The Darkest Part of the Forest - Holly Black

"Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…
As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?"

The Darkest Part of The Forest is a standalone urban fantasy about two siblings - Hazel & Ben, who live in a weird small town that borders a kingdom of fae and elves and all kinds of mythical creatures. In the woods, there is a glass coffin and in it sleeps a horned beautiful elf prince.
Hazel & Ben - a forest fire and a gentle breeze, having too much earth and freedom in their hearts spent their childhood walking on the wild side, chasing cryptids and bad ideas (Hazel with a sword and Ben with hypnotizing music). That is, when they're not lying on the glass coffin, making up stories about the horned boy who's asleep beneath.....until he disappears overnight.

You know me and urban fantasy... I absolutely adore it. I loved the deadpan normality that the villagers viewed the Fae and all the children coming to school with amulets and charms. 

I found the character of Hazel interesting but occasionally difficulty to relate to. She went to a lot of parties and kissed boy, without any remorse about breaking their hearts. Her interaction with Jack asking him to "distract" her with sex was just, well mind bogglingly awful. The use of a person as a distraction or object is just repulsive. If Hazel was a boy her actions would be that of a fuckboy and universally disliked but for some reason as she is a girl it is acceptable and even romanticised. I also found Ben, I don't know, whiney?? I found his romance with (spoiler)  Severin to be, while nice and unexpected representation, completely unbelievable. Severin is a manipulative dick the majority of the book and while he might know everything about Ben, Ben knows nothing about Severin other than he is hot. I mean come on!!

The impact of the twins childhood and their past hit hard with me however. The neglectful and nigh abusive up bring was heart-breakingly rendered. You really felt the frustration of having no one to blame as the parents have matured to actually be functioning parents. 

The descriptions of the Fae and their ball is beautiful and well written with Holly Black really capturing the unsettling, threatening beauty that they possess. Jack, a changeling living with his human brother, was one of my favourite characters always having to walk the fine line between two worlds. The occasional slips of his human mask where some of my favourite scenes. 

However I found the plot design to be infantile.The story was simple and there where no interesting twists. It was boringly predictable. While it is supposed to be a fairy-tale subversion it plays out just like a fairy-tale. Person with no powers, monster invades village, must protect love ones, find out they are special, team up and defeat evil, happily ever after. The monster also just didn't scare me for some reason. At no point did Sorrow make me creeped out or even slightly worried. The Alderking, while he had potential, was just a pantomime villain. The best baddie was Severin and he was a goodie!! Unfortunately this lack of menace really didn't make me relate with any of the characters because I didn't fear for their safety.  

The story of Sorrow wasn't even original but a reused legend that my Mom told to me when I was young. 

Overall had potential but ended decidedly lack lustre. Ended up feeling, without a solid plot, too much like a feminist homosexual RA RA. While I am a feminist and part of the LGBT community myself it can't be the sole plot point, it must be a part of an already good story. 

Age Rating 14+. Make outs, underage drinking and an abusive childhood that while not explicit is described occasionally. 

Things Bright and Beautiful - Anbara Salam

Mission House was not built for three people. Especially when one of them won't stop humming.

1954, the South Pacific islands. When Beatriz Hanlon agreed to accompany her missionary husband Max to a remote island, she knew there would be challenges. But it isn't just the heat and the damp and the dirt. There are more insects than she could ever have imagined, and the islanders are strangely hostile. And then there are the awful noises coming from the church at night.

Yet as the months go by, Bea slowly grows accustomed to life on the island. That is until an unexpected and interminably humming guest arrives, and the couple's claustrophobic existence is stretched to breaking point.

Events draw to a terrible climax, and Bea watches helplessly as her husband's guilt drives him into madness. It's not long before Bea finds herself fighting for her freedom and her life.

It was a totally immersive and claustrophobic read throughout. Max and Bea have arrived in the New Hebrides, just a few years after the end of WW2. They are far away from their home in America, their accommodation is not much more than a shack. Their possessions have not arrived and food is limited. Max has followed his calling as a missionary and has brought his wife. They have hardly moved in when Marietta, the former missionary, bustles in and settles her objectionable rump into their confined living accommodation, upsetting the marital equilibrium.

Gradually they become aware of rumblings of unrest, forces at work in the jungle and a visceral feel starts to envelop the community – plantation workers are escaping, devil chasers are crawling out of the decaying woodwork and Max is struggling to keep his sanity. Bea however finds solace at times in the taxing environment, “the treacly mildew of the jungle” is like a siren, and syphons her resolve; she acquiesces to its clarion call.

But it gets too much too soon for the Pastor and he descends into a hell of his own. Those trees get darker and more dense, the island even more remote and cut off from reality. Delirium is his only companion before too long. This growing madness and spiral into hell on earth was sometimes difficult to read and when mention of the humming started, I felt myself getting as annoyed and frustrated as the characters. I swear I could feel those bugs creeping over me as I read.

I enjoyed the mixing of cultures and religions and Bea finding herself was enjoyable to watch. The end took me by surprise, coming totally out of left field. It left me sitting holding my book stunned and shocked, it was excellent. I also loved Bea's friendship and hardening to Jungle life. I would have liked to find more about Bea's past that was hinted at in little tit bits through out the book, might have added to our understanding of her character but it did add to the sense of isolation so maybe it was on purpose. 

The story does, however, get a little engulfed at times by the pervasive setting  and on occasion can make it a little heavy going. For me, the balance of story and setting wasn’t quite right. I found the book slow going. The writing, however, is astounding and I can' wait to see what the author will write next. 

Age Rating 16+. Some heavy subject matter and adult content. 

Carve the Mark (#1) - Veronica Roth

"Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power—something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.
Akos is the son of a farmer and an oracle from the frozen nation-planet of Thuvhe. Protected by his unusual currentgift, Akos is generous in spirit, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive—no matter what the cost.

Then Akos is thrust into Cyra's world, and the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. Will they help each other to survive, or will they destroy one another?"

Okay I have a confession, I don't and never have liked the Divergent series. I have read the first book and watched the first movie but that's as far as I have gotten. So I must admit I went into this book hesitantly. 

However I was pleasantly surprised. Its no shining light in the YA or Sci-fi genre but it was certainly more palatable to me then Veronica's previous work. 

I am going to get my gripes out of the way first. The three main characters in this book are:
Cyra, a Shotet girl who experiences chronic pain.
Her power hungry, villainous brother Ryzek.
And then there is Akos, a Thuvhesit boy fated to die in service to his Shotet enemy.(Excuse the ridiculous names.)

Let's start with Akos.... I've pretty much nothing to say about him. He was about as interesting as a piece of cardboard. Zero personality. One dimensional. A hole of unconditional love and acceptance is no fun to read about and unrealistic after a childhood in an enemy military training camp. Boring...move on!!!


Ryzek, the big bad, likes to rape minds and steal memories. He could have been a quite chilling character but his portrayal descended into pantomime theatrics and a sensitive subject such as forcibly taking what you want and thereby violation of another person was very badly handled and not showed as horrific as the idea is. He had no menace. 

And finally, there is Cyra. She's an interesting character. Her finding of herself and realising she can make herself rather then be moulded by others was a highlight of a book and a driving plot point. It's a bold move to attempt to write a character suffering from chronic pain... But was it a move that paid off??? Well with regards to the storyline yes! With regards of talking about it realistically I am not sure, the book ends with her being more or less "cured" so I am not sure how that sat with chronic pain suffers.  There where also a few plot hole here. It is said that because of the pain things take longer to do, that makes complete sense and I fully believe it would. However almost next scene Cyra is in the gym and it turns out she spars, like all the time??

I haven't even touched on the idea that Cyra's love interest in this story lessens her pain which just adds this book to the myriad of other YA novels out there that tells the reader that love can cure no matter what ails you be it a mental health issue or a physical illness...

Now on to the parts I really enjoyed. I personally enjoyed the world building. It wasn't in your face, needing pages of exposition but it saw also enough for you to understand the basics of the conflicts and gave a feeling of place. The sea planet sounded beautiful and somewhere I would love to see. The clear contrast between the cultures where well handled and I especially loved that being shown through the different dance types. 

Something I personally liked was the marking practise of the Shotet. The idea that you had to mark a loss and feel pain when you killed was beautiful to me. It wasn't something to do offhandedly, killing was a deep and awful thing to do that you should remember. 

I absolutely loved the idea of the current, a dimensional energetic force that connects and moves all thing was beautiful and just sat really well with me. The current gifts where a little confusing, I understand that they are supposedly "shaped" by the person but I didn't really see that in anyone by Cyra. Why did Akos have the gift he did??

The romance was obvious but well written. It was slow paced and based on a growing mutual understanding rather than instant attraction. Opposites attract with a soft hearted person like Akos at first being scorned by Cyra until she realises being soft is a kind of strength. Akos at first seeing a monster, slowly seeing someone doing anything to survive in a horrible situation. The dialogue was snappy and casual. 

The plot while it had a few holes was solid and had enough twists to make interesting. Overall a good YA and something I would be interested in reading the sequel too. 

Age Rating 14+. Mature content. Torture, killing and political intrigue with everything that entails. 

The Monsters We Deserve - Marcus Sedgewick

"'Do monsters always stay in the book where they were born? Are they content to live out their lives on paper, and never step foot into the real world?'

The Villa Diodati, on the shore of Lake Geneva, 1816: the Year without Summer. As Byron, Polidori, and Mr and Mrs Shelley shelter from the unexpected weather, old ghost stories are read and new ghost stories imagined. Born by the twin brains of the Shelley's is Frankenstein, one of the most influential tales of horror of all time.

In a remote mountain house, high in the French Alps, an author broods on Shelley's creation. Reality and perception merge, fuelled by poisoned thoughts. Humankind makes monsters; but who really creates who? This is a book about reason, the imagination, and the creative act of reading and writing. Marcus Sedgwick's ghostly, menacing novel celebrates the legacy of Mary Shelley's literary debut in its bicentenary year. "

This is a novel, and it isn’t a novel. This is a literary essay, and it isn’t a literary essay. It’s a book about how books are written (and how monsters are born.) It sounds like a odd combination doesn’t it? It works though, strangely enough. Taut, tense, immersive and unique. Written in a sort of easily accessible stream of consciousness, the story delves into the act of creation and relationship between the author and his work.

It’s about a horror writer who is undertaking some soul searching. He’s fed up of writing stories that simply scare people and has reached the conclusion that such dark writing gives nothing decent to society. He now wants to write something good and beneficial for his readers. He wants to talk about the natural world and monsters and people and everything in between. So he does. 
 

The book questions the act of writing, itself a form of creation. It questions the rigid nature of publishing and how writers are forced to shape their project according to reader expectation instead of letting the writing be what its wants to be. It’s a book that celebrates the natural world with its sharp descriptions and emphasis on the beauty of life. My point is, this book is lots of things at once. It’s fragmented and experimental, though it is also very perceptive and extraordinarily clever.

The element that will appeal to most readers is the way the book talks to a dead writer and her characters. Mary Shelley haunts the steps of the writer. She visits him as does her pompous (not my words) protagonist Victor. They discuss monsters and how our books come to shape us, establishing and defining us as a certain type of person: a writer of horror, for example. Through the interaction this slates Frankenstein heavily; yet, for all that, it made me laugh. All the criticism are fair and in a way, they add to the original work because they firmly establish how the book was a product of its time. Any narrative weakness only highlights how naïve and young the novel was during the early nineteenth century. Frankenstein is far from perfection, though it will always remain a literary marvel because of the themes it tackles head on.

I personally found what would have elevated this book would to include and discuss many classical horror books rather than focus so intently on one which leads to the book feeling a little one dimensional. I truly did enjoy the open ending and the up to you interpretation of the entire book. Did this man really see the ghost of Mary Shelly or was it one lonely guilt ridden man's decent into existential madness. I stand with the latter. 

I’m absolutely in love with the book design. It’s so simple and so precise, full of illustrations that accentuate what’s being said. More book covers should be this exact rather than attempting to be too flashy and intricate: it’s crisp, clean and effective.

Age Rating 13+. Nothing untoward but the writing style is philosophical and soul searching, touching on abstract concepts a younger audience might not appreciate. 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

"Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local "powhitetrash." At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and that the ideas of great authors will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned."

Maya Angelou ends her story of her youth with the birth of her son and that is a fitting ending for with a child comes an adult's responsibilities; although, she was only a teenager when she had him and had only had one very hasty and unsatisfying, almost impersonal, sexual experience to gain that son. It feels a bit abrupt when you are reading it, I had a son, the end.

She had a disjointed upbringing with much movement between households, all over the country, ending up in San Francisco, by way of the deep South and other states along the way. Her mother and father divorced early and her first memories are of her father's mother who raised her. She and her brother, Bailey were then moved to St. Louis to her mother's house, where she lived with her mother, brother and a Mr. Freeman. Since her mother was out working a lot, Mr. Freeman sexually assaulted her and eventually raped her. She was 8. Little girls and boys left alone with "boyfriends" often suffer this way. In this case she did eventually tell on him and there was a trial and he was found guilty, but only served one day in jail. He was found dead in a parking lot shortly after. Angelou strongly suspects that her uncles killed him. There are few hints that her mothers family had strong underground ties. 

Maya from then on loses her voice, both literally and figuratively, and doesn't speak for years. She says it's because her speaking made a man lose his life, but maybe part of the reason was because she was traumatized and angry and she knew her relatives resented her for becoming a different child afterwards, sullen and sad, and they expected her to get over it and move on. Her silence was the answer to that.

This is a moving memoir and very dark and she does move on, because she has to or give up. This story is told with a matter of factness that only comes from acceptance. Maya Angelou doesn't ask for pity or help, it is only a relaying of a life story, both unusual and frighteningly  common. 

Age Rating 14+. Mature themes. 

The King's Witch #1 - Tracy Borman

"In March of 1603, as she helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth of England, Frances Gorges dreams of her parents’ country estate, where she has learned to use flowers and herbs to become a much-loved healer. She is happy to stay at home when King James of Scotland succeeds to the throne. His court may be shockingly decadent, but his intolerant Puritanism sees witchcraft in many of the old customs—punishable by death.

But when her ambitious uncle forcibly brings Frances to the royal palace, she is a ready target for the twisted scheming of the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. As a dark campaign to destroy both King and Parliament gathers pace, culminating in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Frances is surrounded by danger, finding happiness only with the King’s precocious young daughter, and with Tom Wintour, the one courtier she feels she can trust. But is he all that he seems?"

This novel was written by a historian and you can tell, for better and for worse. I am not usually a fan of historical fiction as I prefer to read non-fiction regarding facts but this ones title intrigued me. The history surrounding this book was by far my favourite part. Reading about this tumultuous time was both suspenseful and fascinating. This historically accurate novel was also able to paint a painful portrait of women in court at the time which created a real sense of claustrophobia and lack of agency that isn't always associated with those of high social standing. I liked reading about Frances as a vehicle for describing women of this era but I found a few passages a little belittling to other women with more excepted interests of the time. Just because you like clothes doesn't mean your airheaded.The romance was too fleeting to be believable, I am not one for sappy romances but a few more pages and scenes together would have gone a long way. 

The writing itself isn't particularly descriptive which occasionally left me feeling like the physical setting was foggy, not quite being able to make out the details. I think this lack of description also came in to play with character building. Despite really enjoying Frances as an example for women of her time I didn't really feel a connection with her. Perhaps this is just the other side of the same coin. As someone who loves atmospheric novels I felt that this one could have used a wee bit more description to fully illustrate the setting. 

It had a slow start and I had no hints it was about such a famous plot. I don't think I will be continuing the trilogy but I would certainly recommend to someone who enjoyed this genre. 

Age Rating 13+. I am unsure if the scenes where people are quite publicly making out after banquets where historically accurate. I truly, for the sake of decency, hope not. 

The Burning - Laura Bates

"A rumour is like a fire. You might think you’ve extinguished it but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back into life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames …
 
New school.
Tick.
New town.
Tick.
New surname.
Tick.
Social media profiles?
Erased.
 
There’s nothing to trace Anna back to her old life. Nothing to link her to the ‘incident’."

I hadn't heard anything about this book before picking it up and the vague blurb kept me guessing. The last thing I expected was the plot I got. I won’t go so far as to saying I enjoyed the whole plot, however it wasn’t a painful or hard read. It was quite a light-hearted read for the content covered. 

This book tries to deal with some important issues of slut-shaming, revenge porn bullying, teen pregnancy, abortion, and double standards. Some I think it does okay, others less so, but I think the main issue is that there is too much in this book. I think it would have been much better if it focused on one issue and had that as the sole focus. The content is never hard hitting and is covered in such a PG way. 

One thing that really confused me was the lack of parental involvement or challenge; Anna has had private photos shared around school on social media twice, and yet no one considers contacting the police on either occasion. Anna is underage; she has had private photos sent around as revenge; essentially what we are talking about here is the distribution of child pornography. Yet no teacher (at either school) points this out, rather they just want to get rid of Anna. This is likely a realistic representation because it wouldn’t surprise me if teachers did this, but it was a little disappointing that this aspect of the book wasn’t addressed.

It did frustrate me a little how the three main girls resolution came about; it just seemed a little bit rushed and didn’t really give them the chance for them to really explore their issues. What frustrated me even more though was the reveal that Anna’s mother was the one who shared the information about her friends abortion with a previous friend. I know we’re meant to understand that Anna’s mother is lonely and wants friends, but we also clearly see her anger towards Anna’s past friends and their parents, so I honestly don’t believe she would then start yapping on with them about what was going on for Anna now. It just didn’t ring true to me.

What I honestly found a bit boring with this book was the flashbacks; they just didn’t intrigue me or grip me at all, and I found myself skipping through these sections as I just felt they didn’t further the plot at all. I appreciate they were meant to show parallels between the past treatment of women and how we treat women today however that concept, while a brilliant concept, wasn't executed well enough to actually mean anything. 

Overall a book that tried to cover tough topics that do need to be discussed but pussy footed around it too much to convey the true horror and invasion that it was covering. It's writing let it down. 

Age Rating 14+. As said above, covers some more mature topics and does describe the photos used for revenge porn.