Phoenix Burning by Bryony Pearce

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 416
Publisher: Stripes Publishing
Released:  10th of March 2016

Toby and Ayla have to infiltrate a sect of sun worshippers to steal the equipment their ships need. They enter a trial to be chosen as the Sun and the Moon, a position of great honour for the sect. As the trial commences, Toby and Ayla discover the true cost of failure. But there are other young couples who are equally desperate to win...Can Toby and Ayla survive days without sleep, hours sitting in the blistering sun and a deadly maze? They'll need to work together to win - their mission depends on it...

What  I Have to Say 

After setting up her new world of salt heaving seas and scavenging pirates, Bryony Pearce has followed with a fantastic continuation of the series, which I think I may have enjoyed even more than the first. 

In Phoenix Burning, we see a very different side of the world that Pearce has created. With any devastated world comes a group of religious fanatics who are desperate to find meaning in everything that has happened. The cruelty that the challenges that Ayla, Toby and the other competitors faced was suitably dark for this kind of sect, though this is certainly not the kind of book for those who are squeamish! 

The ending was filled with twists and intrigue, leaving me with the feeling I always get when I read something really good. I definitely am looking forward to seeing what's next for Toby. 

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 3rd of March 2016 

It was the kind of August day that hinted at monsoons, and the year was 1774, though not for very much longer.

Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times - although a map will only take you somewhere once. And Nix's father is only interested in one time, and one place: Honolulu 1868. A time before Nix was born, and her mother was alive. Something that puts Nix's existence rather dangerously in question...

Nix has grown used to her father's obsession, but only because she's convinced it can't work. But then a map falls into her father's lap that changes everything. And when Nix refuses to help, her father threatens to maroon Kashmir, her only friend (and perhaps, only love) in a time where Nix will never be able to find him. And if Nix has learned one thing, it's that losing the person you love is a torment that no one can withstand. Nix must work out what she wants, who she is, and where she really belongs before time runs out on her forever. 

What I Have to Say 

I really want this to be a series. I love the idea of travelling through time like sailing through the ocean, the rules of using maps drawn on a certain date and not being able to use the same map twice. I love the mythology aspects, going to places that people believed in and taking fantasy creatures and items away to make things easier. There is so much that can be done in this world and it would be awful if the author leaves it as a standalone book. 

The main setting is beautiful as well. It was the perfect choice for a story that combines mythology and historical fiction, especially with the conflict that the book ties so perfectly into. 

The main theme, of course, is one of identity and abandonment. Even Nix's name seems to show how little she means to her father. The books shows the touching story of a girl trying to find out who she is and come to terms with the fact that her father seems to want to change everything she is, all while her future is about as uncertain as a future can be. She doesn't even know if she will exist in said future. 

This book has something for everyone, fantasy, historical, action and adventure. It shows a touching story alongside a magical one. It is definitely not one to let pass you by, 

My thanks go to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this copy, 

Baker's Magic by Diane Zahler

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 336

Publisher: Capstone

Released: 1st of February 2016 

Bee is an orphan, alone in a poor, crumbling kingdom. In desperation, she steals a bun from a bakery, and to her surprise, the baker offers her a place at his shop. As she learns to bake, Bee discovers that she has a magical power. When a new friend desperately needs her help against an evil mage, Bee wonders what an orphan girl with only a small bit of magic can do. Bee's journey to help her friend becomes a journey to save the kingdom, and a discovery of the meaning of family.

What I Have to Say 

This book was really cute and very funny. It was one of those eccentric books that doesn't take itself too seriously, with characters who crack jokes whenever they can. 

I loved the bakery setting and the magic that Bee used. Magic in books are often big impressive spells from people who know what they're doing, but every so often, you find a book with innate magic that they practice without knowing that they're doing it. It works so well for Bee and  I love the way that she bakes the feelings that she's feeling at the time into anything she bakes. It can't be stopped as well, so it's really interesting the way she has to control herself or calm herself down, or not, as the occasion warrants. 

This is a bit young for some readers, but honestly I think everyone should read it. It's a great story and it's so lovely to connect with a book like that. It's almost like being a child again. 

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

Rivers of Ink: Genesis by Helen Dennis

Synopsis (from Netgalley) 

Pages: 359 

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 

Released: 14th of January 2016 

What if a teenage boy washed up on the banks of the River Thames, soaked to the skin and unable to explain who he is?

What if the only clue to the boy's identity is a sketch he made of a strange symbol?

Who would help him? Who would hunt him? 

Who is River Boy?

When a mystery teenage boy emerges from the River Thames drenched, distressed and unable to remember anything about himself, he becomes the focus of worldwide media speculation. Unable to communicate, the River Boy is given paper and a pencil and begins to scribble. Soon a symbol emerges, but the boy has no idea why he has drawn it even thought it's the only clue to the mystery of his identity...

As the boy begins to build a new life under a new name, the hunt for his real identity begins.

What I Have to Say 

This was a good opening book of the series. It set things up nicely, starting off the mysteries and setting up the characters. It had enough danger and mysteries to keep the reader occupied, while leaving plenty of things unsolved too keep you interested in the series. 

I liked all the alchemy in the book. The use of the symbols that they didn't understand. I only with there could have been more of it. Other than the Ouroboros, it felt a bit like they were handed the answers on a plate (or through google searching) and then just guessed how they fitted together. It would have been nicer to have some evidence to show they were right other than the people chasing them. 

Other than that, I enjoyed it. It's a series that I'm sure I'll continue reading, though perhaps not one I'll eagerly await the next book of. 

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 416

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books 

Released: 31st of December 2015 

Parker Grant doesn't need perfect vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances.

When Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart, suddenly reappears at school, Parker knows there's only one way to react – shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough to deal with already, like trying out for the track team, handing out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened – both with Scott, and her dad – the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem.

What I Have to Say 

This is a book that really hits you with how hard it can be to be blind, not just the obvious lack of sight, but the way that even good intentioned people treat the blind. Her list of rules and entire attitude towards people show how hard it's been for her without much need to say it outright. It's really easy to see how her defenses have grown around her over the years.

Despite how pessimistic Parker's attitude is, I really liked her. Her voice was interesting and sassy, making it really enjoyable to read, even if her humour was dark. She felt real in a way that opened your eyes, rather than making you especially sympathetic. It made you see her as a real person that you might want to be friends with. It would have been easy for the writer to have tried to make the reader feel sorry for her and leave her as just the "blind girl", which is precisely what Parker spends the book trying not to be.

This is more than just a book about a blind girl. This is a book about grief and suppressing emotions, about making mistakes and having to own up to them. It's a great step for diversity and so much more.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for providing me with a copy to review. 

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Puffin 

Released: 4th of February 2016 

Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets.

Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies…and war.

As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom.

Yet not all promises can be kept.

What I Have To Say 

This is very much not a book for the faint-hearted. It is tragic and heartbreaking from the word go, taking it to harrowing extremes in the climax. Sepetys writes about a great tragedy without holding back from the details of it. There are some images in this book that will stay with me for a long time. 

Each voice was very different. I loved the switch between the voices in the narrative, showing things from different perspectives and revealing the character's secrets bit by bit. I only took a couple of days to read through it, because the characters and their mysteries caught me up in the story and compelled me to read on. 

This is definitely one for those who like a good cry at sad books. It's also a very good and well researched look into Germany and the surrounding countries during the Second World War. 

My thanks go to Netgally and Puffin for providing me with this e-Arc. 

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman by Robin Gregory

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 294

Publisher: Mad Mystical Journey Press 

Released: 1st of November 2015 

After his mother dies in a freak accident, eight year-old, disabled Moojie is sent by his disapproving father to live at St. Isidore's Fainting Goat Dairy, where he befriends a clan of outcasts from an alternate universe. Six years later, this forbidden friendship and subsequent events reveal an extraordinary boy’s tale of loss and connection, first love, and self-discovery.

What I Have to Say 

It took me a little while to warm up to this book, but I really got into it. Moojie is not the type of character I normally like and neither really was a lot of the humour, as it was quite dark humour, but it was written in a really captivating fairy-tale-like voice that drew me in. 

I'm not keen on stories starting with the birth of the main character or the main character being a baby. I feel like usually there's not much story to tell, though in this case, so much of Moojie's disabilities and development is explained throughout his early life, that this was actually a good place to start. 

I don't think this was ever going to be one of my favourite books, but I liked it well enough. It went through a lot of issues about racism, disability and poverty and is worth reading if you get the chance. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Mad Mystical Journey Press for providing me with this e-Arc.