The Pavee and the Buffer Girl

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 112

Publisher: The Bucket List 

Released: 2nd of March 2017 

Jim and his family have halted by Dundray and the education people have been round mouthing the law. In school the Traveller kids suffer at the hands of teachers and other pupils alike, called 'tinker-stinkers', 'dirty gyps' and worse. Then the punches start. The only friendly face is Kit, a settled girl who takes Jim under her wing and teaches him to read in the great cathedral chamber of the cave below the town. With Kit and the reading, Jim seems to have found a way to exist in Dundray, but everyday prejudice and a shocking act of violence see his life uprooted

What I Have to Say 

This is a very important story about the treatment of travelers and way that friendship and romance can make just one boys life just a tiny bit better, even if only for a short while. 

The story was simple. Though the changes between scenes were sometimes a bit a sudden, so it was a little abrupt, I found it interesting. There was a lot of slurs and violence against the travelers, which was to be expected, but did make me feel a bit uncomfortable. The fact that they're treated so badly is something we don't think about. I don't know how it is these days, I hope it's at least a bit better, but I feel it's probably only a little improved. 

The illustrations by Emma Shoard were well done and very effective. They sorted the story really well, but they're not the sort of artwork I particularly like. She really captured the scenes well though, so they were good to see. 

This story is well worth reading, though it is quite hard hitting. 

My thanks go to Nina Douglas and The Bucket List for providing me with this copy for review. 

Defy The Stars by Claudia Gray

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 480

Publisher: Hot Key Books
Released: 1st of April 2017 

Noemi is a young and fearless soldier of Genesis, a colony planet of a dying Earth. But the citizens of Genesis are rising up - they know that Earth's settlers will only destroy this planet the way they destroyed their own. And so a terrible war has begun.

When Noemi meets Abel, one of Earth's robotic mech warriors, she realizes that Abel himself may provide the key to Genesis' salvation. Abel is bound by his programming to obey her - even though her plan could result in his destruction. But Abel is no ordinary mech. He's a unique prototype, one with greater intelligence, skill and strength than any other. More than that, he has begun to develop emotions, a personality and even dreams. Noemi begins to realise that if Abel is less than human, he is more than a machine. If she destroys him, is it murder? And can a cold-blooded murder be redeemed by the protection of a world?

Stranded together in space, they go on a whirlwind adventure through Earth's various colony worlds, alongside the countless Vagabonds who have given up planetary life altogether and sail forever between the stars. Each step brings them closer - both to each other and to the terrible decision Noemi will have to make about her world's fate, and Abel's. 

What I Have to Say 

I've really liked Claudia Gray's writing before, but this book just fell short for me. I haven't really been in the mood to read Sci-fi lately, so that could account for some what I found boring about this book, but I don't think that's all. I found the romance to be basically non-existent to be honest. Or at least one sided. I could kind of see it happening with Abel, in his own way of not knowing why he does the things he does, but I just didn't see anything on Noemi's side until the very end. 

The look at immigration was something that was interesting about this book Noemi comes from Genesis, a world that is fighting for it's independence from Earth in order to keep their planet from being destroyed and used up in the same way that Earth and the planets under it's control are being. But as Noemi sees more of the universe and what is happening in and around the other planets, she has to rethink her opinions. 

It was a really good look at the ramifications of immigration as well as the reasons why we should be sensitive to the plight of refuges. 

Even though I didn't get on well with this book, for those reasons, I do think this is a good one to read. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

Where the Wild Cherries Go by Laura Madeleine

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 368

Publisher:  Transworld 

Released: 23nd of March 2017 

I closed my eyes as I tried to pick apart every flavour, because nothing had ever tasted so good before.It was love and it could not be hidden.

It is 1919 and the end of the war has not brought peace for Emeline Vane. Lost in grief, she is suddenly alone at the heart of a depleted family. She can no longer cope. And just as everything seems to be slipping beyond her control, in a moment of desperation, she boards a train and runs away.

Fifty years later, a young solicitor on his first case finds Emeline’s diary. Bill Perch is eager to prove himself but what he finds in the tattered pages of neat script goes against everything he has been told. He begins to trace a story of love and betrayal that will send him on a journey to discover the truth. What really happened to Emeline all those years ago?

What I Have to Say 

This book is many things. At it's heart is a mystery. It's about what happened to Emeline and how Bill will go about tracking her down. It's about whether Bill will choose to do what is right and search for a long missing woman, or file the correct paperwork and move on with his life. But at it's heart, it's about identity. It's about Bill and Emeline finding who they are meant to be. 

Emeline's life has been completely shattered by the war and by the influenza that came after it. She has nothing left to hold on to. This story more than anything is about whether she'll ever be able to get away from the past and that was the mystery that kept me reading until the very last page. It wasn't about anything other than will Emeline ever find peace. 

The description is the best part of the book. The passages of wreckage and abandonment of the house where Emeline once lived and the ones of beauty and culture that form her new life. The food and people that she finds at the edge of France are so vividly described. 

This book is not for the hungry as there are many very detailed descriptions of food and cooking. I found it amazing that I was able to identify spices such as paprika from just a description of the tastes. 

A beautiful book that evokes every sense and falling deep into the narrative. 

My thanks go to Penguin Random House for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400
Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 23rd of March 2017

Nix has spent her whole life journeying to places both real and imagined aboard her time-traveling father’s ship. And now it’s finally time for her to take the helm. Her father has given up his obsession to save her mother—and possibly erase Nix’s existence—and Nix’s future lies bright before her. Until she learns that she is destined to lose the one she loves. But her relationship with Kash—best friend, thief, charmer extraordinaire—is only just beginning. How can she bear to lose him? How can she bear to become as adrift and alone as her father?

Desperate to change her fate, Nix takes her crew to a mythical utopia to meet another Navigator who promises to teach her how to manipulate time. But everything in this utopia is constantly changing, and nothing is what it seems—not even her relationship with Kash. Nix must grapple with whether anyone can escape her destiny, her history, her choices.

What I Have to Say 

The perfect sequel to the wonderful The Girl From Everywhere. When I finished The Girl From Everywhere, I couldn't wait to explore more of the world, or should I say worlds, that Heilig has created and more of the mechanics of navigating. It's rare for a book to give you exactly what you want, but The Ship Beyond Time most definitely gave me everything I wanted and so much more. 

I enjoyed the philosophical questions that were raised throughout the book. The questions about whether or not the navigators should use their ability to change things, whether in the worlds of myth or history were so fascinating. And Kashmir's doubts about whether he was truly a real person if he had been created by Nix turning up in his home were just heartbreaking. 

I have just adored both these books. I'm not ready to leave the world of navigators behind yet, so I'm hoping  that Heilig will write more books about Navigating, if not about Nix and Kashmir. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: The Borough Press 

Released: 23rd of February 2017 

Summer, 1940. In the Kentish village of Chilbury some are unimpressed at the vicar's decision to close the church choir, since all the men have gone off to fight. But a new arrival prompts the creation of an all-female singing group and, as the women come together in song, they find the strength and initiative to confront their own dramatic affairs. 

Filled with intrigue, humour and touching warmth, and set against the devastating backdrop of WWII, this is a wonderfully spirited and big-hearted novel told through the voices of four marvellous and marvellously different females, who will win you over as much with their mischief as with their charm.

What I Have to Say 

This is a beautiful story of bravery, sisterhood and working hard to support the war effort. I wasn't sure how good it would be. I love stories about women stepping up and showing what they're capable of, but I wasn't sure how much more to it there would be. Church choirs in a small village? But it really showed a lot more depth to it than it first seemed. 

The book covered a lot of angles, from suspicious people who could be German spies, to homosexuality, to women supporting each other in a time of grief and turmoil. It really seemed to capture the essence of what it must have been like to be a women during the Second World War. 

The book is told through various different perspectives, each showing the life of a different woman in the choir and what it's like for them, setting up the new choir, coping with the bombs falling on their village and training to fight in case England gets invaded. 

This truly is a story about the power of women and what can be achieved. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and the Borough Press for providing me with this copy for review. 

King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 507

Publisher: Orion Publishing 

Released: 9th of February 2017 

Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.

What I Have to Say 

This series gets better with each book. This book is where the war between red and silver really begins. It was interesting to see the different perspectives in the book, to see the fight from three different sides, the things that Mare could find out from her place as Maven's captive, the red guard's actions from the point of view of Cameron and the political breakdown of Maven's rule from the point of view of Evangeline, who I'm starting to adore. 

What I liked most though was the way that Maven and Mare's relationship was treated. Obviously the love triangle between Mare, Cal and Maven has been evident from book one and I was worried that they would make him one of those character who is evil but still has the character's heart. But with Maven, the love is all one way. Mare despises him and reacts to his attempts at affection with revulsion and fear, in the way that she should after everything he's done. It's refreshing to see that even though there's some explanation for why he is the way he is, it's not a way to dismiss everything he's done and make him a viable love interest again. 

But of course Mare still has feelings for him. Not for Maven the king, but for the boy she thought she knew. The boy who was being controlled by his mother. The confusion in Mare was really interesting to see, the way she wanted to see the boy she remembered while still reminding herself constantly that he isn't that boy, that he's done a lot of harm even without his mother to force him to. 

This series is doing some really interesting things and I can't wait for the next book! 

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

The Pants Project by Cat Clarke

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 272

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky  

Released: 7th of March 2017 

"My name is Liv (Not Olivia)... I'm not technically a girl.

I'm Transgender. Which is a bit like being a transformer. Only not quite as cool as cool because I probably won't get to save the world one day."

A Transformer is a robot in disguise. Liv is a boy in disguise. It's that simple. Liv knows he was always meant to be a boy, but with his new school's terrible dress code, he can't even wear pants. Only skirts.

Operation: Pants Project begins! The only way for Liv to get what he wants is to go after it himself. But to Liv, this isn't just a mission to change the policy- it's a mission to change his life. And that's a pretty big deal.

What I Have to Say 

This is a book that highlights how badly school dress code can be damaging to transgender teens. I grew up having skirts as the school uniform policy. Even while being cis, I hated it but even as I began to understand transgender and the issues surrounding it, it was never something that crossed my mind that would be a problem. This book opened my eyes to the small ways in which transgender kids can be hurt every day. 

I loved Liv as a character.  I love his love of comics and zombies and the way he builds up a good group of friends around him. Friends who don't care that acts differently to the girls in his class. The only problem is the bullies. And the skirt he has to wear every day. 

This is a story about activism and friendship. About finding who your friends really are. The only problem I had with it was the way they dealt with the bullying. It's the same way as bullying is dealt with in every other book. It's showing the textbook way of dealing with bullies and as most schoolchildren know, it just doesn't work. It felt a bit too moralistic of a story in that way. 

Really though, this is a story to inspire. It's a story of how you can change the world or at least your little bit of it. 

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