coming to life, ladies with swords down their dress, demon footmen. Just impeccable. All of it was just excellent. 

However what let me down was that some plot elements just weren't explained, or explained really really badly. I mean the reason that the books listen to Elisabeth, the big reveal...is because she grew up in a Library. That's it. All the previously murderous books suddenly treating her like she is a beloved niece...is because she grew up in a Library...I am sorry but what! That is such a boring and lazy reason and it really felt like Rogerson didn't really know what to say. 

I appreciated the unique concept and world that she tried to convey. I was aware of her intentions and inspiration with the whimsical world building, snarky love interest, secretly soft demon, etc. Unfortunately there was no romantic chemistry between the couple at all, (they felt like siblings to me), and the villain is one-dimensional and moustache-twirling. There are definite merits to this book and I appreciate the effort to create a unique type of fantasy story, and while it wont win any awards, it was fun and enjoyable. 

Age Rating 14+ Nothing untoward. Some low level fantasy violence and kissing. 

Ninth House (#1) - Leigh Bardugo

"Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman
class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive."

I really enjoyed this book, it was right up my alley. Secret Societies, Old Universities, Magic and Academia, Ghosts, Magic Tattoos, Tradition and the "Old Boys Club" being infiltrated by someone who definitely doesn't traditionally belong there. It was a bit slow to start but I, personally, enjoy slower paced books. Bardugo's atmosphere building is top notch and her plot kept me guessing and interested. There are also some really stunning writing/ aesthetic moments that, if I had any drawing skills, I would love to draw. The dialogue was fun and snappy. The character's a good mix of cliché and unique. 

I am not very fond of Alex’s character just yet, she’s indeed a hard girl to love but I think she might grow on me after a while. I already love her wits and confidence so I just need another push to be sure I love her.

I feel that Leigh Bardugo definitely seems more suited to writing more adult slanted content. There is no YA, which seems to have come to mean tweens and up, content here, okay. This really is young ADULT. 

If this book is one thing, it's violent. There are some graphic scenes that show sexual abuse, rape, drug addiction and the sexual abuse of minors. There is trauma and pain and it's not glossed over. That said, it isn’t the grimmest, or bleakest book I’ve ever read. In fact, Bardugo sometimes tries too hard for big, dramatic horror, and the violence comes off as gratuitous, her ghosts sometimes too chain-rattling to believe. Ninth House is about all kinds of trauma, yet I found that the consequences of such a monumental thing are barely brushed upon. The novel is rife with flashbacks, seen through Alex’s eyes as she passively witnesses the horrifying events of her past, but her trauma-suppressed memories seemingly only resurface whenever it's convenient for the plot, and without much of a statement being made besides. And that occasionally struck a sour note.

There’s a lot going on in this book. It is something hard to get into because the beginning is extremely confusing. The action is quite slow and not necessarily that complex, but somehow, until the end, there is something there. Something that leaves you thinking that you actually really enjoyed it. I am keen to read the second instalment when I think the magic aspect of the series will also come into it's own and we will get a better understanding of the characters. 

Age Rating 17+. As said above, quite a brutal book that includes no small amount of abuse. 

Golden Son - Peirce Brown

"As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface
of Mars, enduring backbreaking labour while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within.

A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth. Though the road ahead is fraught with danger and deceit, Darrow must choose to follow Eo’s principles of love and justice to free his people. He must live for more."

I find that this book is a huge improvement on Red Rising. The first book was very firmly in the realm of basic YA Sci-fi tropes with a more brutal twist. In Golden Son however, the stakes are raised, the world is further fleshed out and Darrow has to really flex his subterfuge skills. 

Darrow was a Gary Stu in every possible way in Red Rising. He's The One. The Only One who can bring down the Golds and help the Reds rise. He can overcome any situation, no matter how horrible or impossible. I can completely see why this bothers some readers even if the novel contains intense fight scenes and dramatic rescues. It certainly bothers me. It just gets to a point where you start to say, "COME ON ALREADY."

Golden Son completely crushes that. Right from the first scene in the book, we see Darrow failing at something important and no one wants anything to do with him besides Roque. I enjoyed that Darrow was humanised in this way. It also made the stakes so much higher as you knew bad things could actually happen now. 

Golden Son is focused on war and politics, plots and treason that put you on constant alert. Pierce Brown imagined and brought to life vivid, heart pounding space battles and massacres, he crafted high-tech spaceships and luscious palaces brimming with poisonous snakes. He introduced radiant new characters -let's take a moment to appreciate Victra, the glorious House Telemanus and wonderfully Stoic Ragnar - and explored old ones, giving them voices and backgrounds and motives and actions that increased your understanding of their humanity. The death toll was extremely high. The nameless lives lost unimaginable. But this battle song of deviousness and blood was injected with moments of jolly laughter and camaraderie that made the book fun and enjoyable. There were also a couple of scenes that where powerful and raw, in their simple gestures and scarce dialogues. 

All around a wonderful book. I mean, will it win any awards, no, does Darrow still speak like an inspiring Knight occasionally, yes, however it worked. The book gripped me and I desperately want to read the next book. The ending, oh goodness, that was a cliff hanger and a half. 

Age Rating 14+. If you have read the Hunger Games, you can read this. 

Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood

"Cat's Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who
returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal. Elaine must come to terms with her own identity as a daughter, a lover, and artist, and woman—but above all she must seek release from her haunting memories. Disturbing, hilarious, and compassionate." 

I loved this novel to bits, and it scared me way out of my comfort zone. It was one of the most intensely revealing reflections on childhood and its impact on grown-up life I have ever encountered, simply because the story is so common, and so universal, and so typical. The idea of confronting a childhood bully with one's memories is terrifying, especially as one can never trust the mind to behave as a grown-up when confronted with deeply hidden childhood fears and wishes. 

It touched on a deeply personal aspect of my life. The desperation of trying to understand culture and social realities. The complexity of relationships between women of nearly all ages is often a difficult thing to fully comprehend let alone commit to paper. Generally, we find it easier to communicate with men. While with other women you are forever grasping at straws, unable to determine which layer of superficiality you are dealing with and which of your layers of feigned cordiality or fabricated fellow feeling may win their favour. But Atwood, the mistress of the craft that she is, has brought the private, secretive world of female bonding's alive and demolished one of the greatest pop culture stereotypes ever - that of the mean girl. 

Elaine isn't a very likable character, she does terrible things and becomes a bully in her own right but you can't help but relate to her. She is such a viscerally real person that could be any one of us. She acts believably in every situation, even if it didn't shown her in the best light.  

But Atwood, in her typical style doesn't keep to one theme. While exploring the effects of bullying, Atwood also explores the themes of womanhood and the terrible ways the girls assert dominance and how this snide womanhood follows us into adulthood. This is an exceptional novel and one that I had a difficult time setting aside. The writing is razor-sharp. Based on what I’ve read so far, it seems Atwood doesn’t gravitate towards sentimentality. It works especially well here. There’s much more than what I’ve relayed in this review – you’ll find dry humor, thoughts on marriage, feminism, aging, as well as a child’s exploration of religion. This one, along with Alias Grace, is definitely a clear favourite.

Age Rating 15+. Sex, sexuality, bullying, Adult Topics. 

We Hunt the Flame (1#) - Hafsah Faizal

"Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves
the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya--but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds--and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine."

I was so keen on this book but it unfortunately falls flat. The main thing carrying this story is definitely the Arabic representation. It just gives the story a lush and cultural feel that is much needed in the book world. Had you taken that away.... 

The writing is very good. I never felt bored. I related to the characters and was enveloped in the world and there was some genuinely great prose. It was only after reading the book did I realise there wasn't much to actually be enveloped in. It was a great quick fantasy romp with no deeper pull. 

The full promise of We Hunt the Flame is swallowed by an overreliance on clichés. Once the main arc disengages fully from the shadows, it turns out to be fairly standard for a fantasy novel: A long-lost artifact to retrieve. The threat of dark magic hanging over everything like a shawl. Evil sources scheming. Enemies turning reluctant allies. Everyone is, of course, burdened by a tragic backstory with the always necessary brooding Prince and quippy side kick. 

The bare-boned plot of We Hunt the Flame meanders towards a conclusion that doesn't pack as much suspense as it could. Zafira’s quest is utterly non-earth-shaking, and the novel often shies away from the full impact of the magical stakes, and as a result, some of the grander moments were robbed of gravitas.

Not only does the plot come late, but it also felt like the story was making the deliberate decision not to raise too many questions about the worldbuilding in order to focus, instead, on the character arcs which weren’t even that gripping to begin with. If you decide to have a character-driven plot, please actually make me know the characters. They all started to care for each other for no reason. The bonding was so sudden. 

This was all bad enough but what had lowered my spirit still further is the fact that I picked up this book expecting a story grounded in a stellar Arabian setup, unfortunately, We Hunt the Flame doesn't linger there long. Too much of the world is glossed over, or left naggingly blank. As for the characters of We Hunt the Flame, they are a collection of stereotypes that we oftentimes see in YA books. I did enjoy Altair and his quippy banter though, but it wasn't original. Most of them are only special to the extent they serve a purpose, and once that purpose is met, they are no longer needed.

If you want to read a wonderful Arabic inspired fantasy I would instead direct you to City of Brass by S.A Chakraborty or even And I Darken by Kiersten White. 

Age Rating 14+. Some cringy teenage make out sessions, death and torture. 

Raybearer - Jordan Ifueko

"Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised
in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself?"

I am conflicted about this book. Taking into account this is a debut novel I am really really impressed and I am looking forward to seeing more from this author as she grows. I really wanted to love it and part of me did. I loved the mixing of different cultures and the African setting. It is unique, individual, and I am thrilled by the explosion of POC fantasy books on the market. It’s just really great seeing new authors telling stories about their cultures. The book mixes cultures that took inspiration for Africa, France, Korea, China all mixing and merging was beautiful. It was also interesting to think about a world where the African continent was the most powerful and how would that make our own world look. 

It was also an interesting critic on colonialism and the dangers of unity rather than equality that never turned didactic. Ray bearer is a novel that understands empire’s tremendous and insidious power. That they can eat holes into the bulwarks of many cultures, destroying entire edifices, and it can be very, very convincing while it destroys them. I wondered again—for the thousandth time—if that is the truest death: being slowly rendered invisible. 

The actual writing style had some really lovely moments and I felt grounded in the story's setting and tone. 

I also enjoyed the asexual representation however it was blink and you'll miss it. I wish that was explored more.

However something was missing for me in the book as a whole. 

I wish there was an exploration of polyamory. I genuinely thought that was where this book was going to go from the opening scenes and the blurb and I was excited to see and explore that dynamic. However, it turns out that most of the characters split off very neatly into couples. I think this is unlikely. If you are all telepathically connected, have been together since childhood, and literally sleep in a puppy pile of the floor every night...well.

On that note I really wanted more interactions between the people in the Ray. We only know Sanjeet, Dayo and Kirah. I can't even remember the names of the rest of them. There is one sweet scene where the girls are having their hair braided...but that was it. I really felt that is undercut the emotional depth of the book. One of the main themes of the book is Tarisai finding her "found family" where she can be loved and excepted, but then we get no sweet family interactions, it was disappointing and a waste of potential. The other cultures aren't fleshed out enough either to ground the characters, some are literally boiled down to ohh Chinese name, farm rice. Right... just feels lazy. 

The main antagonist, "the lady" was unfortunately less then terrifying. It was hard to relate to Tarisai's fear of her.  It felt like the author was trying to get across she had the potential to be a good person, but through the evils of patriarchy she became evil. I mean...sure not being appreciated and abandoned can make us do terrible things but raping a man, abusing your daughter and trying to kill a child. Well, I think that's just you, not the patriarchy. Thus the Lady trying to garner sympathy honestly just sounded like a delusional user.

The plot was all over the place. I was hooked the first third. It was gripping and made sense and was full of life. Then it slumped for the second third. It felt like a chore to keep reading at points and I had to take a break from it, which I almost never do. I felt like the author brushed over meaningful events that would have been interesting to explore, and focused on things that weren’t very interesting. Furthermore, throughout the story it felt like certain events just conveniently happened in order to drive the plot forward.

 The entire Redemptor arch felt very tacked on and just didn't seem to sit well with the rest of the book, it was introduced to late and had no grounding. The climax(es?) were meh. Things finally started to pick up again in the final third of the book, and I was back into it. There were a few interesting twists and a good climax that seemed to occur a little early in the book .... but then there were like 50 more pages of confusion ... and another climax that I was not expecting at all. It set the book up to continue the series, but it was just so jumbled and really left me uninterested in the direction of the series. 

I think overall this book would have been much better if it had slowed down with the plot, taken time to flesh out the characters, dynamics and world building more. Give us small personal moments with the other people in the Ray. Show us why they all love Tarisai, show us why she loves them. Display the characters different cultures and how they interact with each other. This could have been a large scale, epic, sweeping novel spanning continents with rich and lush cultures.

Age Rating 15+. Nothing untoward, some vague allusions to sex. However the rape that the Lady performs, while off page still isn't appropriate for younger audiences. 

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. 

The Sisters Grimm - Menna Van Praag

"Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an
army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity . . .

As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths.

To realize their full potential, the sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. 

They have thirty-three days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love."

The concept for this story is fantastic, fallen star soldiers, elemental sisters, dreamscapes and misty Cambridge nights.  Unfortunately we are never given enough explanation to make the story understood. As a matter of fact, a lot of things are not explained at all. This leaves the world feeling flat. 

I also found myself disappointed. When I pick up a book with Grimm in the title, I have fairy tales, red hoods and thick German forests come to mind. However we get nothing that even closely resembles anything thing to do with Grimm other than Liyana occasionally likening her sisters to fairy-tale characters. 

Sisters Hecate would have made more sense. 

And as for Wilhelm Grimm... I am still confused as to his character. Is this one of the Grimm brothers turned demon (somehow?), or is this a demon/devil who happens to be named Grimm and commands all of these girls who have something to do with fairy tales? His existence, as is the brief and repetitive view that we get of Everwhere, are not expanded enough for me to feel any impact from this character or setting.

Unfortunately this disassociation from the characters was also true for the girls. I felt very little for them. I think it was due to the constant POV change, as soon as I was really getting to know them I was whisked away. I also have a small gripe that kept on dragging me out of the story. All of this girls are supposedly 17, about to turn 18. That's a large plot point. But they all act well into their 20s? Bea is studying at Cambridge and is having an affair with her Teacher?? I mean... really ...at 17?? Goldie as well is still a minor, yet is the sole guardian to her brother yet they never comment on having to hide that fact to avoid child services. All the girls have sex like bunnies with seemingly grown ass adult men, I mean. It was just really odd to me.

The plot style is definitely up to preference. It moved and unfurled achingly slowly. All of the action is crammed into the last chapter, with the sisters only meeting right at the end. Throughout this novel, I felt that I was ambivalently moving along while waiting for action to jump into the moment, any moment, and save the day. It never really does. The constant jumping back and forth from past to present without any Then vs Now made for an uneven, bumpy switch in narrative.

When we eventually get some action, the sisters defeat of their father is lacklustre and unbelievable. These girls have a spark of magic that grows and forms mostly in dreams, and suddenly it is all re-awoken, embraced and used so very knowledgeably.

I would have really enjoyed this novel if it had been longer, the girls meet in the middle of the book and started training then, and there was way more world building. 

The writing itself is very good, and I am thankful for it.  I would be interested to pick something else up by this author, purely from the writing and unique concepts. But I was far too confused in things that I wanted more understanding of, as well as lacking any real investment in the characters and the pace at which they moved, to be fully immersed and enjoy the tale.

Age Rating 16+. Sex, sexual abuse of minors, murder. 

This Savage Song (#1) - V E Schwab

"Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city
where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters."

It seems like V E Schwab is taking over the YA world. I have read quite a few of her books now, with out especially going out of my way to find them. I would say that out of all of her books, this is probably my favourite so far. 

This book was a solid read that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to someone as a holiday read. The writing was good, I’ve never had a problem with her writing. It has always felt punchy, shading to lyrical. The worldbuilding was handled well too. The concept that an act of violence could actually spawn real monsters was just fascinating to me, and I thought it could open up some really interesting moral discussions and parallels. It was intricate and woven into the text, neither info dumping nor overly confusing. Which is rare in worlds this elaborate and extensive. Overall, this was creative and pretty well done.

While I loved Schwab's "A Darker Shade of Magic's" world building, I found the characters flat and emotionally disconnected. In this book, I felt more connected to the characters. However while this is true the actual characters occasionally irritated me despite the more connected feeling that I had for them. 

Kate Flynn, while obviously meant to be strong willed and bad ass, occasionally just came across as a bitch. There is a difference between a strong, fierce female character, and one who is a rebellious jerk just for the sake of being one. I disliked her from the first page, as she ruthlessly set fire to part of a school run by nuns for the grand, noble reason of "I don't want to be here." However that being said, she did grow on me, as you start to see her more vulnerable and broken side. 

August was the one that frustrated me the most. He's one of those emo, martyred, tortured souls that seems so lost in his own self hatred and guilt complex that he actually endangers those he cares about. It got really irritating. The current tope of the love interest being a guilt ridden monster only for it to come out they don't really do anything monstrous but are actually a sort of avenging angel with an punk make-over...yeah not overly emotionally moving. 

It sounds great to have a female lead yearning to be a proper villain to appease parental pressures. It sounds excellent to have a male lead who is vulnerable and searching for his humanity. But somewhere in the process of breathing life into these characters, Schwab missed the mark.

Even with Schwab's amazing talent for weaving words together I cannot in all good conscience tell you that this book will blow you away.

Schwab's writing style is undeniably interesting and fluid in a way that only a master of writing can achieve.

However, the story, the characterization, and unfortunately even the world building will leave you feeling like something crucial is missing. Which is disappointing with such a promising and potentially deeply philosophical premise which is never fully actualized. 

Age Rating 15+. A few quite brutal murder scenes. 

Spud - John van de Ruit

"It’s 1990. Apartheid is crumbling. Nelson Mandela has just been released from prison. And Spud Milton—thirteen-year-old, prepubescent choirboy extraordinaire—is about to start his first year at an elite boys-only boarding school in South Africa. Cursed with embarrassingly dysfunctional parents, a senile granny named Wombat, and a wild obsession for Julia Roberts, Spud has his hands full trying to adapt to his new home.

Armed with only his wits and his diary, Spud takes readers of all ages on a rowdy boarding school romp full of illegal midnight swims, raging hormones, and catastrophic holidays that will leave the entire family in total hysterics and thirsty for more."

OMG this is a wonderful book. It had me rolling around on the floor laughing at times. As a South African there is so much that reminded me of home, there is much that hasn't changed despite the change in times. It really captured the wacky spirit of modern South Africa. 

Written in a Diary format that doesn't usually appeal to me, it was actually handled very well and I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style. I don't know if the humour will be funny to non-South African's but I truly found it hysterical. 

While there isn't actually much to do with the political climate in South Africa at the time in the book, there are mentions of it. For example while the prepping the father does might sound stupid and exaggerated, it is however exactly what many white South Africans did at the time. I think Spud's obliviousness is incredibly accurate for many of the white children going through this huge change, they had no idea what was going on and many didn't even know what Apartheid was. 

Spud as a character was lovably ordinary. Not standing out at anything, he is oblivious and has no real formed character yet. He is on a journey of self discovery. Themes of belonging, madness, love and friendship grace the pages throughout the book, and all the while, you will laugh with the boys and their ordeals going through an entire year being together in boarding school.

The last section does take an unexpectedly serious and sad turn. I am not sure that is was necessary or realistic but it made me sad none the less. I was shocked at times during this books for the content that van de Ruit was happy to introduce. For example - the realistic, yet absolutely horrifying hazing, awkward homoerotic subtext, the disgusting suggestion of a student-teacher relationship, drunk teachers, etc. All expressed with very raw and crude language. While I did find myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion, and found the setting [South Africa] and time period [1990] to be intellectually interesting and close to home, there was a lot to be found in this novel that made me uncomfortable.

Age Rating, for the above reasons, should be around 15+. 

The Art of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson

"Two boys. Two secrets.

David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl.

On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan.

When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…"

As I am neither transgender nor know anybody that is trans I thought it would be interesting to read a book highlighting their issues and struggles. I am deeply interested in the experience of everyone and wanted to get to the nitty gritty emotional heart. However, this isn't what this book is at all. 

There is really very little, actually no, indication or exploration as to David/ Kate's inner struggle. We come into the story when they have already discovered their trans and wish to transition. This means that the emotional heart of the story is gone and I am left reading a common high school YA Drama with a very slight difference. I might sound like I am exaggerating but it has the whole group of misfit friends, main character bullied, mysterious new kid, freaks come together and find a home, happy ending at the end of year winter ball. I mean please really!!! So bloody American and it is set in Britain. 

I had serious difficulties connecting with the characters, especially with David. She is 15 years old if I am not mistaken, but she acts like a 12-year-old. In most situations, David and her friends seemed way too young and immature. Their behaviour was not according to their age. Their lack of depth and complexity added to my inability to connect with these characters and made them seem even more childish. David is also way too pushy. If she were real I probably would have hit her for being so obnoxiously curious. There is something called privacy and difficult topics. I get that she is supposed to get Leo to loosen up and slowly stop hiding behind his walls. But the level of pushiness (that a word?) that David shows is maddening.

I also have some real issues with the way transsexuality was represented at times. First of all, for 98% of the novel, David, who is, in fact, a trans girl is addressed with male pronouns. Even by Leo in his internal monologue after he finds out she's a trans girl and only refers to her as 'she' when she's wearing feminine clothing. Even in private he calls her a he. That's something that really irked me. From another trangender person, it showed a lack of understanding that was just unexplainable. And secondly, Leo's gender is used as a plot twist, which is not what someone's sexual orientation or gender identity should ever be used for. And no, this was not a spoiler, for the exact reason that I just mentioned.

So after reading I have absolutely no better understanding of the emotional termoil or mental confusion that comes from trying to figure out your trans. I got a light hearted teen flick that bored me. 

Age Rating 14+. Leo has an awful family and also describes an extreme bullying event from his past school. Quite a bit of swearing.

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.

The Northern Lights - Philip Pullman

"Without this child, we shall all die.’

Lyra Belacqua lives half-wild and carefree among the scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon, Pantalaimon, always by her side.

But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle – a struggle born of stolen children, witch clans and armoured bears.

As she hurtles towards danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win, or to lose, the biggest battle imaginable."

Lyra and her daemon, a animal companion and representation of their soul all humans have in Pullmans world, Pan have lived their wholes lives in Jordan College, Oxford. Lyra has been raised by the scholars there and has grown up half-wild, not listening to authority, always getting into trouble, not being the well-behaved little girl the scholars hoped she'd be. While her uncle, Lord Asriel, is visiting the college to ask for funding for his latest expedition, Lyra hides in a wardrobe and hears all about the possibility of other worlds, which Lord Asriel wishes to explore, and about Dust. This grief childish accident starts an long and treacherous journey with amazing alternate universes, scholars, witches, daemons, armoured bears, Gyptians and anything else you could possibly imagine. Pullman takes you on an incredibly journey from Jordan College to the Armoured Bear Kingdom of Svalbard. 
I've got to admit that Pullman created a wonderful new universe with all kinds of interesting elements taken from different cultures. Some if this did seem random (I noticed the odd Dutch name here and there, which to me came out of nowhere as none of the story is set there), but I do admire this element of the book enormously. The Witches and Panserbjorne where firm favourites!! However, at the end it suddenly becomes very clear that this is, in fact, a book critising religion, using the fantasy elements as a metaphor for religious terms we are all familiar with, most notably Dust as a scientific explanation to sin. To me, this came a but out of nowhere and I hope it is more fleshed out in the next book as it is a very interesting premise. 

Written as a childrens book but equally absorbing to any adult reader, I would not hesitate in recommending this first book in the Philip Pullman 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. It is wonderfully enthralling and paints a world that you long to visit. It is slow paced at the beginning but it soon ramps up with enough twists and turns to keep the pace of the plot zooming along rather nicely and many interesting characters along the way. 

Age Rating 13+. There where some adult- ish themes. The scenes of cutting the deamons where very visceral and the discovery and death of the little boy was disturbing. The battle between Iorek and Iofur was also quite brutal.