Review: The Hospital: The First Mountain Man Story

The Hospital: The First Mountain Man Story by Keith C. Blackmore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was my first audiobook experience! I was sceptical at first because the narrator's voice was kind of monotonous, but once Alice came along I was in stitches over it.

So WOW how does one even review an audio?

The story: It's obviously a prequel to another series (which I've never heard of but will investigate after this so please chime in if you know it) so it's just a short lil horror story about a dude who gets more than he bargained for when he scavenges a hospital for supplies in a post-apocalyptic world.

The story itself was okay - I feel like it would have been quite ominous on paper but the language would have thrown me off. Gus seems like kind of a d*ck? So I wasn't really sold on rooting for him. It was a bit of a 2-star story I think, to be honest.

But the audio ... omg it was fkng HILARIOUS. The voices had me pissing myself laughing and Alice was totally creepy in a YIKES kinda way. It turned the coarse language into more of a dark comedy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't horror really, but it was hella creepy at times.

I found, with audio, it was harder to kind of immerse myself in the storytelling aspects - I think the first lil bit where he's gathering supplies would have worked better on paper, building the tension, but on audio it was kind of dull. I found it a lot harder to picture everything. But the narrator really made old Alice come alive and her screeching was just far more entertaining than I think it would be on paper. I think I probably would have rolled my eyes a lot at the excessive language, but listening to it was brilliant. Gus I could take or leave. Whatever. *shrugs*

The bookends of the story were mostly kinda ehhhh but that middle section featuring Alice was a highlight for sure. I don't know that it ever really made a lot of sense to me, or that I followed it quite as well as I would have on paper, but for my first audio it wasn't terrible.

I listened to a free download on Audible

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Review: The Club

The Club by Takis Würger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

...

What the heck man.

This was some addictive smack right here. Yet I have no idea what just happened.

Honestly, it was actually kind of ... tame compared to what I was expecting, based on the blurb.

It suggests there's a club of elite rich boys at Cambridge who are harbouring dark secrets about the kind of activities that occur behind the club's closed doors. Hans is tasked with infiltrating the club and figuring out what exactly is going on.

I was expecting all kinds of debauchery and scandal. I was expecting to be outraged, upset, disgusted ... I was just expecting to be dragged deeper and deeper into this scandalous world of privileged kids but it didn't quite play out that way. I was intrigued, and a little confused, but not too much more than that.

Reality is, there's just not a lot of substance in this book. Makes sense, since it's only just over 200 pages and an easy read that likes to skim details. It spends a lot of time on boxing, and the lads who box, and Hans boxing his way into the club's inner circle. Everyone gets drunk a lot but we still don't get any extreme behaviour from that, so it just ends up being a mediocre sort of story.

I was expecting a really strong emotional reaction to this story but I just never connected to it deeply enough. The characters weren't really fleshed out enough for me to care about them either way, and the story was soft and seemed afraid to explore the darker world it created. Honestly, the blurb is more tense than the entire novel.

I did find it to be an easy, addictive sort of read because I wanted to know what was going on, but it ultimately left me disappointed and scratching my head a little. I understand a lot of the subtext is about truth and I thought that was clever, but it was delivered poorly so in the end it all fell a little too flat for my tastes.

A thought-provoking novel but a little too thin for me to get properly invested.

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Review: The One Plus One

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am giving a lot of three star ratings in 2015!

This was a decent read, eventually caught my attention, but was slightly underwhelming compared to previous titles by the same author.

I enjoyed the atypical family unit and how they interacted, but there was just something about how it all came together that felt a bit predictable and failed to connect. The relationship between Jess and Ed had me cringing more than anything and on several occasions I had to put the book down before my eyes rolled out of my head.

I loved the kids, but take them out of the equation and this is a sub-par offering. I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't enjoy this more; I suppose it just seemed a bit washed out and unimaginative. Shame, because I was quite looking forward to being absorbed. Fingers crossed the next offering is a little stronger.

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Review: Withering-By-Sea

Withering-By-Sea by Judith Rossell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a middle-grade book, so personally I found it a little tame but as I'm clearly not the target audience I'll be reviewing it with that in mind.

It's a delightful little story: Stella lives at the Hotel Majestic with her three tyrannical aunts and dreams of the far-off places she learns about in her Atlas. Then one night she witnesses something she shouldn't and it puts her in the path of danger, running from an insidious enemy known as The Professor.

The setting is really beautifully detailed, and you feel instant sympathy for Stella who is treated pretty terribly. At the same time, there's not a huge emphasis on the bullying - her aunts aren't blatantly cruel, they're just cold and believe in being 'proper'. So while we don't particularly like them, they're not a ridiculous stereotype. At the same time, we can understand perfectly well why Stella wants to escape them.

As soon as Stella unwraps the package, magic begins to leak into the story, and suddenly there's more to this story than meets the eye. Suddenly impossible things become possible, and Stella's adventure leads her in a more mystical direction.

I loved the characters she met along the way, and wished they'd come into the story earlier. I loved the friends she made and I think her friendships are a really important element to enjoying this story. There's also no grand gestures to cement things, which I thought was really good. There's no reason she makes friends, other than that's what happens with people of a like mind. It felt very genuine and warm.

There are also some important moral lessons about helping, and pity, and understanding. For a children's novel, the characters are fairly grey and I think that's what will make this book stand out.

The illustrations are fantastic, too. They really spur the imagination and add an extra element of enjoyment to the story. My favourite was the illustration on page 143 of Stella, Mr Capelli, and all those cats.

There's such a warmth to the story, and kids will be entertained by the situations Stella finds herself in. It's magical but also easy to follow, and The Professor presents an intelligent, malicious sort of figure to be properly terrified of.

It's a great story with fantastic illustrations, so I can see this being a bit hit, particularly with spirited young girls. Highly recommend for younger ones.

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Review: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the vampire novel I didn't know I needed.

It's just so much fun! I mean, don't get me wrong - there is a lot of blood and disturbing things, but it's kind of hilarious at the same time. What do you expect from a book with this in the author's note:

I wanted to pit Dracula against my mom.

It begins with Southern charm and a handful of housewives who get their thrills from books about murder mysteries. When a stranger moves to the neighbourhood and unusual things begin to happen, Patricia faces facts with practicality, determined to do whatever is necessary to protect the children of the town.

From the beginning, I loved how no-nonsense Patricia is about everything. She has that maternal instinct that means as much as she might not want to do things, if it means keeping her kids safe she'll knuckle down and get it done. Her husband, Carter, is a bit of a jerk who quite clearly takes her for granted, so I was really happy that she wasn't beaten down and cowardly. She stands up for herself and for those she believes to be in danger, and it makes her such a likeable protagonist. She is a fierce woman.

Being set in the South in the 90s, there are also some interesting observations on racism, and while it's not a focus of the novel it does well to raise sympathy and provoke the reader to consider the unfairness of it through cleverly not really talking about it at all:

At the end of the day, some rich white people lost their money. Some poor black people lost their homes. That's just how it goes.

There is also obviously a lot on the lives of housewives, and sexism is rampant among these husbands who think their 'silly' wives should be cleaning more and reading about murder less.

Most of all, it's just a fantastic, horrifying story about a group of book club ladies taking on the town monster and it is a lot of chaotic fun. The action comes fast and it easily becomes addictive, yet there's time to get to know and love (or loathe) the characters, too. The classic ideas about vampires are completely twisted, too, so it makes the story highly unpredictable. No garlic here, folks.

It's written brilliantly and intelligently, and I had so much fun reading it. It was also extra fun doing it as a buddy read over at Horror Aficionados because it's been great fun to discuss all the bits and pieces along the way!

Highly recommend this for horror lovers and for fans of dark humour. If you're into vampire stories, read this one for a fresh twist. And if you're just after an intelligent, creepy, slightly gruesome - yet humourous - novel to pass the time quickly with, this one is a must.

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Review: Very Valentine

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

You will enjoy this book if you are interested in:

-Shoe making
-Food and cooking
-Clothing and fashion
-Tepid romance and realistic relationships
-Big Italian family vibes
-All things Italian really
-The general monotony of every day life

You will not enjoy this book if you are interested in:
-Action
-Interesting plot
-Dynamic characters
-Heartwarming romance/relationships
-Escaping the general monotony of every day life

I am in the latter category and skimmed almost this entire thing. What a yawn fest.

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Review: A Nearly Normal Family

A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everyone is this book is completely unreliable and it made me so anxious making this a fantastic novel of suspense.

It's told in three first-person accounts: those of the Father, Daughter, and Mother. It relates to a murder that daughter Stella has been accused of, and the truths and lies as they spiral around the case.

It's gripping and tense, and you spend so much of the book questioning what everyone is saying that it's impossible to unravel the truth on your own.

The emphasis of the story is very much about how far a person will go to protect someone they love. There's a lot that tells you how this 'normal' family has a lot of issues, but at the end of the day they will stand by one another unquestionably.

The first eyes we see through are those of the Father, and man was he frustrating! He's so righteous and convinced the way he sees life is the correct way life should be interpreted. You can tell by reading in between the lines just how much he's fooling himself. I didn't like him one bit but that's a compliment to the writing, because he was such a believable character.

Secondly, we get Stella's account, which finally gives us some of the meat of everything leading up to the murder. We learn all the things she's been hiding while getting to know her character a little better. We're presented with someone who certainly seems capable of murder ... but there is a terrified girl beneath the hardened exterior and getting to know her better casts doubt firmly over everything.

Finally, the Mother tells of the final court proceedings and her own role in the drama while we, the reader, ponders how much is truth, and the real parts everyone played.

I loved how much it kept me on edge and how little I believed what anyone had to say. Everyone's integrity is questioned, and everyone is accused of lying so much that it's difficult to conclude who is actually telling the truth. There is a strong sense of justice being thwarted and it raises some chillingly realistic notions of how many people go unpunished due to flaws in the legal system, while others are punished unjustly.

This is a book that managed to make me think while still keeping the tension tight. It explores all the shades of grey between right and wrong, and will have you questioning your own moral compass and how far you yourself might go for someone you love.

A gripping novel of lies and deceit woven tightly by the hand of familial love. Highly recommend.

With thanks to Macmillan for my ARC

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Review: Children of Blood and Bone

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Damn, this is brutal.

On the surface, it's an adventure story about a girl trying to restore magic to the world. In reality, it's about racism and power.

The story follows Zelie*, a Diviner who lost her mother to the Raid that wiped out all Maji - people with magic. When she crosses paths with Princess Amari, she suddenly finds herself embarking on the quest to restore magic to Orisha.

If you're after a fun, light, fantasy read, this is NOT it. This is dark and brutal, full of pain, rage and hatred. Racism permeates every page and it's sickening. Diviners are those who have the potential to become maji, only now that magic has been banished from the land and the gods have deserted them, Diviners are treated as a blight. They suffer at the hands of the royal guards, and are referred to as 'maggots' - a slur that suggests exactly how meaningless their lives are to those in power.

It honestly broke my heart to read about it, not least because it's a racism that is very real in our own world.

However the element of magic introduces something of a conundrum - to overthrow their captors, magic must be restored to all Diviners. But if magic is restored and Diviners overthrow their captors, what's to stop them from raging unchecked throughout the land?

I really loved the opposing ideas of Zelie and Inan. Zelie wants revenge for the slaughter of her mother and all maji, whereas Inan sees magic as a disease that will lead to slaughter if it's allowed to return. It explores the concept of power and privilege, muddying the water around our heroes so that neither side is clear and pure. Zelie is motivated by rage and hatred, while Inan is motivated by loyalty to his father and the land. But both are most strongly motivated by fear of the other side's power.

While it raises some horrifying concepts, it does so intelligently and within a well-built world. While the physical image of the world was a little hard to get a read on with them moving around all the time, the atmosphere drenches the story with fear and a sense of uneasiness. The characters make the settings come alive and it's easy to fall into this world, though it's not a particularly fun place to be.

I loved the depth to the characters, and how real their emotions felt to me. Zelie is such a strong character and she's super fierce, but the lifetime of racism has clearly made an impact. No matter how tough she is, the constant beat down has her fearful at her core, and its that fear that allows us to connect with her.

Inan's point of view adds sympathy to the story, because here is a character who demonstrates racism as an expression of fear. It's a depressing viewpoint, but it makes sense through Inan's eyes, and his feeling that allows for some really important growth.

The glimpse at our own world through the safe lens of a fantasy novel allows us to be shocked without properly feeling the horror we should at knowing this is an actual reality in our own world. The author's note at the end asks that you consider those realities if this book made you feel the pain of these characters and I find it impossible not to. My heart bleeds for all those who have suffered at the hands of racism, and reading this story allowed me to connect to some of those people and feel their pain. I found it to be a powerful story, though at times it really was horrifying to read.

It's not without it's light moments, though - there are the dynamic relationships between each of the characters, and the bond between siblings Zelie and Tzain is quite beautiful. There's that fierce protection layered over by the kind of annoyance that only siblings can cause. Then you've got the growing bond between Amari and Tzain, and as a bit of fun there's a big ol' lion thrown into the mix. (Lionaire, really, which seems to be a giant, rideable lion with horns). Plus Roen adds some brief but completely charming attitude to the mix, oozing charisma from the second we meet him and causing me to promptly fall in love. I do so love a bad boy. *happy sigh*

Overall, it's a thought-provoking novel that's not for the faint-hearted, but those willing to tackle its ideas with an open mind will be rewarded by a fascinating, complex world with opposing ideas and layered characters whose development we can all learn from.

Racists are totally gonna hate it though.

*Please note: The book itself contains lots of accented letters - I am unable to recreate the accents with my keyboard.

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Review: Last Survivor

Last Survivor by Tony Park
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Last impressions definitely not as good as first impressions, that's for sure.

The Plot has something to do with stolen super-rare plants, a super-rare-plant society, and a hard-ass soldier-lady sent to investigate how it all links up to terrorism.

The story was there for sure but it was just drowning in detail. The author works hard to communicate all of the corruption and illegal dealings of South Africa and the Middle East, but there are so many place names, people names, group names etc that it's almost impossible to follow if this is all new information to the reader. For someone already a little aware of these things I imagine the details would be fascinating but for me it was just confusing and rather hard to follow.

Along with all the political/terrorist drama, the book likes to refer to all weapons and vehicles by specific names which, again, will be a thrill for people interested in that sort of thing but for me just became a tangled mess. It's what I think of as a 'Boy's Book': it's all about cars, guns and sexual tension. YES I KNOW AM STEREOTYPING.

So then of course there's the sexual tension and the author's obsession with everyone's attractiveness levels (as well as with age). Sonja is portrayed as this rough tough warrior lady who hates feelings and likes violence. If this is a 'Boy's Book', Sonja is very much a 'Boy's Woman'; she reads like a man's wet dream, to be honest. I liked that she was a badass, but I think it was taken a little far and at times she really grated on me with all the gung-ho crap. I haven't read the previous books, though, so maybe others have been warming up to her for three books already?

Aside from Sonja, there's also this undeniable attraction between Joanne and Rod, and then between Sonja, Joanne, and any and almost all of the men they encounter, because no one in this book can stop thinking about sex for, like, five minutes. Like I said - Boy's Book.

Anyhoo, if you take out all the confusing details and the awkward sexy moments, there's actually a fun story here involving smuggling, terrorism and plants. Also because it's set in Africa there are a lot of gratuitous animal moments which were fun. Even if I did get a little bored of elephants. But I think I would have followed the story a lot better if the details were kept to the essential instead of every detail about every current event affecting South Africa.

Also, the showdown at the end took way too long and was such a mess that I had no idea what was happening and was basically just waiting for the final twist which I saw coming from a mile away.

I think if this book was turned into a movie, I would love it. The action is there, the characters are dynamic and interesting, and Sonja is a pretty decent lead. It travels across a bunch of locations to make things interesting, and the battles are intricately detailed.

As a reading experience, however, I felt it was weighed down too heavily with details for me to properly follow what was going on, and some of the 'romance' had me cringing pretty hard. (view spoiler)[Charles and Sandy?? Really?? WTF was that? *hysterical laughter* Also LOL at that guy getting the jump on Joanne and Rod coz they stopped to have wild animalistic sex. (hide spoiler)]

Personally, I think Matthew Reilly might have ruined other action authors for me a little bit. His stuff is a lot faster so a novel with more character development like this one just seems slow and clunky to me.

This is an action story for the military buffs, and those interested in detailed workings of terrorism and smuggling in this particular corner of the world. It has a unique plot and a cast of unusual characters to support the lead, and we get the story from a few different viewpoints to keep things interesting. It travels relatively fast and will take you on quite a ride with some interesting trivia along the way. I can definitely see this appealing to a lot of readers, and I'd still recommend it for lovers of action stories.

With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC

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Review: Flyaway

Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ummmm I think I'm in love.

The story is about Bettina (Tina), who goes searching for answers about what happened to her family. Along the way, we get stories within her story; although I wouldn't consider this a book of short stories as all of the shorter stories contribute to the plot.

Things I loved

It's an Australian setting, but it's not all dry heat, scorched earth, blokes and sheilas and roos and Mick and Shazza having a fag and a stubby etc. I freaking LOATHE those Aussie stereotypes so it was so refreshing to read a story set in a small Australian town without any of that crap. The bush in this story is closer to my experience of it - dry, sure, but the life is still there. It's beautiful in its own unique (slightly deadly) kind of way. Plus it feels so isolated - like, even Aussies don't properly know about this secret place.

The mix of Australian setting and whimsy was so beautifully done. It meant that I could see this setting so clearly, while at the same time still firmly believe that strange creatures lurked behind shrubs and hung from the trees. The blend was PERFECT.

Speaking of the whimsy, GOD this had me so hooked! The whispers and legends and darting shadows and echoes ... I gotta tell ya, I was thoroughly spooked. It's so damn eerie and I was just so in love with it all. The magical element of this story is so unique, and there is part of me that was just so ... proud ... to feel like, 'this is how we do spooky creatures in Australia'. Which I'll admit seems a little bizarre, but there you have it. It's like ... this story built so well the whole secrecy side of things that reading it allowed me to take ownership of the secrets a little. It felt like I was in on it, and as spooky as these things were I wanted to protect them.

The atmosphere is properly spooky, and Tina's whole situation is such a mystery. Clearly she's a space cadet compared to her former self but what the heck happened to her? We've got Gary and Trish to ground the story, though, which mean this is more 'magical realism' - while Tina is a little bit off with the fairies and you can't trust anything she says or thinks, we have two very rational characters who still tell these mysterious stories and their own experiences. Rather than 'rational' being thrown out the window, its definition expands to encompass the unusual. It was so elegantly done.

Which brings me to the glue: the writing. It's so beautiful, man. It gave me such a clear image of the place, but it never got bogged down in details. It gives you a taste of the mystery and releases information in small doses, but there was never a moment where I felt the story had stalled. It flowed on so naturally. This is not a stagnant creek, nor white-water rapids. It's just a steady flowing stream with a few bends and dips to navigate along the way. No words are wasted, and while there is a lot of unusual happenings, it never goes over your head completely. It's strange, but not frustratingly so. It's strangeness is what enamoured me so completely.

I just loved everything about this book. It's relatively short, but not condensed. It tells these incredible myths that are woven into the story. The creatures were all totally new to me, but I fell in love with them immediately. Seriously - does legend of the 'Megaritty' exist beyond this story? Because I Googled and came up empty. But I'm so in love with this ruthless little beastie - I want to know more! It just felt like all these creatures belonged to the land, making for such a rich setting.

I suppose this is less about the story and more about the whimsy along the way, but it still kept me curious and entertained and honestly if the author ever visits this place again I AM THERE.

This will appeal to so many people: it's got beautiful language for the slow digesters; it's an authentic Australian setting that will appeal to Aussies like myself while not being a stereotype and therefore alienating those who, like me, are tired of small Australian town settings all being the same; its being Australian isn't actually a huge focus, so the setting won't deter anyone; it's got a mystery to solve; the magic is vivid and yet not overwhelming for those not particularly interested in fantasy; and it just leaves you with so many things to think about after reading.

I can't fault it.

This is definitely one I'll be talking about for a while. Absolutely one of my favourite reads this year. Get on it!

With thanks to Macmillan for my ARC

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Review: The Five Greatest Warriors

The Five Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Re-read 08/20

This one had the giant task of tying together all the threads that were scattered in The Six Sacred Stones, so naturally it's rather epic.

Here are the things I loved:
- Treasure-hunting adventures
- Fun traps
- Gruesome deaths
- Ridiculous stunts
- Epic battles
- Super fun, badass characters
- Interesting take on history
- Fascinating locations
- Daring deeds
- Kamikaze moments

Here are the things that cost it one star and why:
A little too long
The scope is HUGE and as a consequence a lot of details are skipped over. It has a lot of ground to cover, so it takes a lot longer to get through the adventure. There are also more bad guys so you have to keep on top of who wants what outcome and why, as well as who works for whom.

The down-played role of the stones vs the previous book
I definitely got confused about what all the stones and pillars were for in the last book, so their role being not as important in this one made it even more confusing. I lost track of what each of the six stones was used for, and what the deal was with all the pillar rewards. It felt like there were just too many to keep track of, and because the warriors are important here, the stones just became a little bit meaningless. Which is weird, since we're still talking about all-important ancient artefacts.

Less trap adventures
The first book was so amazing the way everything had a dedicated trap system to it. In SSS, we started strong with traps, but by the end here no more f*cks are given and the treasures are a little more easily accessible. I mean, it was handy, because it saved time, but it also took away some of the finesse.

The part of the Warriors was a little thin
It's in the title, but they didn't all play a huge part. They're all involved somehow, but some have massive parts while others seemed a bit inconsequential. The importance of the five just seemed to be reaching a little. Understandable, though, I suppose, when this is really just a continuation of the SSS adventure.

Less team focus
I am a big fan of motley crews so to see this one so divided kinda hurt my heart a little. They're all such a great team and are so fun together, but they get split up here so there's less banter and having each other's backs. They're still all kicking butt in their respective duties, but I miss them all hanging out together. Plus Astro totally got shafted in this book and that makes me sad. I have such a soft spot for him.

Overall these are fairly minor complaints because the whole series is just so manic fun. You really have to not overthink things and just sit back and enjoy the ride. I love how crazy the adventures are, and how different parts of history are rewritten to suit this story. I like that so many different aspects of history are included.

It's pretty epic in scope but it does a great job of tying together all of the previous adventures, giving us a satisfying conclusion. There are some pretty cheesy moments but I just love the characters so much that I can forgive them for those. XD

A really fun, treasure-hunting adventure. Highly recommend this series.

**Original Review 01/16**

No matter which book you pick up, Matthew Reilly consistently delivers great action. I've particularly enjoyed the Jack West series because I love the ancient history, and I'm quite happy to believe Reilly's telling of it. There's great diversity in the myths and locations and I love the variety of the locations, even if they do have similar trap systems. I was delighted by Pooh's role, and there were some seriously bad ass action sequences that had me irrepressibly grinning on the train. On the down side, I thought the notion of the rewards from the pillars could have been delved into a little deeper, and the ending seemed a little rushed to me - I was eager to read how the rescue played out, so was disappointed in it being skipped over. Overall though another thrilling ride with great characters and crazy, suspend-belief action.

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Review: The Court of Miracles

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is basically about one small, insignificant girl having all the hot/powerful people at her beck and call. It's freaking ridiculous.

I've not read Les Miserables, but I do know that it's over 1000 pages long, so if this book is supposed to be a retelling of it - with its mere 400 pages - that would explain why it feels so cluttered and chaotic. There are so many characters and plots etc that it leaves no time for actual tension or - most importantly - character development.

Nina has to be the most annoying, arrogant, self-absorbed idiot I've met since Harry Potter. She seems to think that she's righteous and clever but she just rampages about destroying lives for the sake of saving her sister. Allegedly. Mostly it's just awkward sexual tension with every boy she meets, and powerful people being unbelievably charmed by her and so doing whatever she asks of them. I don't get it.

Here's the thing: if you take away Nina, this is actually a pretty good story.

I love stories about assassins and thieves, so I really enjoyed the mix of all these rebellious guilds. Even though there was a lot of them and it was rather difficult to keep track of who was who, particularly when they all came with extra names and titles. Super confusing. But fun! Handy little chart at the front which actually shows the guilds and their leaders, although not all of them featured in this story, and I still got mixed up. There were some fun stand-out characters, though, and it was interesting the way they all kind of cooperated without really liking one another.

The scope of the story is huge, and as such there are a lot of characters that play their parts. I actually really loved Montparnasse, and would have appreciated if he'd been given a little more personal development and limelight. His skills were entirely wasted in this story, and so much of his time wasted over the cringe-inducing romantic tension between him and Nina. Just let him go out and kill some people FFS. I wanted so badly to fall in love with him but he just never got the respect he deserved.

There's also St. Juste (and don't even get me started on the names) who is the heart-of-gold, Captain America-type character who is all business but his business is standing against tyranny and protecting those who can't protect themselves. He also gets sucked in by Nina and there are so many moments where he steps out of character to flirt with her a bit. He also seems to still like her even though she repeatedly does sh*tty things to him? I'll say it again: I DON'T GET IT.

Seriously, so many characters got ripped off by having so much of their time wasted on mooning over Nina.

Because there's the prince, too - of course she enamours the prince, despite the fact that when she first meets him she's a 9yr old girl who sneaks into his room to steal from him. HOW ROMANTIC. *eyeroll*

AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THIS PARTICULAR DEVICE: (view spoiler)[The whole, 'the only way I can possibly get out of this situation is to kiss the cute boy!' shtick. Especially since in the Prince's case, SHE'S 9 FREAKING YEARS OLD FFS. (hide spoiler)]

But, like I said: take Nina out, and you've got an interesting story of uprising and revolution and the criminal underground of Paris in the early 1800s. Which is actually kinda fun. There is trickery, backstabbing, secret allies, prison breaks, daring deeds, disguises ... there is actually a lot to love.

I just can't stand the main character. It's Harry Potter all over again.

Nina makes dumb decisions for dumb reasons, and a lot of her story is just not logical. All of these powerful people being at her beck and call, all of the attractive people being in love with her (despite an actual lack of any kind of decent romance at all), everyone playing into her hands and her being able to fool everyone who has been doing this way longer than her. I think the fact that she gets a cool nickname before she's even done anything cool kinda sets the tone for how high her pedestal is going to be for the entire novel. It's absolutely ridiculous.

Also, because so much time is wasted on how amazing Nina is and how everyone is so impressed by her, it just leaves so little time for the action. This is such a richly detailed world but it's neglected in favour of talking about Nina. The revolutionary tale is so powerful, and with the moral questions about family, and betrayal, and injustice there is quite a bit to ruminate on. There are so many ideas and powerful statements in this book that could have been built on; there are so many characters that could have grown throughout the novel, and had really strong moments that made us fall completely in love with them. But everything is wasted on trying to convince us that Nina is the best thing since sliced bread. (Ha! See what I did there with the bread ... and it's a story about famine ... not having enough bread ... ok, I'll show myself out.)

So I suppose, in conclusion: if this had been longer, more detailed, and less focused on Nina, I would have really enjoyed it. There is a lot to love about it but the ridiculousness of the god-like worship of Nina just sours the whole thing. She doesn't really grow or develop - she starts amazing and is amazing to everyone she meets throughout. And she meets a lot of people.

If you can get past Nina's arrogance and righteousness, you'll likely enjoy this a lot more than me. If you can suspend disbelief and just let the story and all its terrible cliches wash over you, it'll be good fun. There's enough here to entertain, and it does seem to set up for a sequel which honestly I'd be keen to read. There definitely is plenty here to love.

Just don't go into this one hoping for a lot of character development.

Spoiler Thoughts
(view spoiler)[
- Firstly, I thought it a little bizarre how Nina goes from being ready to offer up Ettie on a platter to suddenly willing to destroy the entire world to rescue her. She seems to forget all about the sister she was originally trying to save, all in favour of Ettie, who is essentially useless aside from being cute.
- Grantaire is so much more interesting that St. Juste, and after their first meeting with Nina I was hoping we'd get our sass from him, so imagine my disappointment when the serious one is the one who pulls the focus. Another wasted opportunity. There was so little humour in this story, yet that first glimpse of Grantaire suggested there was the potential for a lot more fun.
- I found it interesting the way Nina always said how much she loved Tomasis and how devoted she was to him, despite the fact that he was barely in the story. It made me assume it was all a set up for a stinging betrayal, so I was completely unsurprised by that turn of events. Another character that got the short stick, poor fella.
- What's up with the assassin lady being magically able to hypnotise an entire roomful of people with a pocket watch? LOL
- Also wtf did Nina actually do with her days because for someone who is supposed to be a thief she spends a lot of time co-mingling with the other guild members and tricking everyone around her.
- Honestly, I was kinda hoping for a dramatic surprise murder at the end - preferably Nina, but I would have taken the death of Ettie. Since she's the reason for all the drama. Very Helen of Troy.
- What actually happened in the end to the sister who was the start of all this??
- And Femi???
(hide spoiler)]

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Review: The Mermaid

The Mermaid by Christina Henry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If I'm honest, this was a little disappointing after all the dark, twisted re-tellings I've read by the same author. It was sadly pretty PG.

It begins with a familiar sort of tale about a mermaid with an abundance of curiosity, who falls in love with a human. This story is relatively short and sweet before the mermaid's tale evolves into one that introduces us to a famous historical figure: P. T. Barnum - a man with an insatiable appetite for the curious.

Honestly, the whole museum/circus side of things really didn't do a lot for me. Historically, it's not something I'm particularly interested in and all I know about this man comes from a single, half-asleep viewing of The Greatest Showman. And the charismatic Hugh Jackman is far easier to love than the Scrooge-like figure of this story.

There's some entertaining chemistry between Amelia (our mermaid) and Levi, but for me the most entertaining relationship was that between Amelia and the young, honest Caroline. I really loved the blend of youthful innocence and acceptance in Caroline compared to the naivety of Amelia.

To begin with, it's very much a story about grief and belonging, which was a little too depressing for me, though it's well done. Henry explores the emotions tied to loss of a loved one, and the antagonistic feelings of trying to move on whilst feeling guilty for doing so.

There's also a lot of subtext in the way Amelia looks human yet has the soul of a wild creature from the sea. There's a lot about caged animals, and judging people because they do things differently, and because it's set in 1842 there's also some feminist notes in the whole idea of women being the property of men. It's an interesting, insightful story, but unfortunately that's just not what I was hoping for.

If you've not read any of the author's other work, I imagine this will be a fun, historical fiction novel with a little magic worked into it. As a dark re-working of The Little Mermaid it's woefully inadequate. I think the main draw of this story will be its focus on 'caged animals' and all that entails, as well as the complicated nature of Amelia's relationship with Levi. I enjoyed these things, but was let down by expectations based on other books by the author.

I wanted teeth and claws and physical ferocity - turning on captors, sea creatures wreaking havoc, twisted, depraved characters and stormy relationships. What I got was a lukewarm love story about a girl who doesn't quite belong.

An entertaining read, but likely to be more successful with first time readers of this author, and/or those with an interest in a new take on the character of P. T. Barnum.

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Review: Reasonable Doubt

Reasonable Doubt by Xanthé Mallett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating look into miscarriages of justice.

This true crime offering explores the fallacies of the justice system - globally, though with a specific focus on Australian cases.

It covers things like evidence tampering and contamination, forced confessions, poor police work, and false or misleading evidence from eyewitnesses.

The book focuses on six case studies where innocent people were imprisoned unjustly, and that chilling concept is what makes this book hit so hard. The justice system isn't perfect, and when people make mistakes, there are far-reaching consequences that destroy innocent lives.

I really enjoyed the way it was set out. The case studies all provide different examples of injustice, but there are also inserts that provide further insight into legal procedures and forensic evidence. There's a lot to learn, but it's also incredibly frustrating to read about how authority figures responsible for seeing justice done failed their jobs so completely.

For example: Khalid Baker, who spent 13 years in prison despite his friend claiming to this day that if anyone was at fault it was himself. Even with that confession, it seems apparent that it was a tragic accident for which no one should have suffered. I was also horrified by the case of Kelvin Condren, who spent six years in prison for a murder than another man confessed to before Kelvin's case even went to trial. This book also covers the recent case of the notorious Lawyer X, who denied many of her clients a fair trial by informing on them to police concurrently.

The ramifications are astounding, and I appreciate the way this book questions, and provides facts and suggestions, without necessarily damning anyone. It approaches the cases from an informed, unbiased perspective, and with the information provided it is evident that there are serious flaws in the justice system.

This book isn't about raising hell, or questioning legal procedures, or condemning the justice system. It's about the ramifications of mistaken convictions, and the need to 'Fight hard, but fight fair.' It's about the lives impacted. It's an informed, intelligent compilation that encourages the reader to always question things, and not let blind faith or inherent biases affect our judgement of others.

I really enjoyed it, and it's given me a lot to think about. Highly recommend for those interested in the True Crime genre.

Available from July 28, 2020. With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC

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Review: Beauty in Thorns

Beauty in Thorns by Kate Forsyth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions that started strong but ended a little weakly.

It's another book where the blurb tells the whole story, which is frustrating but understandable when there's no real beginning, middle, or end. It's a fictional account of real lives, which I suppose makes it a little harder to form into a concise narrative.

So what's it about?

Painters. Poets. Artists. The women they surround themselves with. And all the drama that weaves their lives together.

Ned Jones - kind-hearted, soft. In love with Georgie since they were children.
William 'Topsy' Morris - a gentle soul with a fierce temper, always the butt of the joke. Falls head over heels for Janey, a girl from the slums.
Gabriel Dante Rosetti - charismatic and fun, playful and romantic. Enamoured by his model, Lizzie.

This novel tells of their lives, their loves, their scandals. Other characters come and go, but the relationships between these six form the backbone of the novel.

Gabriel was the real draw for me, as well as Lizzie, to a degree. He's charming and eccentric, and he's clearly the most talented of them all. I love that his art was so effortless, although so many times I hated his behaviours. I couldn't get a read on him, but I really enjoyed reading about him. I found him to be a fascinating character. His romance with Lizzie was such a colourful part of this story and I was so invested in it without really knowing what exactly I was rooting for.

Topsy seemed like such a sweet fellow, but his violent rages made me less inclined to support him. Whereas Ned seemed the kindest of them all so I took to him immediately. He and Georgie just seemed so perfect.

It's hard to properly rate this one, I think, because it's based on real people and real events, but I didn't like the way so much of it played out. I could never get a proper read on these people and what was driving them, but how can I criticise the author for that?! I think she's done a brilliant job in making me feel compassion for so many of these characters when they had such sordid behaviours.

The research into the subject material is clearly extensive, so if you want to learn more about these characters from history, this novel is a great way to do so. I really enjoyed looking them all up and finding the paintings mentioned, and seeing the real work of these artists. They were certainly a talented bunch.

As far as the story itself goes, though, I mostly enjoyed it but by the last third I found it a little slow and tedious. I felt the ending was drawn out rather long and the whole Sleeping Beauty theme seemed a little stretched to me. I thought the entire last section was a little pointless, despite it focusing on arguably the greatest series of work of Ned's life. I just didn't really care about his life, by that stage.

The character study is really interesting, but the scandals all feel a little watered down which left the story feeling a bit weak. It was drawn out a little too long, and I wanted more Gabriel. However the author has done a magnificent job in bringing it all together, so if you're interested in the historically accurate lives of these people, I highly recommend it.

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Review: Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie by Leigh Redhead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The composition of this novel can be roughly broken down as follows:


2% food
8% clothing
10% Simone talking about what a badass she is
25% Simone definitely not being badass
5% actual detective work
50% sexual activity or tension

My thoughts, in brief:

1. I just do not like Simone at all

2. I think this book actually has the least amount of sex of this series so far?

3. What is even the point of Alex if he's off limits? (view spoiler)[Although how convenient that the only thing stopping him from acting on his feelings is now suddenly gone? I predict a minimum 50% increase in sexual activity in the next book. (hide spoiler)]

4. I am a little confused about how everything actually tied together

5. But I'm very clear on everything Simone wore and ate while she was detecting ... things

6. My god this woman showers a lot

7. How great is Melbourne? I fkn LOVE MELBOURNE

8. Chloe is clearly the low-key MVP

9. Did Simone actually figure anything out at all?! Or did she just do a lot of convenient accidental eavesdropping?

10. Like ... now I think about it ... there should be a % up there for the amount of eavesdropping this girl does

11. All the girls have big boobs and look like strippers and all the boys are totally hot and do-able and Simone has sexually charged tension with basically everyone

12. Actually laughed out loud with the whole, 'take the glasses off and the ponytail out and the girl is miraculously transformed' bit

13. Also what's up with that whole, 'I will seduce you by shoving cherry desserts in your face' thing? Fellas, please let me know your success rate if this is something you have tried. I'm so curious. Has anyone ever fallen for a guy because he literally force-fed you? Hit me up. I MUST KNOW.

14. This book is both feminist and a feminist's nightmare. There's a lot of, 'strippers are people, too!' etc. which is great but then there's also Simone getting saved by boys a lot and also the girls hate on each other pretty hard. Simone judges everyone by their looks and basically hates fat and/or ugly women because she's a hot stripper, and how is life possibly worth living if you don't ooze sex from every pore? *eyeroll*

15. Did I mention I have a strong dislike of our main character, Simone?

The book is actually probably well-written though because it's told in first person so you can see really clearly that how Simone thinks of herself vastly differs from how she actually is. It's also somehow addictive enough that I can smash through a book in a day. But it's also full of coincidences and random convenient occurrences and Simone's inability to stop thinking about sex so it's pretty trashy, too.

Honestly I don't understand why this isn't a 1-star. How is it possible that I fkn enjoyed it. WHAT A MESS WE BOTH ARE.

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