Review: The Island

The Island by M.A. Bennett
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

What a ridiculous book.

Check my updates - that word basically sums up my entire feelings towards this book: RIDICULOUS

The short version: Ostracised nerd Link is stranded on a deserted island with fellow schoolmate stereotypes. They must learn to work together to survive. There are a sh*t ton of pop culture references.

'People that are bullied aren't necessarily nice people, just because they're victims.'

That quote basically sums up the horror that follows. Link, who is bullied for three years by his classmates, turns into a total menace on the island. He's actually bummed his classmates survived and proceeds to use mind games to assert his domination over them. It's pretty messed up.

I honestly didn't like any of these characters, and the whole thing is just so far-fetched. Firstly, all the stuff at the school. Totally unbelievable that students would be treated in such a manner. It was so exaggeratedly absurd that I was rolling my eyes from the start. How am I supposed to feel sympathy when I just don't see any of this stuff actually happening? Bullying is a very real problem and I feel like this book really undermined the seriousness of it. Then for Link to become an absolute tyrant on the island just seemed too much. I hated the way he thought, and acted, and treated everyone. When we were giving redeeming qualities, they were too little, too late.

Then you get to the actual idea of these kids being stranded on a deserted island. Except no one remembers the crash, no one has shoes, and a whole ton of stuff doesn't add up. I was so bothered by stuff these kids didn't even think twice about. Idiots, the lot of them.

Also, this scrawny, non-athletic kid gets muscles after like three weeks? On a diet of fish and goat? PLEASE. Dude didn't even lift.

The whole overlying theme of this 'Deserted Discs' business did nothing for me, because I've never heard of it. I know maybe a handful of the songs mentioned. Maybe that will be more interesting for English people. *shrugs*

The one thing I did love was the book references, particularly the devotion to The Count of Monte Cristo, which is of course written by my favourite author of all time. But I gotta say, watch out for spoilers because this book has now ruined The Mysterious Island for me. There's a ton of references to books that involve islands, obviously, and the natural reference to The Breakfast Club, and a ton of music references ... it's all about that pop culture. It pokes fun at itself with continual references to Lord of the Flies. But ultimately it fails to be anywhere near as intelligent as all the books it references. It's just too strange and unbelievable.

Sigh. It wasn't terrible writing, it was just a really weak story. The idea is interesting but it went in strange directions and I just never got into the groove. Overall, it was just kind of disappointing.

If you're expecting any of the things the blurb brings to mind (Lord of the Flies, Breakfast Club, Gilligan's Island, etc.) then you're likely to be disappointed. I'd say the key to enjoying this one is low expectations.

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Review: Louise de la Vallière

Louise de la Vallière by Alexandre Dumas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is easily the weakest book of the series, but it still gets four stars from me because this series stole my heart and will keep it eternally.

Unlike its predecessor, this book is aptly titled because the focus moves away from our beloved musketeers and onto court intrigues, particularly surrounding the titular Louise, who has been (un)lucky enough to capture the attention of King Louis XIV. This is the main aspect that makes this book drag so much, as we're inundated with lovers' quarrels and meetings and plots etc. There are still some fantastic characters, but the action is less and the politics more.

The story opens with Athos asking the King's approval for Raoul to marry Louise (on Raoul's behalf). Sadly, that's the last we hear of Athos for the rest of the book. Ah, how I missed him and his invaluable sense of honour! I can just imagine him hearing about all of the drama that follows and thinking, 'I am way too old for this sh*t'. We get a little of Raoul as a consolation prize, but even he's sent away for the latter half of the novel. Thank god for de Guiche, who compensates a little for the loss of these two illustrious figures, even if he loses his own head to love.

D'Artagnan appears to face down the smack-talking de Wardes, who is the son of the dude d'Artagnan pretended to be back in The Three Musketeers in order to bed Milady. It kinda makes sense that de Wardes is a little angry but he talks so much crap about everyone that it's nice to see him get served so elegantly by d'Artagnan. Also great that Raoul is surrounded by supportive friends in de Guiche and Buckingham, who back him up and threaten to rumble with de Wardes if he doesn't reign in his mouth. I loved the interactions between these young fellas. You can kind of see a shadow of our musketeers in their friendship.

Having made his peace with de Wardes, d'Artagnan then sadly disappears for the next 400-odd pages, leaving us to deal with all the drama at court. And man, is there drama.

There's the jealous Gaston d'Orleans, brother to the king, married to the sister of England's new king. The sister is Henrietta, who is loved by basically every male who meets her, causing all kinds of drama. Buckingham, de Guiche, and even the king, who is her brother-in-law. She, in turn, seems to love all of them until she decides she's over it, and basically rampages around stomping on people's hearts, or stamping her foot petulantly if they remove their heart from her range, first. She wasn't my favourite, but she sure makes things interesting!

Louis is quite a fascinating character, as he's trying to be responsible and run a country, but he's kind of being carried away by his heart. Everyone in this book seems to do stupid things in the name of love. Boys were so much more romantic back in the day. *sigh*

Louise herself is my least favourite character because I'm completely devastated by her disloyalty to Raoul. That boy loves her with his whole heart and Louise gets carried off by a fancy for the king? These hoes ain't loyal! It made me so mad that she barely stops to consider him. Raoul totally deserves better.

Aramis, the sly fox - or master spider, rather - is tangled up in his own little webs, manipulating everyone in favour of Focquet. He's always up to something, and appears the most of our favourite four musketeers, albeit still too infrequently for my liking. I have enough loyalty to love him no matter what, but I really question his actions. He's certainly nowhere near as noble as Athos and I cringe at some of the decisions he makes! I'm so glad that d'Artagnan is there to love and yet still suspect him on my behalf. It's such a twisted relationship, and they lie to each other constantly, but at their core they're still bffs so it's all good?

Then poor old Porthos is stuck in the middle, unaware! I have so much respect for our friendly giant. I mean, he's kind of savage, and I get a malicious glee when he destroys things accidentally because he's misjudged his size or strength, but he's so caring and loyal and naive and never suspects any of his friends of wrongdoing or deceit. I love when d'Artagnan wins him over to his own side, but in my mind I suppose Porthos will always be Aramis's right-hand man. His sword-arm, really.

There are some seriously interesting dynamics between that constantly evolving friendship of our four musketeers.

There are still some great moments in this book, and de Guiche had a few at the end that had me pretty anxious and biting my lip! Even all the plots are so twisted that they keep things interesting.

When I originally read The Man in the Iron Mask, I skipped this book in my impatience to get to it. Now that I have a better understanding of all this drama that's happened, I'm really looking forward to having a better understanding of what comes next. I don't think it's particularly necessary to read this one, but it certainly adds a lot more meat to the story, and gives some fascinating history, too.

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Review: Eleanor's Secret

Eleanor's Secret by Caroline Beecham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Finally manage to find a war book that wasn't a complete drainer!

This actually kept me pretty entertained. It was blessedly light on all the horrors-of-war details and focused more on the art and artists, which I found quite interesting. It's a new angle, thus quite refreshing.

The split views between the 1940s and 2010 also allow for variation and make things a bit more interesting, particularly as the mystery surrounding Jack's disappearance grows deeper and more intriguing. I was very curious about what happened to him, and was praying for a happy ending!

On that note, I feel like the conclusion fizzled a bit. There was the potential for big dramatic impact but it was a lost opportunity. I don't think I felt quite the desired effect.

It was an entertaining story pleasantly divided between Eleanor's past and Kathryn's present. It tackles a unique angle which makes this instantly more entertaining than so many other war books out there, and the characters were likable enough to inspire a little empathy.

Highly recommend for those who love war-era historical fiction.

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Review: Grace & Fury

Grace & Fury by Tracy Banghart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I CAN'T DEAL WITH MY FEELINGS RIGHT NOW.

I mean, DAMN.

This book blew me away.

1. Feminism
2. Nomi
3. Asa vs Malachi
4. Empowerment

JUST WOW.

Story: Serina and Nomi are sisters, inseparable until now. Serina has prepared her whole life to be a Grace - basically a pleasure slave/arm candy/trophy mistress for the prince. Nomi, her spirited younger sister, is destined to serve as her handmaiden. Naturally, things go awry and suddenly Nomi is the Grace and Serina is spirited away to an island prison full of rebellious women where she has to fight to survive.

I LOVE this story. It's all about women being oppressed, so it kinda takes real world problems and magnifies them to make them a thousand percent more obvious and it sets my Inner Feminist raging. EQUALITY FOR ALL, DAMMIT! But really I think what makes me most mad is that women are not allowed to read or write and that's just the most hideous form of oppression I've ever heard of. (I'm exaggerating, obviously. Please don't skewer me. My point is just BOOKS ARE LIFE.)

So straight away I was hooked because I felt an immediate sympathy for these two sisters and their horrible prospects. Plus, they just seem like good people. Obviously I had a softer spot for Nomi because she's the rebel, and who doesn't love a rebel? But I also really loved Serina being the protective older sister. Full marks for sibling love.

The princes confused me. And I'm pretty sure they're not technically princes but I'm gonna call them that anyway. I liked Malachi straight away even though Asa seemed like the cheekier of the two, but then throughout the story I kept changing my mind. They both have good points and bad points. However, I think it's safe to say that I've wound up firmly in Camp Malachi. Super fun dynamics there, though.

Prison Island was so much fun! I mean, brutal, obviously, but who doesn't love a good training montage? And some of these women are so badass! It was all very Wonder Woman - had that real Amazonian vibe. My soul was crying out for them all to rise up and conquer together.

Val was a really important character in that I think it was necessary to have a strong male presence that was in favour of women's rights. Plus he cute and all. <3

The alternating viewpoints were much appreciated: I hated leaving one sister for the other but I got so invested with every single chapter. It's like cliffhangers over and over and over. But gratification like a chapter later. So it keeps the tension up and makes the book hard to put down! Plus it was really interesting to compare the sisters' views and experiences.

For YA fantasy, this just felt like a really powerful novel. I feel like the whole topic of female oppression is handled really well, though I'm looking forward to this world being fleshed out a little more in the sequel. Some fantastic characters, and heart-stopping moments, and from about halfway onward this book was like a thousand anxiety attacks. SO TENSE. I both loved and hated it at the same time.

Highly recommend for lovers of YA fantasy, women who support women, men who support women, people who love twists and turns and battles and plots and basically just go read this book okay?!

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Review: Intricate Deceptions

Intricate Deceptions by Jennifer Rayes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is another one of those times that I've been disappointed by the blurb.

It sounded so exciting and dynamic, and there are some great ideas here, but it's poorly executed and relies on too many cliches.

Here's the story: Gaia wakes up in a cell, having been kidnapped by bad guys. Her cell mate is a girl called Emily who she befriends almost instantly, but they're torn apart when Gaia is rescued but Emily is left behind.
Gaia is taken to the palace of Prince Raoul, who gets a bad case of insta-love, and romantic hijinks ensue while Gaia tries to figure out who she is.

So firstly, there's a weird blend of modern and fantasy, because we have trafficking rings and drug cartels and normal hospitals and paramedics but as soon as you introduce a prince from a made-up land I'm thinking fantasy. So I had a really hard time figuring out the setting, and even though there was absolutely zero mention of it, I felt like there were spaceships involved. I don't know why my mind went there - it does weird things, sorry. But I would attribute my over-active imagining in this case to a lack of exterior details. I found it all really confusing because nothing was really described beyond cells and palaces. What world was this set in, exactly?

Second, the plot weaved all over the place. I was hoping for dramatic action (that blurb really talks it up!) but, even though there is a lot happening, it races through the action to focus on the romance and that bugged the crap out of me. Gaia is rescued and lives in a palace for a bit while she tries to remember who she is. Then she's told who she is. But through it all we learn very little about how she's dealing with everything - ptsd from being captured, anxiety from not knowing her past, not knowing who she can trust, who anyone is, living this life of luxury after being kidnapped - none of this rates because she's too busy getting all flustered over boys.

Now let's talk about that romance, shall we?

I'm guessing the author is a big reader herself, because I read a lot of scenes in this that I've definitely read elsewhere. Unfortunately, because these weren't uniquely created moments, they were delivered poorly. Let me also talk about one scene in particular that gets my blood boiling.

There's a deserted passageway Gaia is sneaking through. A Hot Boy approaches. He is intimidating, but Gaia finds him instantly attractive and it doesn't matter if he says douchey things because he's hot. For some reason, Hot Boy pushes Gaia against a wall and kisses her, against her will. Gaia is horrified but her body responds and she really enjoys this unwarranted kiss. Finally she snaps to her senses and pushes him away, he says something totally creepy that makes her weak at the knees, and then he departs, leaving her all flustered.

Firstly, women being all over this non-consensual stuff in fiction bothers me SO MUCH because THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN. No woman wants to be violated against her will! And it doesn't suddenly become okay because he's attractive. No. This is just such harmful trope and it sickens me that people think this makes for romantic fiction. And I say people because this is not the first author to create this scene. It is rampant in fiction and bothers me every single time I read it. I'm gonna put it here in big, bold letters for anyone who might be confused: IT IS NEVER OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE AGAINST THEIR WILL. So yeah, I took major issue with the 'romance' in this book, because it reads more like what women fantasize about but would actually hate to experience. Sure, maybe you fantasize about that super-attractive person coming up and randomly planting one on you, but I can tell you that if it were to actually play out in real life, there's a high chance you'd feel pretty violated by the experience.

Sorry, I think I'm done ranting now.

Conclusion: the romance in this story is unrealistic and full of cliches and absolutely ruined this book for me.

The fact that I read through til the end suggests the story was still interesting enough. A lot of it was trash - but it was all the stuff that was trying to be other authors' ideas. The unique directions the story took actually kept me interested, so my main problem with this book was the taint of trying too hard to be like everyone else.

The author has talent and unique ideas, so I think if she focuses more on her own voice there's the potential to create some really strong stories in the future. With more attention to world-building and unique storytelling, this could be a real winner. Just needs to dial back the rubbish romance, create more believable characters and spend some more time crafting a dynamic plot.

This book was reviewed at the author's request. Many thanks for my e-copy.

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Review: The Novice

The Novice by Taran Matharu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Look. I've watched, like, 11 seasons of Supernatural, so when a blurb tells me a main character can summon DEMONS, I'm expecting some badass mofos that are gonna tear the place up.

What did this book deliver?

HARRY POTTER MEETS POKEMON.

To say I was disappointed is an understatement.

So let me have my lil (actually huge) rant and then I'll say some good stuff to soften the blow, okay?

Firstly, Fletcher seems like an okay character to begin with, and Didric was a total douchebag so I kinda wanted Fletch to get some revenge. I loved the early village stuff. I was really rooting for the guy.

But then he gets to this Battle School (don't even get me started) and he just becomes like this Perfect Prince of Justice and Equality For All and I can't deal with how ridiculously polite and accepting he is. He's always like, 'oh, I am so completely sorry, I can understand why you would feel this way, and perhaps want to kill me, but I would really like to explain to you that it would be better if you didn't kill me. But I can totally understand why you would want to, so you just go ahead if that's what you need to do.' and he instantly befriends everyone (except the bad guys, duh, because treating everyone equally obviously doesn't include bad guys) and when people yell at him he just apologises and tells them he understands and they apologise back and POOF! instant BFFs. THIS ENRAGED ME. No one has a spark of humour, no personality, no bite. They are all just boring pacifists. WHERE IS THE SASS??

So then we start having classes and meeting new people and teachers and I am not kidding when I say this seems to have borrowed a little bit from Harry Potter. The first two people Harry Fletcher befriends are a boy and girl who are kind of loners who are frowned upon by the nobles. He's also picked on by a snotty lil noble boy who doesn't think commoners should be allowed at Hogwarts Battle School. And the principal of the school seems a bit biased in his favour. As do most of the (non-evil) teachers. But the characterisation here really sucks because everyone is pretty 2D and no one really gets their own shining moments or background or anything, really. It's all Harry Fletcher. Who is an arrogant fool who bosses everyone around like he's the Chosen One. Huh. He also becomes strangely attached to teachers for no reason? What a weird kid.

So the worst part of this book ripping off elements of bestsellers like HP and LOTR is that it fails miserably where those books succeeded so brilliantly. For example, I was never a big HP fan, but damn, I developed a soft spot for Snape. He's so deliciously malicious. This book couldn't even make it's villains entertaining. Everyone is so bland. Aragorn Arcturus is pretty cool but he's grossly misused. I liked Othello, but he kisses Fletcher's ass way too much. Seraph was fun and effortlessly cool but just not featured enough. He needed to have a bigger role. I coulda really fallen for that guy. (Note: I am not even kidding with these names. They just get more and more ridiculous.)

The writing is pretty terrible, and I would think this should be classified more as Middle Grade, than YA. It's immature and has gaping plot holes all through it, and Fletcher constantly assumes the correct outcomes as though he's actually psychic. No one ever makes mistakes - no one ever thinks the wrong thing, jumps to the wrong conclusions, slips up with the magic ... it just adds to how boring the whole thing is. I mean, I was entertained enough by the story but there's just no drama. Easier to overlook in a new series, as there's plenty of world-building to keep things interesting, but it doesn't give me much hope for the next book in the series. It's all well and good to have creativity and a unique story idea, but you need to be decent at storytelling, too, and go a bit deeper than the single story you want to tell. I like fantasy to have layers, like a head of lettuce - where everything kinda overlaps and it gets better the deeper you go. This story settles comfortably on the surface, and we all know what happens to the outermost layers of a lettuce, right? (I throw mine in the compost. Does anyone ever actually eat them?! [I hope not. It'll ruin my metaphor.])

So, to recap:
-Fletcher is too perfect, making him perfectly annoying
-This book blatantly rips off better fantasy series, particularly HP and LOTR.
-The writing is terrible
-The story is shallow

Now, THE GOOD!

The whole demon thing.

So completely not what I was expecting. As I said, Supernatural has trained me to expect chaos and darkness and mayhem with my demons. There is zero chaos and darkness and mayhem relating to demons in this book.

That being said, these demons are the freaking cutest things ever.

This is where the Pokemon similarities come in. Because 'demons' are actually these cute lil hybrid animals from 'the Ether' who are Summoned and become bonded with their summoner. So Fletcher ends up with this lil salamander demon who is basically Mushu sans sass and more adorable. But this book describes a ton of these things (and they're all adorable - there's bonus content in this edition that includes sketches and the lil smile on the Golem's face is priceless. He's so freaking happy!) and they have battles and stuff and look, it's basically Pokemon. These kids are all basically training to Be The Very Best and Catch 'Em All.

And I don't even care how cheesy and terrible that makes this story. Animals are cute, and hybrid animals that do cool things and are super loyal will easily steal my heart and make everything okay again.

So basically, the HP part is terrible but the Pokemon part is a whole lot of ridiculous fun and there are a lot of stupid names but I guess it's not so bad. It's a terribly written fantasy with rubbish people but great animals.

Recommended for: People who love Pokemon, people who love fantastical animals, people who love horrendous character names

Avoid if: You don't want to see your precious Harry Potter ripped off (badly), you like a decent plot, you hate plot holes, you like depth, you're expecting a little carnage and/or mayhem, you hate animals (you monster!)

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Review: Siddhartha

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Me reading the first paragraph: Sweet jeezuz I feel like I'm already in struggletown with this trash.

Me from page 2 onwards: THIS IS SO PROFOUND I AM AN ENTIRELY NEW SPIRITUAL BEING.

So, yeah. Kinda loved it.

There are so many facets to spiritual growth, and I loved how layered Siddhartha's learning was. He begins his journey with a very strong will, and I was impressed by his determination to follow his own path. But every time he/the reader thinks he's become superior, there's the revelation of another lesson to learn. The discussion of materialism is here, but also of learning from all experiences. It raises plenty of psychological questions, and I really appreciated the thought that went into this story.

This is a spiritual journey that will lead the mind to a lot of interesting places, and hopefully convey some lessons that will allow the reader to appreciate more of their own life experiences. If that's not really your thing, you'll get an interesting story about a guy who wanders the world, experiencing many of its pleasures and learning from everyone he meets.

I loved this so much more than I thought I would, and I definitely got a lot out of it. I'm actually amazed at how much zen its given me. I'll have to go out and buy a physical copy so I can return to this repeatedly. There's a lot of wisdom here.

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Review: Golden Boys

Golden Boys by Sonya Hartnett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What the frickerfrack was that!!

Literary fiction, man. It does my head in.

So this review is probably gonna be short because here we have another book that was just not my jam.

Aussie suburban kids, summer. Kids doing silly things and making dumb assumptions about adults. Adults being ridiculous and a-typical. DRAMA. At first I thought this was about the over-dramatisation of kids but then I progressed to thinking it was about how observant kids can be and honestly, after finishing, I'm still not clear on which it was.

Colt is a perfect kid who hates his perfect dad. Freya is a silly little girl who hates her dad but loves Colt's. Freya's dad is a jerk who hates everyone, Colt's dad is a mystery who seems to love everyone but possibly doesn't? or does too much? I don't know. I was so confused. I'm still so confused.

I'm starting to realise I kind of hate literary fiction a little bit. Because it spends so much time telling you pointless details (for example half this book is a list of toys and typical Aussie foods) that it almost forgets to include the story, and then when it finally decides to tell you a bit more of the story it assumes you already know it so it's vague and frustrating. I have no idea what this story was about, other than 90s kids and some terrible parenting.

Read this if: you love stories that dance around the plot with vague dialogue and dull details; you love indulging in nostalgia; you enjoy scratching your head wondering what just happened or nodding in appreciation because you're one of the rare people who enjoys untangling all the hidden meanings

Avoid like the plague if you: like action, hate boring details and repetition, didn't grow up in Australia in the 80s or 90s, prefer clear and concise stories.

Didn't hate it, can appreciate it will be enjoyed by many, but not my thing.

Also, that ending. I don't get it.

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Review: The Song of Achilles

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

WOW.

This was brilliantly written, and so elegant, considering the subject. Well worth all the praise I've been seeing!

Honest and captivating from the start, this story re-tells the life of the Greek hero Achilles in a much more accessible fashion than the old classic, The Iliad. We get to read about him as a young boy, as he trains, and as he falls in love with our narrator, Patroclus.

I'll admit it - I was worried. I knew there was going to be a focus on this romance, and knowing how brutal things were in that age, I was concerned there would be graphic content that would be too much for me. But this love story is told so elegantly and with great respect, and it really warmed my heart. Patroclus is the softer of the two - he's an exiled prince with no taste for killing, whereas Prince Achilles is destined to be the greatest warrior of the Greeks. But while there is this difference between them, the relationship is one of equals, and I really loved the way their story was told.

The first half of the story is fairly light, as the two learn and grow. Then begins the Trojan War, and we all have an idea of what went down there. The detail in this story is meticulous, and I actually learned a lot about the legend that I never knew. I could not stop reading. It was absolutely captivating as they dealt with one thing after another, and the brutalities of war are again described in such a way that the picture is clear with only a few words.

The only thing I really took issue with was the way it ended - I was curious the whole time, knowing how the legend ends, but it went in an unexpected direction that left me more puzzled than delighted. Fitting, perhaps, but it ended things on a bit of a strange note for me.

On the whole, this is a sweet love story set against the backdrop of the Trojan war. It's an easy way to get to know the legend, and it tells the truth of things concisely and with a sophistication that makes this a very classy novel. Well worth reading.

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Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was kind of fascinating in terms of the case, because who isn't curious about unsolved serial killer murders? Most people have heard of Jack the Ripper (and if you haven't, how big exactly is the rock you live under?) but personally I've never looked into the details of it except for maybe watching that one Johnny Depp movie.

So subject matter - entirely fascinating.

Audrey Rose is a cool character. I like how she's such a feminist considering it was the 1800s, but it also irked me a little because I felt like a lot of the arguments against sexism were kind of modern? Like I get that it's possible there were contrary women back in the day who had their own ideas and whatnot, and I'm sure there were stereotypes like her tea friends, but it just felt a little too much like the author was using a history piece to discuss the absurdity of current sexist injustices. But maybe that's just me and I'm a little sensitive. Audrey is cool, though. She has no time for your misogynistic crap.

Thomas was a catch, too. Who doesn't love a smarmy, arrogant douchebag with a heart of gold? At least Audrey resisted him a bit. That whole kiss-or-kill dilemma ... *sigh*

Nathaniel was an interesting character but there was too little of him for my liking, and I was pretty confused about how I was supposed to feel about their father. This story seemed to jump around a bit and for some reason I found it hard to really lose myself in the story. I really enjoyed it, but was never totally invested.

I'm pretty mad at the blurb because the story makes this big deal about 'who could possibly be the killer?' but you have a pretty short list of suspects after reading the back cover. It bugged me. That being said, I worked out the killer pretty early on and it didn't hugely impact my reading experience. Is it wrong to be so fascinated by gore?! Like, I don't really care about solving the mystery, I'm way more curious about what he did to those bodies. I feel a little sick though when I take the time to remember this actually happened to real people. Those poor women. Such an absolute injustice that no one was ever convicted for their murders.

I have read so many glowing reviews for this book and I think that's where my disappointment comes in. Because I enjoyed it, but nowhere near as much as everyone else seemed to. It was a good story, and it's nice to read some gritty YA for a change, but it was still too predictable and familiar to really blow me away.

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Review: Bluebottle

Bluebottle by Belinda Castles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was one of those books where I kind of enjoyed it but also kind of had no idea what the point was?

We've got alternating viewpoints between 'Boxing Day' and 'Afterwards' to keep things interesting, and it centres on the Bright family and their rather strange father, Charlie. A girl has gone missing, and Charlie's behaviour seems rather odd, which gives the two teenage children, Louisa and Jack, some concerns. In the present day, they family all have their own lives, but are still close both physically an emotionally. Only one of them didn't make it to the 'Afterwards'. *dramatic gasp*

Story:
Totally fell flat for me. There wasn't really any drama, and the issue of the missing girl isn't a big factor. This story is more about fancy words and saying things in a convoluted way. It's probably more about Charlie, and how his 'oddness' is dealt with by his family. Not really a solid storyline to work with.

Characters:
Charlie is definitely odd. Clearly he has a mental illness - probably some form of autism, as he doesn't quite understand social cues and he focuses on things to the detriment of everything else. He behaves strangely and criticises his children and wife. I felt a little sorry for him towards the end as we got to know him a little better, but mostly he was an unlikable character. Tricia, his wife, was a bit of a non-entity, though I did find her transformation quite entertaining. Lou was probably the favourite - she's a bit more ballsy and says what she thinks, and it's hard to remember that she's just a 15yr old girl. Jack was intriguing but nothing special, and Phoebe was a lot of fun. Basically, the girls wear the pants in this one. They're all pretty well established, but it does take time - at the start I was easily getting everyone confused, particularly as the parents are Charlie and Tricia, as opposed to Mum and Dad. Not too much empathy for anyone here, though, to be honest.

Writing:
The worst part for me. It was so random and vague and was working so hard to set the scene that it stumbled over the story. It jumped around erratically and needs you to assume things for yourself, which I don't mind normally but this was too much for me. It does paint a really pretty picture of life by the sea, but I was so confused by the geography because there are pools and stairs and rooms that were just never detailed enough for me to follow what the setup was. The 'dangerous' moments meant nothing to me because I didn't even realise there was the potential for danger. It was seriously confusing.

Overall: I enjoyed it, but it was a bit of a nothing kinda story. Lots of fancy, flowery language and interesting characters, but I think I would have had more respect for this story if instead of floating around the edges of Charlie's illness it just came at it head on. There is an intriguing story there, with lots of moral questions, but here it's kind of lost in the vague writing and the effort of telling every other story but Charlie's.

This will be one for the readers who love clever words and phrases, fancy language, and reading between the lines. It'll score bonus points for lovers of Aussie fiction, particularly if the reader knows the NSW coast. If you're interested for the mystery, this will probably disappoint. If you're in it for the character study, you'll likely be more impressed.

With thanks to the publisher for my uncorrected proof ARC

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Review: Absolute Proof

Absolute Proof by Peter James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was so intrigued by the synopsis of this one that I had to start it as soon as I received it.

Here we have Ross Hunter, an investigative journalist, who receives a call from a crackpot man of questionable sanity who says he can offer absolute proof of God's existence. Ross, naturally curious and far less skeptical than he should be, decides there's no harm in seeing what this old loon gentleman has to say.

So from there we embark on the journey to prove God's existence. Now, I'm not particularly religious, so I'm pretty ignorant about biblical legends, but I feel like this could have been far more exciting than it was. There is a lot of superfluous detail in here* that just seemed entirely irrelevant - lots of info on the trips Ross takes, his texts to and from his wife, Imogen, what everyone eats, and the music they listen to. There's also a lot of missed opportunity - for example, Ross travels to Paris at one stage and all we see is a hotel room before he's back in the UK. There's very little in the way of fast-paced action. Highly disappointing.

The scope of this story is so massive, and I imagine it will affect readers differently, depending on their own religious beliefs. Personally, as someone who does not believe in God, I found a lot of this to be far-fetched, and Ross's lack of skepticism really bothered me. I have so many questions and criticisms and found it incredibly frustrating that so much was just taken at face value. There are plenty of theological questions, but nothing is properly addressed and the story travels from real-world thriller to borderline fantasy. There are a lot of moments that lack logic, even when accounting for a lack of logic.

I'm also curious as to how proving the existence of Jesus Christ would constitute definitive proof of God's existence? But that could just be my ignorance showing.

We've also got a few greedy villains - a pastor who cashes in big on people's faith, and an atheist who seeks to increase the power of his pharmaceutical company. Plus Ross's wife, Imogen, who is just whiny and annoying and, honestly, I don't know why Ross didn't just dump her ass. The pastor was delightfully disgusting in his views, so I rather enjoyed reading from his egotistical viewpoint.

I enjoyed most of the journey, even if I was thrown by the direction it took, but it just never really grabbed me because it seemed rather slow and plodding, and there was a disappointing lack of puzzles and riddles to solve. (There were also some glaring continuity errors which will hopefully be fixed when the book is officially released in October.*)

Overall, it was an okay story, but not quite as action-packed or clever as I was hoping.



*This review is based on an uncorrected proof copy

With thanks to the publisher for my ARC

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Review: Rise Sister Rise: A Guide to Unleashing the Wise, Wild Woman Within

Rise Sister Rise: A Guide to Unleashing the Wise, Wild Woman Within by Rebecca Campbell
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF @ 40%

This is where I gave up entirely:

'The more time you have spent in spirit form, the more difficulty you may find being in a human body. Many of us have incarnated on other planets where third-dimensional laws just don't exist. This is one reason why we may feel heavy,uncomfortable and trapped in our physical bodies, using food and other substances to keep ourselves grounded.'

Incarnated on other planets? Really???

I mean, I actually believe in reincarnation. I like the idea that our souls return to this world in different forms. But throw in interplanetary reincarnation and you've entirely lost me.

That was my problem with this whole book. I enjoy reading about ways to open the mind and connect with the soul, but this just took things way too far for me. It's also kind of negative?? It always starts with, 'we are all doing X terrible thing so instead we need to do this other good thing.' It comes across as very superior.

My expectation: Here are some ways that we as women can connect to our souls, which will connect us to one another and allow us to become more powerful beings.

What I got: I was living a pointless life until I had a profound spiritual awakening and now that gives me the right to tell you that everything you are doing is wrong. Here's a bunch of random abstract ideas you can worship to get you on the right path.

I'm done. I'm so done.

This one is for the hardcore hippies only. You want something decent about how to harness the powers of the feminine, go read Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype.

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