Review: Dreamland

Dreamland by Olivie Blake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An interesting idea, with a unique protagonist, but I think it was just trying a little too hard to be artsy and delivered the story in too confusing a manner.

Anya is a wannabe film star, but so far it's mostly failed auditions. Fortunately, she knows what Hollywood takes so she finds herself in the orbit of William De Witt, renowned movie star. But it comes with a job - keep an eye on William's recluse son, Jude.

What follows is a twisted foray between 'awake' and 'asleep' with no clear explanation of anything that's happening. We get Anya's viewpoint, but also that of Jude talking to 'you'. Anya's experiencing strange things at the De Witt mansion and despite every single person in her life telling her to get out, she has to burrow deeper because she still wants to be a star.

There were some really interesting ideas here - Anya is not a particularly likeable protagonist, but we can acknowledge her drive as something familiar and while we may not like her there is a certain degree of understanding. The secrets surrounding the De Witts were intriguing, and Jude is strange enough to keep you reading. But there seems to be so much happening between the lines that it becomes almost impossible to get a clear timeline of events and work out what is happening and why.

I really love the idea of this story, but I think with that title I wanted something more whimsical, rather than 'artfully patchy so it feels like a half-forgotten dream'. It's clever writing but difficult to follow, meaning lasting impressions are mostly confusion.

I think there'll be readers who can appreciate the 'not like other books' approach, but for me it missed the mark. I enjoyed reading it throughout, but just really wanted more explanation of what was happening and why.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

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Review: Colombiano

Colombiano by Rusty Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

DNF @ 10%

I got this one from NetGalley yeaaaars ago, but had a lot of download/device issues so was never able to read it. Then recently I discovered I could still access it via Kindle so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Unfortunately, I think it's just not for me. It's a big book, with my 10% read being the first 14 chapters. It's well written and intriguing, but the subject matter no longer interests me and it's too big a commitment for something I think might be a little too full on for my tastes these days.

For NetGalley's sake, I'm giving it a rating based on the little I read. I can easily see the potential of the story and what kind of themes will be tossed around. It flows well from action to more emotional scenes without stalling, and still takes time to set the scenes brilliantly.

On the whole, it's setting up to be a violent story about a boy forced to grow up too fast, aging in a world of violence and easy bloodshed. Not for me, but I can see others appreciating the hard truths in this one.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

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Review: Strange Houses

Strange Houses by Uketsu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An intriguing, ridiculously far-fetched novel, using illustrations of floor plans to supplement the mystery.

I enjoyed the read, but the concept was a little too much from the beginning, so I kept waiting for new theories to emerge.

The floor plans are a great visual tool in parts, but at other times it just seems like it wasn't a necessary inclusion. Like the previous novel, Strange Pictures, this too felt more gimmicky than clever.

That said, I did enjoy following along as more clues came to light and the mystery began to reveal itself.

It's not a strong story, but it does hold the interest and keep you invested in what happened and why. If you can suspend belief, you'll get a unique mystery to entertain you for a few hours.

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Review: The housekeepers

The housekeepers by Alex Hay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A fun heist story with lots of moving pieces, but not a lot of depth.

This was an entertaining novel, with a lot of characters to keep track of. I enjoyed keeping up but was never really feeling an urgency to get to the conclusion - it was fun, but nothing was really driving the narrative forward at a compulsive speed.

It's almost a revenge story, with the housekeepers of the title setting out to steal everything from the wealthy home they've all taken a turn working in, and that part of it is quite delicious, because who doesn't love a good revenge story?

But while there are plenty of moving parts to the story, it still somehow falls a bit flat and just doesn't have the urgency you really want in a story like this.

Still, I quite enjoyed reading about the heist so it was an enjoyable read, if not particularly memorable.

If you're into heist stories, this has the right elements, so it's a fun story to pass the time with. However, at the end of the day there's nothing truly memorable about it. So I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to read it, but if you find yourself with a copy you shouldn't be too disappointed passing the time with it.

This was book 3 of my Advent Calendar Challenge

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Review: Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything

Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything by Alyson Stoner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating exposé on the dark side of Hollywood for child actors, with the gentle inspiration to not let your past define you. Highly recommend.

This was really well written, giving a clear progression with important information along the way.

We begin with Alyson's childhood, trying to make it in Hollywood, and the demands that put on not just them as a child but their family, too. The strain between the family members while Alyson's mother went above and beyond to get Alyson in front of the right people.

This really hammers home the reality for child actors, and how little the industry works to protect them. It's very clear that there was never a time for Alyson to just embrace childhood and the silliness that comes with that, and it really makes you feel for them and others that went through a similar youth.

That said, this isn't a 'poor me' story. It's a realistic look behind the scenes where things need to be exposed.

From childhood, we grow with Alyson as they learn to navigate things and find out who they are beyond what they're told to be, and it's quite an emotional journey. There are some necessary trigger warnings that may mean this isn't for everyone, but I really enjoyed seeing the growth from the pain. Alyson is clearly a strong person who somehow beat the odds to find their own strength, resilience and, through that, their own unique voice.

I really enjoyed reading this story, and I think there's a lot here to motivate and uplift, while at the same time exposing a darker side of Hollywood that really needs a light shined on it.

A well-written biography that highlights fighting the odds to find your own voice, and be who you truly want to be. Highly recommend.

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Review: The Gifts

The Gifts by Liz Hyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emotionally tense with characters to love and loathe.

I wanted more answers but I think not getting them might have been part of the point.

The story is told from multiple points of view - mostly those of women, but one prominent storyline from Edward, a surgeon.

Set in 1840, this book introduces Edward as second fiddle to his best friend, Samuel, who is naturally better at everything. Edward's ambition knows no bounds and it rankles that his friend is so superior, so when a medical miracle falls in his lap he'll stop at nothing to finally show the world that he's the one they should bow down to.

Unfortunately, the 'medical miracle' is wings, sprouting from the shoulders of women. To Edward, they're scientific objects, but these women are real - living their own lives and struggling to comprehend why this has happened to them.

I loved the women of this story. They're powerful in their own unique ways, without being parodies or typical 'not like other women' women. Annie is a painter, Natalya is a storyteller, Mary is a writer and Etta is a botanist. They all have their own stories to tell.

I loved hearing about them and their exploits, and whenever their lives intersected with Edward I felt more for them and less for him.

Edward begins as something of a sympathetic creature, meaning we really feel it as he twists, becoming unrecognisable by the end. I spent so long waiting for him to wake up to himself and what was really happening.

The story does become quite heavy, and the level of unfairness may deter some readers. I found my heart feeling increasingly heavy at times, though this was tempered by Mary and her part in the story. The writing tells an important tale, but still holds a balance so that there's enough light for the tough stuff to feel worth pushing through.

All this to say that this book really made me feel things for these women, and it ended up being a strong story that really captured my attention. I was still waiting for a few answers come the conclusion, but in the end I felt satisfied.

I'd highly recommend this for fans of historical fiction with a hint of fantasy, but particularly for those looking to read about strong women dealing with terrible times.

This book was part of my Advent Calendar Challenge

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Review: The King in Yellow

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki
Presented by Blackstone Audio

Very mixed feelings.

Some really interesting ideas, and some standout stories, but not entirely worth the effort.

I'm glad I had an audio copy of this one, as I was ready to give up at page 3. I switched to the audio and proceeded to enjoy the first few stories but then they just became dull and convoluted and, honestly? I tuned out a whole lot.

The first story takes a lot of work to get into, but once it takes off it becomes a wonderfully bizarre tale. The thread of the whole book is this fictional King in Yellow book that allegedly makes people go crazy, but we only every get excerpts and suggestions rather than any real idea as to what the book is about.

What we do get is a bunch of crazy people.

Some of the stories leave some great impressions, with scenes that will really stay in your mind, but others are dull and pointless from the get-go and make you wonder why they were included.

The narration was decent - great level of performance to make the stories engaging, though some of the accents and voices were a bit overwhelming at times. The delivery of all the French towards the end was brilliant, but also made it a lot harder for me to follow as I don't speak French, so I often missed what the words and phrases meant. I recommend the audio, though, if you want to read this one but are struggling within the first page or two.

I really like the idea of this collection, but ultimately it was just too much work. This one's for the erudite who want to ponder all the possible meanings and symbolism. I'd only recommend it to people who are keen to put in the work, as it takes a lot of effort to keep up with this one.

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