My Life as a Bench by Jaq Hazell

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 234
Publisher: Nowness Books
Released: 2nd of May 2017

'There are so many benches lining the riverside, each and every one tragic in its own way.'

Ren Miller has died aged seventeen and yet her consciousness lives on, inhabiting her memorial bench by the River Thames in London.

Ren longs to be reunited with her boyfriend Gabe, but soon discovers why he has failed to visit. Devastated, she must learn to break through and talk to the living so she can reveal the truth about her tragic end.

What I Have to Say 

This book was so good! I think I would have read it in one sitting if it wasn't an eBook. Ren was such an interesting character, though maybe the fact that she was stuck as a bench had something to do with her. Still it was interesting to hear how she had run away from Devon to find her father and how she coped with living in London.

But the most important part was the bench. It's just such an interesting take on the afterlife, bringing the idea of ghosts and memorials together to have a person inhabit the object with their plaque on, leaving them to observe the world and relive their memories until they find release from the limbo they're stuck in.

The book would have been dull however, but for the mystery surrounding who had killed Ren and how exactly she had died. I liked the way Hazell teased the reader, throwing out several different hints about how she might die. The way he threw out the idea of gangs and knives and guns which could easily be foreshadowing or just a red herring.

This is definitely a book that I would recommend. It's just such an interesting premise and it was so well executed.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Nowness for providing me with this copy for review. 

Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Amulet Books

Released: 5th of January 2016

Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The Brontë siblings find escape from their constrained lives via their rich imaginations. The glittering world of Verdopolis and the romantic and melancholy world of Gondal literallycome to life under their pens, offering the sort of romance and intrigue missing from their isolated parsonage home. But at what price? As Branwell begins to slip into madness and the sisters feel their real lives slipping away, they must weigh the cost of their powerful imaginations, even as the characters they have created—the brooding Rogue and dashing Duke of Zamorna—refuse to let them go.

What I Have to Say 

This book was a very slow start. I have to say, I spent most of the book wondering where it was going and how much knowledge the author had of the Brontës in order to write them. I don't have much knowledge of them other than their books, so I can't really say, but I would be interested to know what facts were real and what was made up.

As I said, it took a long time to pick up speed, but by the end I got into it quite a bit. I think at the start, it was so unclear where it was going. As it started to pick up, though I really got into it. I loved the ending, how their world began to change and the characters of the novels they eventually went on to write began to emerge from it.

I think I went into it thinking that I would see more of a world that I recognized, without realising that I wouldn't. As the novels I knew began to emerge, with characters such as Heathcliff starting to emerge from the story, it became much easier to enjoy.

I think this would be good for fans of the Brontës, though it may be better to read more than just a couple of books.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

Synopsis (From Goodreads) 

Pages: 336

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Released: 2nd of July 2015

London, 1884. When Thaniel Steepleton comes home to find a new watch on his pillow, he has bigger things to worry about than generous burglars; he is a telegraphist at the Home Office, where he has just received a Fenian bomb threat. But six months later, the watch saves his life in a blast that destroys Scotland Yard, and at last, he goes in search of its maker. 

He meets Keita Mori, a Japanese immigrant who remembers the future. As Mori begins to tweak daily life in Thaniel’s favour, everything seems to be going well – until physicist Grace Carrow, attracted to Thaniel’s refreshingly direct, unstuffy nature, unwittingly interferes. Soon, events spiral beyond Thaniel’s control, and nothing is certain any more…

What I Have to Say 

I want to squeal and tell everyone about this book, which I loved so much and not just because of the adorable clockwork Octopus, Katsu (I want one!). I really enjoyed Thaniel's voice and the interesting phenomenon of him being able to see sounds as colours. Keita was also so adorable. He was so sweet towards the start! Of course anyone who's read the book know that changes because his name does not mean "forest" (sorry but mori is not "trees" as it says in the book but 森 which is "forest"). 

The ending was thrilling. There was so much excitement and tension that I didn't want to put it down! I really loved the battle of minds between Grace and Keita! 

But more than anything I think this book got me interested more in clockwork and what could be done with it. I knew that the Victorians could do an awful lot with clockwork but I've never really thought about quite how clever they were. I almost wish that electricity hadn't been invented because the developments would be incredible now. Although I suppose it helps if you can remember the future... 

Everyone must to read this book. 

The Snow Kimono by Mark Henshaw

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 419 

Publisher: Tinder Press

Released: 9th of April 2015

On the same day that retired police inspector Auguste Jovert receives a letter from a woman claiming to be his daughter, he returns to his Paris apartment to find a stranger waiting for him.

That stranger is a Japanese professor called Tadashi Omura. What's brought him to Jovert's doorstep is not clear, but then he begins to tell his story - a story of a fractured friendship, lost lovers, orphaned children, and a body left bleeding in the snow.

As Jovert pieces together the puzzle of Omura's life, he can't help but draw parallels with his own; for he too has lead a life that's been extraordinary and dangerous - and based upon a lie. 

What I Have to Say 

I think this book was a little too literary before. I felt there was a lot of unnecessary parts of it. And I feel that the scene with the ice at the start was a little annoying because there was never really a revelation to it. 

I felt that Jovert's character was just unnecessary, I liked some of the scenes with him in, but I honestly think it would have been a better book without him in it. He didn't really add much to the story and I was more interested in Omura's story. Jovert's parts were mostly just filler until we got back to Omura. 

But the writing was beautiful and when I was reading Omura's parts, I was completely enthralled. I loved the mystery of it all, the retrospection and sad feel of it. And I enjoyed the twists at the end, although there was one (which I won't spoil) which was a bit creepy. The twist about Omura's identity was really good and only slightly expected though. 

I probably won't read any more from the author, but I enjoyed this book.