The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

Pages: 392

Publisher: Bantam

Released: 15th of February 2024 

If you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go?

In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favourite customer. It's a book - an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door .

What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of travelling to anywhere they want.

But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals - individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses.

Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons - a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .

Because some doors should never be opened.

What I Have to Say 

I loved the concept of this book so much. Books having different powers and the magic to do different things. I liked what was done with it. It didn't disappoint me in that regard at all. It made me think of all the things I could do if I had the Book of Doors. Going anywhere I pleased. Which is what a book like this is meant to do. It makes you think about what you'd do if you had the powers in the book and takes you away into a new world. 

I also liked the way it all fitted together. It was a really good standalone read. Everything was explained and it all fitted neatly together. I wasn't confused or left wondering about any of it. I liked the ending, I felt it tied up all the loose ends nicely and though while I'd like to see another book with this magic and these characters, it didn't feel like it needed one. 

The only problem I had with it is that it needed a sensitivity reader in some parts. The author tried really hard to include diverse characters, but he didn't treat them as well as they should have been treated. He fell into the trap of having the female main character look in the mirror and describe her boobs for one thing, which is something I hate to see. I was also particularly shocked to see him describe a black man as an animal. He meant it because he was evil, but considering the history of how black people and especially black men can be treated, it felt entirely inappropriate.  A sensitivity reader could have picked up on these things and made it a much better book. 

All in all though, I enjoyed it a lot, despite it's flaws. 

3 stars 

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

 

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (audiobook)

Pages: 236 

Publisher: Quercus 

Released: 7th of September 2023 

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

What I Have to Say 

This is my second time reviewing this book. The first review can be found here. 

I wanted to reread this book so when I saw the audiobook up for request, I jumped at the chance. I feel like a lot has changed since my first read. I wasn't so swept up in the humour and the comfort of it. I still think it's written in a very light-hearted style but man this one plays with your emotions. 

I liked the narrator a lot, she had a good voice for the character and her terrible accents for the English characters didn't grate on me as much as I thought they would at the start. I don't have much to say about her beyond that, but I would definitely read another book narrated by her. 

One thing I did pick up on, which while being a bit of a mistake, I find really funny is the times in the book. At the start of each chapter the time is said in each time zone that the book takes place in, but while it's summer in the book and therefore the British time should be in BST, it's not, it's written in GMT. 

I maintain my comment from the earlier review that this book would be absolutely perfect for a plane ride. 

5 stars 

My thanks got to Quercus and Netgalley for providing me with a gifted copy of this audiobook to review. 

 

The Nowhere Thief

Pages: 256 

Publisher: Nosy Crow 

Released: 2nd of March 2023 

A mind-bending multiverse adventure about theft, family, and finding your home.

Twelve-year-old Elsbeth has an extraordinary power: she can travel to parallel worlds and bring objects back with her. But as freak weather events become more frequent and a strange boy, Idris, starts to turn up everywhere she travels, she has to ask herself: does her gift come with a price?

What I Have to Say 

I really enjoyed this book, but it was a little disappointing. I wanted more time to explore the worlds that Elsbeth and Idris were going to but most of them they spent barely any time in. Even the main worlds they were in, Elsbeth's and Idris's own two worlds, were only sketchily made. 

I was really sucked into the story though. I felt the characters were really sympathetic and I loved the description of the little cat like animals that existed in Idris' world. 

The ending was another disappointment though. I felt that it all wrapped up a little too conveniently and without that much impact of the kids. Everything just fell into place and was fixed. 

I would like to see more in this universe though as the concept and the characters were really intriguing. 

3.5 stars 

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

Songs About a Boy by Chris Russell

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Released: 2nd of August 2018 

Just as Charlie allows herself to succumb to Gabe's charms, the explosive revelation about her mother's death threatens to pull them apart.

Meanwhile, a media circus has exploded around the future of Fire&Lights - when they announce a US tour to show the world that they are stronger than ever, Charlie gets the opportunity to accompany them. New York City, here she comes! But it's not all fun and games. Charlie is still feeling all kinds of awkward around Gabe and knowing that her mother's last days were in America touring with her band, Charlie uses the opportunity to uncover some more truths about her mother's death.

As Fire&Lights try to win over the world again, and as Charlie and Gabriel uncover the true story that links their pasts, will Charlie finally be able to follow her heart?

What I Have to Say 

This series has been such a joy to read. There's something about it that makes me feel warm and cosy, each book something to sink into like a nice cosy blanket. It's dramatic and emotional, but it's still like an old friend that you can feel comfortable reading about. I love books like that. It makes reading them a real pleasure. 

I don't know much about One Direction, but I've seen some people calling this One Direction fanfiction. There's nothing wrong with fanfiction at all, but I do feel that calling is really overlooking Charlie, because yes it's a story about Fire and Lights, but more than that, it's Charlie's story. Everything is centred around her and the mystery of her mum. Charlie is such a beautiful character, driven, talented and a really great person. I love how much the band adores her and make her feel like she's a really integral part of the team. 

The band is beautiful. Yuki is wonderful and Aiden too, I really liked. The dynamic of Ollie and Gabriel was a dramatic conflict, but Yuki and Aiden were a really amazing part of the band. 

I love these characters so much and the story was a wild ride of dramatic twists and turns. Chris Russell's habit of ending each book on a sudden twist was frustrating in the best possible way, but I can forgive him for that. 

I can't wait to see what he does next. 

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

Colour Me In by Lydia Ruffles

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Released: 8th of August 2018 

Nineteen-year-old actor Arlo likes nothing more than howling across the skyline with best friend Luke from the roof of their apartment.

But when something irreparable happens and familiar black weeds start to crawl inside him, Arlo flees to the other side of the world, taking only a sketchbook full of maps.

With its steaming soup and neon lights, this new place is both comforting and isolating.

There, Arlo meets fellow traveller Mizuki. Something about her feels more like home than he's felt in a while. But what is Mizuki searching for?

HOW FAR CAN YOU OUTRUN YOURSELF . . .

BEFORE YOU LOSE YOUR WAY BACK? 

What I Have to Say 

I loved this book so much! It a little slow to get into and finish, but it was so, so beautiful. The way everything was described and the magic of the abandoned places that Mizuki and Arlo go to. The fact that there were no place names at all in the book added greatly to the magic. It made it so that it could be anywhere, even after you've figured out what countries are being described. 

I liked Arlo a lot. He was buried in grief and depression, his mental health already crashing before the accident that sends him running. It's a very good look at how depression can infect your whole life and even when you're not struggling with it, you're still worried about it coming back and turning your life upside down again. 

I loved Mizuki too. Her quest for a photograph that had never been taken before, her enthusiasm to go to the abandoned places and find new things to capture with her camera, the fact that she has her own things that she's hiding from. 

Two characters travelling around, exploring places from islands full of wilds rabbits, to abandoned hospitals and theme parks, finding the magic in the places left behind. This is an amazing book about mental health. 

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

Dragon Rider and Griffin's Feather by Cornelia Funke

Dragon Rider 

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 400
Publisher: Chicken House
Released: 1st of February 1997

With lonely Ben aboard, brave dragon Firedrake seeks mythical place where silver dragons can live in peace. Over moonlit lands and sparkling seas, they meet fantastic creatures, summon up surprising courage - and cross a ruthless villain with an ancient grudge determined to end their quest. Only a secret destiny can save the dragons and bring them the true meaning of home.

The Griffin's Feather 

Pages: 416

Publisher: Chicken House 

Released: 6th of July 2017 

The last winged horses are on the brink of extinction. Three foals lie curled in their eggs in a sanctuary for threatened creatures, where a young dragon rider lives with his silver dragon. The foals are ill, and the pair volunteer to seek the only cure: a Griffin's feather. But Griffins, with the heads of eagles and bodies of lions, are a dragon's fiercest enemy, and live far across the world in the sweltering jungle. A dangerous and exciting adventure begins...

What I Have to Say 

I remember reading Dragon Rider when I was young. It probably was a few years after it came out, because I think I would have been a little too young for it when it came out in 1997, but I remember liking it immensely. So I was very excited to hear that not only were they reprinting it, but there was going to be a sequel as well. 

Rereading the first book was interesting. I could vaguely remember bits of it, but as it turned out, they were really only tiny bits of the plot. I remembered the brownies and a few things felt vaguely familiar, but other than some stuff that I had misremembered, that was about it. But it meant that I got to read it again with fresh eyes that didn't have a clue what would happen next. I loved it as much as I remember loving it the first time I read it, which I'm really glad wasn't something I'd misremembered! 

The second book was even better. I loved the descriptions of the Pegasus foals inside their eggs and the Griffins, even though they were so cruel. And FREEFAB. I love the idea of an organisation that helps keep these creatures hidden and protected in sanctuaries. The story was exciting and well written, but I think the thing that really makes it for me is all the different creatures. 

Cornelia Funke has shown us time and time again how perfect she is at making tiny details to fill a world to make it seem real and I can't wait to see what creatures she chooses to write about next. 

My thanks go to Nina Douglas and Chicken House for providing me with this copy for review. 

Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 304

Publisher: Hatchette Children's Group 

Released: 9th of March 2017 

Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say good-bye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.

Jamie and Sophia have a history of heartbreak, and the last thing Sophia wants is for him to steal her leaving thunder with his stupid arriving thunder. Yet as the week counts down, the relationships she thought were stable begin to explode around her. And Jamie is the one who helps her pick up the pieces. Sophia is forced to admit she may have misjudged Jamie, but can their seven short days of Tokyo adventures end in anything but good-bye?

What I Have to Say 

This book had some cute moments, some awesome, crazy adventures in Japan, but it also had a lot of complicated romance. I wouldn't call it so much a love triangle as a ball of wool that has become so tangled up that untangling it is impossible and you have to resort to using scissors or just give up. Everyone in the book was in love with someone else and no one seemed to be in love with a person who actually loved them back. It's not the sort of romance that I enjoy and it just made me annoyed with everyone. 

Sophia's attitude really bothered me. Her feelings for Jamie were obvious from the moment he arrived back in Tokyo and yet she continued to pine after David, who she never even told about her feelings. Her dismissal of David's girlfriend was the worst though. She completely ignored her most of the time, without even attempting to make her feel like part of the group even though the girl felt like things were a lot different. She basically didn't see her as a human being with feelings. I didn't like that and honestly wanted to slap Sophia half the time. 

The book also had a lot of good parts though. It delved deep into how it feels for someone who is constantly shifted from country to country based on her parents whims. Okay not their whims, their jobs but still. It dealt with Sophia's feelings of abandonment from her father who has a perfectly stable life in Paris with his new family leaving no room for Sophia and her sister who are forced to move about between Japan and America with short holidays in Paris, never feeling like they belonged anywhere. This was all explored so deeply and I feel captured the feelings that these kids go through, though naturally I cannot say for sure because I've never been in that situation). 

Also as I said at the start, fun, crazy adventures in Shibuya with Jamie and Sophia. Arcades, Karaoke and Ramen with a side of Matcha lattes. What more can you ask for in a date? 

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

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 337

Publisher: Headline

Released: 10th of April 2014 (first published 1st January 2014) 

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

What I Have To Say 

I've said before that I'm not that into romance. It takes a special romance book to get me to really invest in the characters. As good as this book was, it's a perfect example about how I just don't care enough about whether the characters get together. 

Lucy and Owen were sweet together and I liked them both a lot. But I just assumed they'd get together again after the night of the blackout, so I just sort of trawled through the book waiting for it to happen. That's not the way to properly read a romance novel, is it? I was interested in their individual journey's, Owen's travels through states trying to find a place to make home, Lucy's explorations of London and Edinburgh. I think I was more interested in that then the romance. 

I'm coming across a bit harsh here. I enjoyed reading the book. I love Jennifer E. Smith's writing style. Owen and his father's struggles over losing Owen's Mother was suitably heartbreaking. Because those parts I was really interested in. Would Owen and his dad get over losing his mom? Would Lucy manage to find a way to connect with her parents again and find a home wherever they ended up? Would she ever get to Paris? To me these were way better stories than the romance. 

This is a really great book about travel and snail mail while trying to find a place to call home, just for me, it wasn't a love story. 

3.5 stars