Review: The Vintage Shop of Second Chances by Libby Page

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Publication date: 16th February 2023

Publisher: Orion Pages: 384

 Among the cobbled streets of the Somerset town of Frome, Lou is embarking on the start of something new. After the death of her beloved mother, she takes a deep breath into the unknown and is opening her own vintage clothes shop.
In upstate New York, Donna has just found out some news about her family which has called into question her whole upbringing. The only clue she has to unlock her past is a picture of a yellow dress, and the fact it is currently on display in a shop in England.
For Maggy, she is facing life as a 70-something divorcee and while she got the house, she's not sure what to fill it with now her family have moved out. The new vintage shop in town sparks memories of her past and reignites a passion she's been missing...
Together, can these three women find the answers they are searching for and unlock a second chance at a new life?
It's never too late to start again...

A charming plot set in the lovely Frome, this had all the markings of a cosy read that I’d zip through in no time. However, whilst I did enjoy the interweaving stories of the three women, and the ways their lives connected it didn’t hit all the marks for me.

Ultimately it was a quick and relatively enjoyable read, but sadly lacking in substance. I was excited to read this one, but never really connected with it. The writing style just didn’t work for me personally, a lot of telling the reader and dumping lots of information at once rather than exploring and allowing it to unfurl naturally. 

I also found the exploration of grief and loss of Lou’s mother to be rather flat and unrealistic. This is a particular bugbear of mine following the loss of my own mother, and I know won’t be a problem for many readers, but for me personally it just didn’t sit well.

However I really loved the theme running throughout of second chances, hope, and finding a new lease later in life. This will definitely be one that many people will love, it just didn’t quite spark for me as I had hoped it would.

Review: From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon

Publication date: May 22nd 2018
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 330

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy-a.k.a. Sahil's twin brother? Dream come true x 2.
When mystery man N begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it's Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she's fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.
Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she's got is not the one she's scripted. But will it be enough?
Told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, with Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you.

I absolutely adored "When Dimple met Rishi" and was so excited about reading this second novel from Menon, so it was perhaps those high expectations that left me feeling so disappointed and crushed after this book.

The biggest issue that I found was how unlikeable Twinkle was, and given that the entire book is told in her thoughts and feeling into her diary, that immediately becomes problematic. 

Even though you only have access to how Twinkle perceives everything, it becomes really clear really early on, that not only is Twinkle incredibly self absorbed, but she's also kind of a jerk, which makes a lot of the other character's responses to her hard to believe. Take Sahil - she treats him appallingly, and sure she has to answer for that a bit at the end, but on the whole Sahil just brushes is off and continues to make heart eyes at Twinkle which doesn't make any sense given how she's behaving.

It's a nice enough plot, a cool idea, and I liked a lot of the supporting characters, but my dislike for Twinkle coloured my entire perception of the book and left me feeling mostly frustrated and grumpy when I finished.

If you've yet to read any of Menon's work, I highly recommend checking out Dimple instead.

Blog Tour - Review: The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton

Huge thanks to Gollancz for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Publication date: March 7th 2019
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 352

In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller, Camille, her sister Edel, and her guard and new love Remy must race against time to find Princess Charlotte. Sophia's Imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep the rebels from returning Charlotte to the castle and her rightful place as queen. With the help of an underground resistance movement called The Iron Ladies-a society that rejects beauty treatments entirely-and the backing of alternative newspaper The Spider's Web, Camille uses her powers, her connections and her cunning to outwit her greatest nemesis, Sophia, and restore peace to Orleans.

To celebrate the release of the sequel to the hugely popular 2018 book "The Belles", Gollancz have organised a blog tour of reviews. Don't forget to look out for the other reviews this week! I really loved "The Belles" so I jumped at the chance to take part, and was incredibly excited to find out what happens next to Camille, Edel, and Remy.

This was a good follow up novel - Clayton takes the world and characters she introduced us to in the first, and builds on that foundation to provide an exciting conclusion. Camille particularly becomes a more interesting protagonist, fueled by her anger from the events of the first book. However, I would have liked to see her grapple with more inner conflict. Yes she was fighting for what was right, but she never really has any inner turmoil to overcome, which at times can be slightly frustrating, as you're only ever given her own thoughts and feelings to experience.

The first half of the story takes its time, which slows the pacing down hugely. After the cataclysm of events at the end of the first book, I really wanted to drive straight back in, not hold back for as long as the story does. This lack of urgency, and a general feeling of the characters succeeding at all they attempt, means that there are points where the emotional resonance I'd hope for is missing, and I found myself coasting through some parts, rather than being fully engaged.
That said, you get an exciting (albeit slightly rushed) ending that really pays off a lot of the build up. I had a few minor gripes about how some things ended, but those are for a more spoiler filled review at a later date.

I'm really hoping that Clayton is going to give us a spin off book about the Iron Ladies, because I didn't feel like we got nearly enough time with them and I'd love to know more about them.

This is a solid conclusion to the story, one that offers some more insights into this curious world, and leaves you feeling pretty satisfied with the final act. I was a little disappointed with some elements, but this duology is still definitely one I'd recommend. If you've yet to read The Belles, pick up a copy as soon as you can! And if you read and enjoyed it last year, this conclusion is worth the wait.

Review: A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber

Publication date: July 1st 2014
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 421

Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her dear friend, Lady Kiera Darby is in need of a safe haven. Returning to her childhood home, Kiera hopes her beloved brother Trevor and the merriment of the Hogmanay Ball will distract her. But when a caretaker is murdered and a grave is disturbed at nearby Dryburgh Abbey, Kiera is once more thrust into the cold grasp of death.
While Kiera knows that aiding in another inquiry will only further tarnish her reputation, her knowledge of anatomy could make the difference in solving the case. But agreeing to investigate means Kiera must deal with the complicated emotions aroused in her by inquiry agent Sebastian Gage.
When Gage arrives, he reveals that the incident at the Abbey was not the first—some fiend is digging up old bones and holding them for ransom. Now Kiera and Gage must catch the grave robber and put the case to rest…before another victim winds up six feet under.

The first book in this series completely captivated me - "The Anatomist's Wife" had all the suspense, intrigue, and isolation that I adore in my murder mystery books. Yet the follow up "Mortal Arts" left a lot to be desired and I found myself putting off reading this third book for quite some time, fearing that it wouldn't quite follow through on the promise of that beautiful first book. Sadly, I was right.

Make no mistake, this is still an enjoyable read, and I'm glad to be back in the series and looking forward to continuing it. However there are still a lot of problems that marred my enjoyment. The first is the modern language. There are some places where the language is spot on, and then others where modern phrases and colloquialisms slip in, throwing me out of the story and leaving me frustrated. One of my biggest peeves is a historical novel that can't get the period right.

Secondly, one of my favourite things when reading a whodunnit, is to be able to pick up the breadcrumbs the author leaves and try to puzzle out the mystery myself. Deanna Raybourn is a truly excellent example of an author who gives you the pieces, but doesn't make it blindingly obvious, leaving you to experience a truly thrilling mystery. However I'm finding more and more with Huber's books that the trail of crumbs is thrown haphazardly around, with no real clues just a load of false starts, and then a twist pulled out of thin air in the last fifty pages that you were never able to predict because the set up wasn't there. If there's no real set up then there isn't a payoff, which just leads to frustration all round.

It's still an enjoyable read. Huber creates suspense and thrills like you wouldn't believe, and I adore watching a lot of it play out. I also love her characters. Yes, Kiera can be a little frustrating, but I love the relationships she has with her siblings, how she's finding herself and working herself out at last, and her relationship with Gage is a sight to behold.

So it was an enjoyable read, but a little too frustrating to tip it into one of the higher star ratings. However I'll definitely be picking up the fourth book soon to see where Kiera and Gage end up next.

Review: Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Publication date: April 3rd 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 455

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.
But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

I had heard so much in the run up to reading this, that I couldn't wait to start reading, but honestly, whilst there was a lot that was really important and good about this book, it was also a bit of a mess.

Let's start with the good. The representation. That cover. The bad ass and wonderful ladies at the heart of this story, who are complex and flawed, and who work their issues out. The sexualities represented, the long hard look at the institutionalized racism, how whip smart and clever Jane is and plays with the expectations of those around her. This book had a huge amount going for it, and was a super important read - one that I heartily recommend for all of the above.

But (you knew there was a but coming) the plot was a shambles. No pun intended.
The first third is great, it carries on at a fair clip, and introduces the reader to the world and the main players. Then everything goes a little wrong and the rest of the novel basically wanders around in lost circles, never really going anywhere, becoming increasingly frustrating to read, and essentially ambles until it can set up the second novel in the final forty odd pages. It completely loses its way, and as a result loses my interest, to the point that I'm not sure whether I want to pick up the second book.

I wanted to love it. As I've said above there was an awful lot to love. But it felt like three different books smushed together - the first third, the rest of the story, and then the story being told in the letter excerpts at the start of each chapter, which felt like a different story entirely. As a result it was just left feeling messy and frustrating, despite everything it had going for it to start.

My Christmas Historical Romance Binge (or: 3 mini reviews)

Christmas is a time for comfort. For nesting under a blanket with a cup of tea and a stack of books. (And apparently this year idly half watching my husband play Red Dead Redemption 2 over the top of my pages...)
Nothing screams comfort to me like a good historical romance, so with that in mind I settled in for three days of bingeing.

A Lady's Guide to Improper Behaviour by Suzanne Enoch
The Rules:
A lady should always make polite conversation...
Theresa Weller understands the rules of decorum, and is appalled when Colonel Bartholomew James disrupts a perfectly civilized dinner. This rude, insensitive man is the complete opposite of everything a gentleman should be — but with one searing kiss, Tess can think of no one else.
A lady should never lose her temper...
Aggravated beyond bearing by a man who speaks his mind, Tess wishes there was a guide to men like Bartholomew. Surely, with such an assortment of handsome, polite suitors to choose from, Tess should not ache for him.
A lady should never pursue a gentleman.
She invites him on carriage rides and dares him to dance, and almost makes him want to return to Society. Bartholomew knows Tess wants to be seen as a proper miss, but deep down, he knows she is precisely the sort to spark his desire... A most improper lady.

Sure it's basically the same plot as "England's Perfect Hero" by Enoch, which I loved, so that meant that it fell a little flat. But it had enough else to keep me mildly entertained for a few hours that I didn't overly object. It's not got quite the same spark as Enoch's books used to for me, but it's amusing enough, just steamy enough, and has some relatively good banter between the hero and heroine. However it's also fairly predictable, and my husband found it vastly entertaining to experience the plot purely from my predictions of what was about to happen.

Do You Want to Start a Scandal? By Tessa Dare
On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library.
• Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan?
• Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall?
• Perhaps the butler did it.
All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers’ true identity, she’ll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.
But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit... and melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth about his dark past.
Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?

Yes, just yes. Tessa Dare never fails to completely steal me away into whatever story she spins. I adored the mystery, I loved Charlotte and Piers (OH MY THEIR BANTER) and it was super steamy and utterly delicious. After the slightly frustrating start with 'Improper Behaviour' this was exactly what I needed, and I've bought a few more by her so that I can continue this delicious bit of escapism into the New Year.

A Devil in Scotland by Suzanne Enoch
The dawning of desire...
1806, Scotland: Wild, reckless Callum MacCreath is in no hurry to become someone’s husband. But when his responsible, steady older brother Ian announces his engagement to their childhood friend Rebecca, Callum makes a startling discovery: he wants the lovely young lass for himself. But it’s too late, and when Ian banishes him for his duplicity, he’s only too happy to leave Scotland forever…
...is delicious and dangerous.
1816: Marrying Ian was the practical, logical thing for Becca to do. But once Callum sailed away to America, she missed his rakish charm and lust for life. Now, ten years later, Becca is a widow when a much-changed Callum returns to his Scottish homeland. Will he remember their spirited, fiery connection, or does he blame her for his brother’s unexpected death? This time neither of them can deny their scorching attraction, but will their hearts be burned in the blazing heat of scandal?

And then I went on to a fairly recent Suzanne Enoch and regretted my life choices. I used to love Enoch's books - they were feisty and funny and steamy and I loved settling down with one. But this one was absolutely terrible.
There was no steam, no witty banter, nothing beyond some rather limp shirtless hugging and an obsession with a truly terrible whodunnit that was upsettingly obvious right from the start. It was just... bad. Truly, truly bad. And not what I've come to expect from Enoch. It also sparked a bit of a purge, where all her more recent books that have been sitting on my to read pile have been removed. 

Film Review: Once Upon a Deadpool

I love Deadpool. It's a film that holds a very special place in my heart. I also thoroughly enjoyed Deadpool 2, even though it never quite reached the dizzying heights of insanity that the first film did.
I also absolutely adore The Princess Bride. So when it was announced that just before Christmas there would be a one night only (ha, already additional showings have been added to my local cinema) re-cut family friendly (double ha!) version of Deadpool, cut to be a bit of a parody with The Princess Bride, I was intrigued. Then I watched the trailer and I was in love.


Honestly though, whilst it was an entertaining night out, it didn't live up to my expectations. There's meant to be around 20 minutes of new footage, but it really didn't feel like that. The film is cut up with a few really entertaining scenes involving a now grown up Fred Savage, (he's still got that insanely childlike charm of a smile) to frame the story as a bedtime story to a captive Savage. Unfortunately, they really don't make the most of this great device, and by mid-film it appears to have been mostly forgotten. What cuts back and forth are made though feel clunky and just disrupt the flow of the film.

Given that Reynold's mouth is covered throughout most of the film I also expected more to be made of this opportunity to play with the dialogue with some redubbing. Sadly though that was horribly under utilised. 

It was also frustrating to have to wait until the very end of the credits to get a resolution to the Savage/Deadpool thread - the end of the film just cuts off and leaves you hanging in a decidedly irritating way.

Basically it didn't live up to my expectations, but it was still enjoyable. I had gripes, mostly because I love the two source material pieces so much. It doesn't really add an awful lot, and is a bit of a gimmicky money grab right before Christmas. But I'm a sucker, so take my money.

It's meant for a bit of a niche group - those that love Deadpool, The Princess Bride, and a few younger audience members who may not have seen the film. If you love Deadpool then this will be an amusing watch, but don't expect anything mind-blowing. To get the full enjoyment I also really recommend watching The Princess Bride beforehand if you haven't already.

Review: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Publication Date: September 26th 2017
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 300 pages

A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous debut novel.
Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.
Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

This was one of my most anticipated reads, as it took far too long to make its way from the US over to the UK, and the positive reviews were already pouring in by that point. I went into it with high expectations, and felt... a bit ambivalent.

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautifully written book, with some curious world building and a host of intriguing characters. It's been compared to Sarah J Maas and Holly Black's writing, and there have been so many people who really loved it. But I just felt a bit flat. I wanted to be swept away in the story, I wanted to fall for these characters and be left wanting more. Instead I was perfectly entertained for a couple of hours and then left feeling a little non-plussed at the end.

I am endlessly frustrated by intelligent young women in fiction who are painted as smart and strong and then go all googly and air headed once they're intrigued by a man. Yes I want romance, but I felt like Isobel became a bit too flat and swoony for a male that I mostly felt irritated by. 
And I don't really understand why. This book should have ticked all of my boxes and it didn't.

Review: Queens of Fennbirn by Kendare Blake

Publication date: May 3rd 2018
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 232 pages

Uncover the sisters’ origins, dive deep into the catastrophic reign of the Oracle Queen, and reveal layers of Fennbirn’s past, hidden until now.
The Young Queens
Get a glimpse of triplet queens Mirabella, Arsinoe, and Katharine during a short period of time when they protected and loved one another. From birth until their claiming ceremonies, this is the story of the three sisters’ lives…before they were at stake.
The Oracle Queen
Everyone knows the legend of Elsabet, the Oracle Queen. The one who went mad. The one who orchestrated a senseless, horrific slaying of three entire houses. But what really happened? Discover the true story behind the queen who could foresee the future…just not her own downfall.

This series is one of my favourites, and one of those rare yet wonderful experiences of wandering into a bookstore and picking up a book knowing nothing about it, but ultimately loving it. 

This companion with two novellas that are both prequels to the series is a curious book. On the one hand I loved having the chance to experience more of this strange and wonderful world Blake has created. I loved seeing more of the three Queens and finding out a little bit more of the history of the world. 
On the other hand, it just didn't capture me in the same way as the full novels have.

It was a great idea, and a way for Blake to offer a few additional snippets about the world and the characters that don't really fit into the overall narrative of the books, but I'm frequently left feeling a little unsatisfied with novellas. Ultimately, I just want more.

This is definitely worth a read. If you're a fan of the books this will give you the kind of little titbits and backstory that you need to keep you hungry for the next book. However I wouldn't recommend starting with this, even though *technically* they are prequel novellas. Start with the first book in the series, and become thoroughly enmeshed and enthralled, then come back to this one when you need an additional fix waiting for the latest.

Review: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Publication date: 10th July 2012
Publisher: Viking Adult
Pages: 584 pages

Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.

Given how much I enjoyed "A Discovery of Witches" I was really excited to get into the second book in the trilogy, but within a few pages I found that excitement dissipating.

This book was a slog to get through, that ended up taking me several months. There were odd patches that raced along at a better pace and swept me back into the story, but on the whole this was hard work and took me far too long to read for a book of this size.

Ultimately it felt as though Harkness had realised she actually wanted to write a historical novel and wanted to shoehorn that into her urban fantasy series. Sure it had lots of interesting titbits regarding day to day Elizabethan life, but they ended up bogging down the story and stifling any momentum the plot managed to generate.

There wasn't any real movement to the story, and nothing of any real lasting consequence for the story. There were a couple of odd dips into the present to catch us up with the characters from the first book, but they were stilted, strangely done, and skipped over important information that I'm sure we'll get filled in in book three, but just served the irritating purpose of making me flip back through the book going "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" We met some people, there was some soul searching, there was some character development, but it didn't need to be dragged out over nearly 600 pages. I was left feeling frustrated, bored, and wanting to go back to the first book and pretend this one had never happened.

Yes I will carry on and finish the series, mostly because I struggle to leave a series incomplete. And also in the desperate hope that the third book will recapture what I loved about the first book instead of wading through a quagmire of irrelevant trifles.

This is not the sequel the first book deserved, and it pained me how little I enjoyed it. If I gave half stars it would be two and a half, but I'm feeling generous so I'm rounding up.
If you enjoyed the first book don't expect the same from this one, be prepared for a frustrating read.

Review: City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Publication Date: August 28th 2018
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 285 pages

Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.
When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn't sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn't belong in her world. Cassidy's powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself. 

I was really excited about this book, in part because I adore Edinburgh and I was fascinated to see how Schwab portrayed one of my favourite cities, and in part to see what a middle grade novel from Schwab would look like, having read her young adult and adult offerings.

The answer? A little bit mixed. It's a brilliant concept, and I think younger readers will enjoy this spooky tale a lot more as the intended audience, but something felt like it was missing for me.
Perhaps it's just been a while since I read a middle grade book, but Cassidy is a really passive protagonist, she just allows things to happen to her and doesn't show a huge amount of interest in anything, which I found really baffling given what an exciting (also scary) situation she has found herself in.
She shows no interest in her powers, in what's really going on or actually finding answers (apart from a couple of brief moments in the story) and just is buffeted from one scene to the next.

With so little input from Cassidy is hard to really engage fully with the story, which was disappointing, but otherwise it's a perfectly good little tale. It's got just the right amount of scare factor, it shows parts of a really gorgeous city that you don't often see in younger fiction, and it looks like it could be the start of a nice series. However I don't think it's got quite enough to push me to pick up the next book when it's released.

Review: A Wicked Old Woman by Ravinder Randhawa

Today I’m the latest stop on the ‘A Wicked Old Woman’ Blog tour – don’t forget to check out all the other stops to find out more about the book!

Publication Date: October 24^th 2015 (this edition)
Publisher: Matador
Length: 242 pages

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Drama. Masquerade. Mischief.
A sharply observed, witty and confident novel. Linguistically playful, entertaining and provoking.
In a bustling British city, Kulwant mischievously masquerades as a much older woman, using her walking stick like a Greek chorus, ‘…stick-leg-shuffle-leg-shuffle…’ encountering new adventures and getting bruised by the jagged edges of her life. There’s the glamorous rebel who rescues her after a carefully calculated fall; Caroline, her gregarious friend from school days, who watched over her dizzy romance with ‘Michael the Archangel’, and Rani/Rosalind, who’s just killed a man…
Vividly bringing to life a bit of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

That blurb had me thoroughly intrigued from the outset, and whilst this is an intriguing novel it is a very different beast to the one I was expecting when I started reading.

The novel is a jumbled collection of characters and situations, story threads and backstory that takes a while to untangle so you can see the pattern clearly, and whilst I think this may put some people off, once you get through to that point it is well worth the effort.

The writing is lyrical, in places overly verbose, an exercise in linguistic gymnastics as Ravinder plays with language, thoughts and feelings to create an almost poetical writing style that paints Kulwant’s life in vivid colours.

This can become confusing and frustrating as you try to unravel the meanings and thoughts hidden in sometimes overly complex language. However in places it can be brilliant in its execution.
It can also provide some confusion as the characters are predominantly female and the author has a tendency to refer to characters by pronoun rather than name. That can lead to confusion and frustration as you have to then not only untangle the writing, but also try to work out who is speaking and to whom.

However despite these drawbacks and frustrations I thoroughly enjoyed working my way through this novel. It’s unique, fascinating and complex. I loved watching the characters grow, come into their own and embrace the world around them. I loved the culture, Kulwant’s experiences being Asian in England, the community and the vibrant characters that populate the novel.

It’s beautiful in places, filled with clever turns of phrase and lyrical prose, an interesting novel that is unlike anything else you will read this year.

If my review has piqued your interest don’t forget to check out the other stops on the blog tour!

You can find Ravinder across the interwebs

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Review: The Door That Led to Where by Sally Gardner

Publication Date: January 1^st 2015
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Length: 288 pages

Thanks to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

When the present offers no hope for the future, the answers may lie in the past AJ Flynn has just failed all but one of his GCSEs, and his future is looking far from rosy. So when he is offered a junior position at a London law firm he hopes his life is about to change - but he could never have imagined by how much. Tidying up the archive one day, AJ finds an old key, mysteriously labelled with his name and date of birth - and he becomes determined to find the door that fits the key. And so begins an amazing journey to a very real and tangible past - 1830, to be precise - where the streets of modern Clerkenwell are replaced with cobbles and carts, and the law can be twisted to suit a villain's means. Although life in 1830 is cheap, AJ and his friends quickly find that their own lives have much more value. They've gone from sad youth statistics to young men with purpose - and at the heart of everything lies a crime that only they can solve. But with enemies all around, can they unravel the mysteries of the past, before it unravels them?

This one was a quick and enjoyable read that thoroughly sucked me in, but never really developed into anything more than surface enjoyment. Sometimes that’s a good thing to have a story that you can just whip through in one sitting and be taken away for a little while. Sometimes that can be incredibly frustrating and leave you feeling cheated. Luckily I was in the former camp when I sat down to read this one.

It takes a little while to find its feet and really get going, but once it does it trundles along at a decent pace, not offering too much of a challenge in terms of plot or having to think whilst reading, but instead offers a simple story that relies heavily on the intrigue and magic infused within to carry the readers interest. A door that leads to the past, I loved how little time AJ spends having long desperate crisis about how this could be possible and just embraces it whole heartedly. AJ is an interesting protagonist, and I loved watching his story unfurl. The most interesting aspect for me was this idea of these three boys who hadn’t amounted to much in our world making something of themselves through the door. It was such a fascinating idea and I wish we could have seen a little more of its development. However the relationships between the three boys is left a little underplayed. We’re supposed to see that their the closest of friends, but it never really comes across. In fact the relationships throughout a little under developed which was a shame.

The writing is good, and I loved the historical details that are littered throughout. They really help to bring the past to life and to make AJs journeys through the door even more realistic and interesting. However the novel never really lifts from good into fantastic, which is a huge shame, and I felt like the writing let the concept down in several places.

All in all this was an interesting read that was thoroughly enjoyable to sit down with for a couple of hours. I was frustrated that it glossed over some of the parts that interested me the most, but on the whole it was a great stand alone read.

Review: Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Publication Date: April 9^th 2013 (audiobook release)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: 7hrs 29 mins

A lyrical novel about family and friendship from critically acclaimed author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship--the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be. 

So many people have loved this book, so many people whose bookish overlap mine, so I was expecting to love this book when I finally sat down to listen to it. Unfortunately it ended up being a bit of a rocky road. I don’t know if it was that I didn’t get along with listening to it and would have loved it had I decided to read it instead, or whether I was in the wrong frame of mind, but this novel and I really did not get along until around 80% of the way through. And that was heart-breaking.

I couldn’t connect with the characters, I found both Ari and Dante frustrating. I was irritated by the emotional swings – people crying all the time. The writing style was at times abrasive and abrupt, intermittently littered with truly beautiful prose. It was just such a mix and I couldn’t settle into the story.

Finally at around the 80% mark I settled more into the rhythm of the story and found myself beginning to really care about these characters, so by the end I was thoroughly engrossed in the story, but it was so frustrating for it to have taken that long to pull me in.

There is so much to love about this story though. Like I said, it has some truly gorgeous prose and some really profoundly beautiful phrases and quotes that I loved. I loved the content, the subject matter tackled, the two polar opposites we find in Ari and Dante. I loved their parents. Too often in young adult fiction parents are portrayed as awful, absent, or ignored completely. Here both Ari and Dante’s parents are complex individuals who round out the story and complete it in ways that would never be achieved if the focus was purely on the two boys. Their love for each other shines through, and each of them is individual bringing their own fears, hopes, and personalities to the narrative.

I think part of the problem for me was that the story is incredibly slow. There is no driving force to the plot to really propel it and keep the momentum going. It ambles, it pauses, it takes tangents, and at times that can be incredibly frustrating. I think that would have been less of a problem for me had I been reading this, but listening to someone else take these narrative rambles didn’t hold my interest.

I can see why people love this book. I can see why others have found it frustrating and hard to engage with. It isn’t a favourite for me – yet. I think this is one of those times I need to go away and forget it for a few years, then come back and read it rather than listen to it.