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. 

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 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 Golem - Gustav Meyrink

"The Golem is a haunting Gothic tale of stolen identity and persecution, set in a strange underworld peopled by fantastical characters. The red-headed prostitute Rosina; the junk-dealer Aaron Wassertrum; puppeteers; street musicians; and a deaf-mute silhouette artist.

Lurking in its inhabitants’ subconscious is the Golem, a creature of rabbinical myth. Supposedly a manifestation of all the suffering of the ghetto, it comes to life every 33 years in a room without a door. When the jeweller Athanasius Pernath, suffering from broken dreams and amnesia, sees the Golem, he realises to his terror that the ghostly man of clay shares his own face...

The Golem, though rarely seen, is central to the novel as a representative of the ghetto's own spirit and consciousness, brought to life by the suffering and misery that its inhabitants have endured over the centuries. Perhaps the most memorable figure in the story is the city of Prague itself, recognisable through its landmarks such as the Street of the Alchemists and the Castle."

This book is easily the most disturbing, unsettlingly, nonsensical, confusing book I have read in a long time, maybe ever. It feels like an incredibly macabre adult version of Alice in Wonderland. You are dragged from nonsensical reality warping situation to the next, each infused with dark occult symbolism. 

Gustav Meyrink's unique infusion of Kabbalism, Freemasonry and the Wandering Jew mythos into the Golem legend can get murky at ti
mes, but in light of the author's own divided spiritual pursuits it makes sense that clarity remains elusive. As an early fictional reflection of this restless search for inner truth, it is disjointed, confusing and thoroughly disturbing. This novel is at times highly episodic in nature (it was originally published in serial form), alternately dwelling on various possible explanations for what is going on, while only tangentially maintaining contact with the overarching narrative. What is truth, imagined, dreamt or the result of madness is always unclear and I think purposefully so.  Though it comes full circle in a manner of speaking, it is still deliberately vague in its conclusion.

While the actual prose and lyrical descriptions are truly wonderful and haunting in the best way possible, I found the actual content of the book too disturbing to enjoy. It is a relatively short book but I found it a slog to get through as you never really understand what is going on. The characters while all so very promising, such as Rosina, Miriam, and the silhouette artist, are never fleshed out and are reduced to boring paper cut-outs. While I can see that Meyrink is trying to make a point in this book, his use of occult symbolism and narrative structure is too abstract to get his themes across with any poignancy. 

Age Rating 16+. Thoroughly disturbing atmosphere with some sexual illusions.

Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman

"God is dead. Meet the kids.

Fat Charlie Nancy's normal life ended the moment his father dropped dead on a Florida karaoke stage. Charlie didn't know his dad was a god. And he never knew he had a brother.

Now brother Spider's on his doorstep -- about to make Fat Charlie's life more interesting... and a lot more dangerous."

Through the book we follow Fat Charlie as he becomes immersed into the world of the Gods, something he is inextricably linked to as the son of the trickster god Anansi- from discovering primitive magic to his secret brother. His life is quickly thrown into chaos. His fiancee leaves him, his brother swoops her up and Fat Charlie is set up to take the fall for a very terrible person. All the while, he has to deal with the fallout from his dad's embarrassing death.

I adore the humour in the book. This is easily the funniest Neil Gaiman book I read. I found my self laughing out loud and maniacally giggling with Gaiman's humorous observations on humanity. Everything was so real while still having this wonderful fantasy element. 

It was also great to read a fantasy using myths from Africa. It was a great idea and an unusual touch. I loved being introduced to the gods and found some of the writing really moving and thought provoking. Some lines I  had to just sit and reread. This book could definitely be read on two levels. One where is is just a really funny fantasy story full of giggle and mishaps. But there is another deeper level. One which explores the nature of humanity, how our trickiness makes us human and reduces our brutality. How fun gives meaning to life and gives another dimension to the act of merely surviving. 

While this book takes place in the same world as American Gods - there is hardly any overlap. This can easily be read as a standalone. My only gripe with this book it the pacing. The plot progressed at a glacial pace but once it started ramping up, I was hooked - there were so many side plots that were masterfully interwoven.

Overall another excellent book from Gaiman, employing his signature mix of exploration of humanity, mythology, humour and magic realism. Age Rating 13+ A murder takes place and there are some allusions to sex. 

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. 

Deeplight - Frances Hardinge

"The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. But are they really gone forever? When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he’s becoming a monster—and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him?"

Hardinge is at her prime with this kind of world and writing; it's fantasy in the best way. There is a fleshed out world which is dark and intriguing, the premise of the recent history of this world has set up a perfect culture to explore whilst reading - an archipelago called Myriad once terrorised by these gods from the depths of the waters around them, who mysteriously perished after the cataclysm. Since then, an entire economy has been built (in an almost steam punk fashion) around the procuring and utilising of their remains also knows as godware.

This is the world in which we find our characters, a collection of deeply thought out, messed up, and bloody brilliant people who are flung into a rich and luxurious plot which is both fast paced and action packed but demanding to be read with slowness and pleasure. 

The narrative revolves around Hark, an orphan from a tough and challenging background, his dangerously troubling best friend, Jelt, who is so close as to be a brother to him. Their relationship may seem strangely bizarre, for Jelt is the most unpleasant of characters, cruel, manipulative and offhand about the dangers he leads Hark into, so intensely manipulative that you wonder why Hark does not boot him out of his life. However, their relationship provides an authentic exploration of the nature of toxic relationships. 

Hark is a wonderful character. A born story teller and actor he struggles to identify his true self. He's a good kid at heart but he's terrible at saying no and is completely blind to how toxic his friendship with Jelt is. It really frustrated me because I respected his loyalty but man was it misplaced. 

Selphin was an equally fabulous and loveable character. A young deaf girl, called sea kissed, is the youngest daughter of a smuggler queen but has become scared of water after a childhood accident. She is witty, sharp and incredibly strong. 

The world building in this story is incredible. It's limited to the Myriad, and while there is talk of 'the continents', they don't feature in this book. This is all about Hark's tiny world and it is full of the most amazing details. It's an interesting blend of science and mythology - I want to say magic but it doesn't feel like the right word here. It's more like ... the science in this world is just really different to the science of our world. These gods were real things and their makeup has provided advanced technology to those who have scavenged parts and experimented with them. It provides a lot to ponder.

The "Gods" where just brilliant. The way they where described was horrifying, I could feel the giant tentacles crawling up my leg as I read, and there was so much to them. There where plenty of plot twists in regard to their nature that I don't want to spoil. 

A lot less terrifying is how Hardinge made deaf-culture an essential part of this fantasy world. In the Myriad, losing one's hearing because of diving expeditions is quite common, and people who are "sea-kissed" are highly respected for braving the sea. Therefore, everyone here speaks sign language and is very inclusive; this is the kind of representation I want to see more of! It didnt feel forced and was incredibly realistic for the setting of the story. Really brilliant!

The writing was of the usual excellent Hardinge quality, who is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors. Poetic but not over powering, it sucks you in and leaves you occasionally breathless. The characterisation of even the minor side characters was masterful. 

Don't be fooled by this book. It is not a light, happy adventure story about a boy and the sea. It is dark and clever and explores some of the more difficult aspects of human nature. Racism,responsibility, ignorance, religion, relationships and the way that's stories shape us all. 

Age Rating 13+. Nothing untoward but I can see younger children being unnerved by some of the darker aspects. 

All the Crooked Saints - Maggie Stiefvater

FrombestsellingauthorMaggieStiefvater,agrippingtaleofdarkness,miracles,andfamily.Saints.Miracles.Family.Romance.Death.Redemption.

Hereisathingeveryonewants:Amiracle.

Hereisathingeveryonefears:
Whatittakestogetone.

AnyvisitortoBichoRaro,Coloradoislikelytofindalandscapeofdarksaints,forbiddenlove,scientificdreams,miracle-madowls,estrangedaffections,oneortwoorphans,andaskyfullofwatchfuldesertstars.

AttheheartofthisplaceyouwillfindtheSoriafamily,whoallhavetheabilitytoperformunusualmiracles.Andattheheartofthisfamilyarethreecousinslongingtochangeitsfuture:Beatriz,thegirlwithoutfeelings,whowantsonlytobefreetoexamineherthoughts;Daniel,theSaintofBichoRaro,whoperformsmiraclesforeveryonebuthimself;andJoaquin,whospendshisnightsrunningarenegaderadiostationunderthenameDiabloDiablo.

Theyarealllookingforamiracle.ButthemiraclesofBichoRaroareneverquitewhatyouexpect."Here is a thing everyone wants: A miracle.

Here is a thing everyone fears:
What it takes to get one.

Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars.

At the heart of this place you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform unusual miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future: Beatriz, the girl without feelings, who wants only to be free to examine her thoughts; Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, who performs miracles for everyone but himself; and Joaquin, who spends his nights running a renegade radio station under the name Diablo Diablo.

They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect."


This book was unfortunately and disappointingly boring to me. Maggie’s lyrical writing style is present throughout the book. The writing is truely drop dead gorgeous. I had to stop to re read many passages just because of how beautiful they where. But I never once felt fully immersed with this actual story. I have so many tabs of gorgeous passages filled with whimsical prose after whimsical prose, but the beautiful writing didn’t help me to actually care about these characters. This actually pains me to say, but I came very close to DNFing this book by the half way point, just because I was so uninterested with the main characters.

There definitely are better aspects. The imagery is really stunning. I absolutely adored the thing she wanted / thing she feared character intros: they were the highlights of the book for me.  There’s a very magical vibe to this book, otherworldly and a great example of magic realism. I enjoyed the scope of the Soria family and how positive and loving their dynamic was. Yet they still feel like a flawed, dynamic family. The trio of Soria cousins are great.  I do really love how Stiefvater plays with language and metaphor; it’s a lot of fun, and I’m sure you could annotate this for just her wordplay till the end of time.There are a lot of great ideas, the emotional execution was lacking however. 

Age Rating 13+. Nothing untoward.