Review: Honeybee

Honeybee by Craig Silvey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When this book released, I was firmly on the fence (see below for original thoughts).

I wasn't at all motivated to read it, but the positive reviews that started rolling in had me asking the GR community if it was worth taking a chance on.

They said yes.

They were right.

This is a beautiful story.

It's heart-warming and heartbreaking; it's hard and soft; it's funny and sad. There are so many elements to it - it's like articles of clothing coming together to create the perfect outfit. Everything works in harmony, even if some of those things are bad. They're an important part of the overall look.

The blurb gives us Sam and Vic, who meet at opposite ends of a bridge they're both planning to jump from. Wouldn't be much of a story if they got away with it, so instead we get to see their friendship blossom into something that allows them both to learn a little more about themselves, as well as each other. Along the way, we'll encounter friends, enemies, and everything in between.

I definitely went into this one quite sceptical, especially since the old-person-young-person friendship is starting to feel a little overdone to me, so it was a surprise when I became absorbed so quickly.

Me: Ehhh, I don't know if I want to read it. It's probably terrible.
Also me: *reads entire book in a day*

Sam's story just fascinated me so completely. I was wary of getting my heart broken because - let's be honest - it's a bit of a rough start. But then it gave me Aggie, and the The Boy Who Steals Houses vibes were so strong I felt instantly happier. It felt like, yes, we were probably in for some tough times, but everything would work out okay in the end. I'm certain Aggie must have some De Lainey blood in her.

It did end up feeling a little simplistic, which is why it didn't quite make the 5-stars for me. If I may elaborate: (view spoiler)[I felt it was all a little too neat and tidy - Sam suffered some truly horrible stuff but then, lucky him, he just happens to meet the right people so he somehow ends up with his own house and 130K+ to boot, PLUS someone pays for his schooling, PLUS he's so amazingly GIFTED that he gets to study under some master chef dude. That's a lot of things magically turning out well for Sam. It cheapened the story for me. I appreciated that the story included the therapy sessions, so that we can see Sam is still pretty damaged, even with all that money and luck tumbling in his direction, but I'm still a little disappointed that it went the PG route. I feel like a bit more darkness and/or uncertainty would have wrung my emotions out a little more thoroughly. (hide spoiler)] It was a light story in spite of some of its darker moments, and while I'm glad it wasn't 400-odd pages of depressing, it did somehow leave me feeling a little off-balance. It has some humourous episodes, but because the tone is quite heavy they're tougher to laugh at.

All the same, it was a really heart-felt story that had me fully immersed in Sam's life.

It's a contemporary story that mulls over the importance of identity, family and self-acceptance. It's also, refreshingly, nothing like Jasper Jones. So that was a solid bonus for me.

Thank you to everyone who convinced me to read it. Now it's my turn to pass on the love.


***

Wow this is getting some amazing reviews!

Only I have two problems:

1. I didn't like Jasper Jones as much as everyone else (overrated)
2. I am someone who definitely judges books by their covers and I cannot support that mullet.

But maaaaaybe I'll be peer pressured into it. Maybe.

If you've read it, please feel free to leave your argument For or Against in the comments! Thanks!

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Review: Instant Karma

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay, I guess it was pretty cute.

Prudence is, like, super annoying though.

Reasons You Will Love This Book
- Enemies to Lovers cute romance
- Fun beach location
- Sea life vibes
- Karmic justice
- Fun characters
- Music rep
- Realistic character appearances (as opposed to everyone being 'the most attractive person ever')
- Quirky moments
- That one scene in the ... where they're both ... *happy sigh*

Reasons This Book May Lose Stars
- Prudence is super judgy
- Prudence is self-absorbed
- Prudence is kind of oblivious
- Prudence keeps everything a secret instead of just friggin' telling people the truth
- Look, mostly Prudence. She takes a LOT of warming up to

It really did take a bit for me to get into this, but once Prudence started softening up I enjoyed it much more. Quint is fun from the start, and I really love the relationship between Prudence and Jude, even though he treats her way better than she deserves sometimes. Ari is cool, too - I love how generous and warm she is, and I wish she'd been in more of the story.

I'm not usually into romance but this was definitely cute. I enjoyed the way their relationship developed, but how it did so while they both mostly stayed true to who they were. It's not about changing to please someone - it's about being accepted just as you are.

The karma angle was probably a little weak for my tastes, but it means that you can hold on to realism by wondering if maybe it IS all just coincidental. I did enjoy the ethical dilemmas it led to, but it still felt poorly utilised. The story definitely feels more about the romance than karma.

A lot of people are going to love this. I found the writing really addictive, and got to a point where I was surprised to realise I was so close to finishing it. It's pretty adorable, with characters that are easy to fall in love with and sea creatures that will steal your heart. The drama may be slightly predictable, but the relationship dynamics make it totally worth while.

I confess: I would be totally down for a sequel.

With thanks to Macmillan for my ARC

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Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I completely understand the hype, even if this wasn't a 5-star for me.

The racial issue is powerful, particularly in such a time setting, when the N-word is thrown around haphazardly and it's totally acceptable to denigrate people simply because of the colour of their skin. Discrimination repulses me, and I feel physically ill reading accounts - even fictional ones - of despicable conduct towards those who are different. There are some pretty familiar characters here, but how many of these characters are familiar because they themselves influenced more modern work? It's no secret that this is a classic which has inspired millions of people around the world, so I can't complain about stereotypes as I'm sure this book was quite unique when released back in the 60s.

I was a bit confused about the unrelated stories of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. The latter is clearly the Big Issue of this novel, but the first part of the novel barely touches on it, making for a rather confusing start to the book. I enjoyed the childhood exploits, and it was quite well-written, but at the same time it felt a little pointless. I can appreciate that there was a beautiful story told in Boo's regard, but it got a little tedious towards the end of Part One. (view spoiler)[ I also felt that his part at the end of the novel was a bit too easy. I get it, I understand that the author wanted to present ideas about the grey area of right and wrong, I can see how it evokes mixed feelings, but it just felt a little too convenient to me, and more of literary device than actual realistic plot development. (hide spoiler)]

The Robinson case broke my heart. (view spoiler)[Particularly knowing the outcome was inevitable, because what sort of powerful statement would this novel make if it had ended happily? (hide spoiler)] Just reading about the small-mindedness of others and knowing that, though the story is fictional, this is a real glimpse of human history - and that this kind of behaviour still exists today - truly saddens me. At the same time, it makes the character of Atticus that much more powerful, because he is a symbol of hope, and he is unrelenting.

There's not really much that I can say that's not already been said by appreciative readers all around the world. I enjoyed reading this novel, and it was an easier read than I anticipated, but there are some dark moments that will boil the blood of any decent human being. I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'd want to read it again. Humankind really depresses me, sometimes.

It has got me pretty curious about the sequel, though.

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Review: The Mall

The Mall by S.L. Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Re-read 10/20**

This is honestly one of the most memorable horror stories I've ever read.

The story features Rhoda and Dan, brought together by circumstance, as they search for a way out of the mall but only find themselves getting further in. And the further they get into the mall, the more bizarre things become ...

Firstly, it begins in the service corridors behind the scenes, so if you are someone who has worked in a shopping centre and know these blank, cold, concrete corridors well, you will have a better idea of how creepy this story is. You really do feel like you could get lost and be stuck down there forever. The first time I read this book, I had to do a late night close at the centre I worked, and when I came out all the familiar exits were blocked off and most of the lights were out and it was dark and creepy and I wanted to run screaming down the empty corridors. So this book picked a good subject to feature a horror story around.

It layers in the weird stuff really well, although I was prepared for it this time so it was more enjoyable. It does drift into the bizarre so you have to take things at face value, even though you still spend most of the book asking yourself if this pair is delusional. I think that is a huge part of the appeal - constantly wondering what the heck is actually happening.

The other part of the appeal is being equally horrified yet curious of the 'Downside'. I love the concept of it and it's really interesting to think about all the things this book doesn't tell us. For that reason, I'm looking forward to re-reading the sequel - which I accidentally read first last time. It's hard to say much more without spoiling the experience, but safe to say this is a series that firmly lodged itself in my mind.

This book takes the classic elements of shopping at the mall and twists it into a tense, bizarre thriller that will have you seeing shopping in a different light. It won't be for everyone, but if you're open to things getting weird, this one will give you plenty to think about and add a little creepiness to your next shopping trip.

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Review: The Saints of Salvation

The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay I followed maybe 75% of this but it was still 100% EPIC.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers for the previous two novels in the series.

HERE WE ARE AT THE END.

The Saints are tasked with infiltrating an Olyix ship and stowing away until they reach the enclave. The hope is that they'll be able to send out a signal so that future generations can send the cavalry. Of course, we're familiar with some members of that future generation - and they are going to need some serious firepower if they're going to succeed.

I've never been big on sci-fi, but this trilogy has completely turned that around. Even though the science is mostly completely beyond me, I've immensely enjoyed my time spent with Dellian, Yirella and the Saints. These are some cool cats making science fun again. I'm definitely keen to explore the genre further, thanks to this trilogy.

The stakes are super high for this grand finale, so the tension is way up. The plots are thickening and technology is advancing at a crazy rate. My head was properly spinning for most of it.

Yirella's always been the smart one, so it's fun watching her work her way through the problems in this book. Dellian is mostly just along for the ride, but he's still one tough cookie and he provides some interesting insights to mull over. But the Saints are still my favourite. They're such an interesting bunch and the dynamics between them are a lot of fun. I love grumpy old Yuri and sarcastic Alik; I love badass Kandara and sulky Callum; I love how Jessika does all the work and is still patient when the others constantly bug her about Neana things and she keeps explaining that she doesn't know. I love how much they get on each other's nerves and yet still work together as such a solid unit.

They're the most relatable unit in this whole series for me.

I can't talk too much about the story because I'm not kidding when I say a lot of it went over my head. *nervous laughter* But it was still just such a rocking good time and it still threw me some serious curve balls. I think the great part is that, even if you're not entirely following the science, you still pick up the essentials. It reiterates the important stuff and, while I mostly had no idea what anything looked like, I was able to follow along what was good, what was bad, and what was about to go down. And it was seriously about. to. go. DOWN.

The epic scale of this novel is exhilarating, and it just keeps building. It was a little trickier to get into because of the science, but by the end I was on the edge of my seat, anxious to discover how things would end.

The conclusion is satisfying, but there are still some loose threads which hopefully suggests we can look forward to more stories set in this world. I know that, if that's the case, I will definitely be strapping in for that ride, too. I'm committed to these guys for life, now.

With thanks to Mamillan for my ARC

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