Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates

Pages: 400

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's UK 

Released: 9th of November 2023 

What if the Knights of the Round Table had been women?

This afternoon Cass's older sister will be married. Soon she will be too. Gone will be days of running through fields and feeling the earth between her toes. So when a beautiful leather-clad woman rides up and offers to take her away, Cass doesn't hesitate to join her.

Cass is introduced to the Sisterhood of Silk Knights - a group of women training to fight and working to right the wrongs of men. Cass is drawn into a world of ancient feuds, glorious battles, and deadly intrigue, where soon discovers she holds a power that could change the destiny of her sisterhood.

'An interesting thing happens, when a man is defeated in combat by a woman.'

'He tells nobody.'

What I Have to Say 

I enjoyed this a lot, but I felt at times that it could have been stronger on the plot. It felt more character focused with Cass going through her training as a squire. At the end, it was easy to see where it led up to, but while reading I was left wondering where it was going sometimes. 

I really liked the characters. Cass was possibly not the strongest, but some of the older knights had more defined characteristics and it was fun seeing them interact, especially with the world around them. I loved how they used stereotypically feminine traits almost as a weapon to use against the men that would threaten them. 

The ending intrigued me and I can't wait to see what happens with that, but I do wish it could have come a bit earlier in the book, if I'm honest. 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

 

Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q Sutanto

 Pages: 320 

Publisher: Electric Monkey 

Released:  7th of December 2023 

Seventeen-year-old Kiki Siregar is a fabulous gamer girl with confidence to boot. She can’t help but be totally herself… except when she’s online.

Her secret? She plays anonymously as a guy to avoid harassment from other male players. Even her online best friend―a cinnamon roll of a teen boy who plays under the username Sourdawg―doesn’t know her true identity. Which is fine, because Kiki doesn’t know his real name either, and it’s not like they’re ever going to cross paths IRL.

Until she transfers to an elite private school for her senior year and discovers that Sourdawg goes there, too.

But who is he? How will he react when he finds out Kiki’s secret? And what happens when Kiki realizes she’s falling for her online BFF?

What I Have to Say 

Okay first off I want to say I think this is a really great book. It had great characters, a strong plot and a good message of feminism and standing up to bullies. The only reason I'm rating it so low is because it hit really really close to home with me and I found that I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. 

The main bulk of this book is about school trauma and misogyny. It showed a very real situation in a school that had a really toxic environment. It really sheds light on the situation that exists in many Asian schools, where standing out or making waves is punished harshly. I really respect the author for taking a stance on this. 

The friendships in this book were my favourite part. Not only the main friendship between Kiki and Sourdawg, but the female friendships she has before the novel. It really shows a feeling of girls banding together and sticking up for one another. 

I'm really sad that I couldn't enjoy this book because of my own trauma, but I want to emphasise that this is a really good book that everyone should read. 

3.5 stars 

My thanks goes to Electric Monkey and Netgalley for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang

Pages: 496 

Publisher: Solaris 

Released: 17th of August 2023 

Inspired by a classic of martial arts literature, S. L. Huang's The Water Outlaws are bandits of devastating ruthlessness, unseemly femininity, dangerous philosophies, and ungovernable gender who are ready to make history—or tear it apart.

In the jianghu, you break the law to make it your own.

Lin Chong is an expert arms instructor, training the Emperor's soldiers in sword and truncheon, battle axe and spear, lance and crossbow. Unlike bolder friends who flirt with challenging the unequal hierarchies and values of Imperial society, she believes in keeping her head down and doing her job.

Until a powerful man with a vendetta rips that carefully-built life away.

Disgraced, tattooed as a criminal, and on the run from an Imperial Marshall who will stop at nothing to see her dead, Lin Chong is recruited by the Bandits of Liangshan. Mountain outlaws on the margins of society, the Liangshan Bandits proclaim a belief in justice—for women, for the downtrodden, for progressive thinkers a corrupt Empire would imprison or destroy. They’re also murderers, thieves, smugglers, and cutthroats.

Apart, they love like demons and fight like tigers. Together, they could bring down an empire.

What I Have to Say 

I enjoyed this book a lot, though I found it a bit slow. I also found the names sometimes a bit confusing as there were a lot of them and  some of them were very similar but by focusing on just the main characters, I found it wasn't too hard to keep track. It was just some of the background characters I had to remind myself who they were the few times they came up. 

I found the Liangshan beautiful from the start. It was wonderful that they had somewhere for those betrayed by the empire to come together for a fresh start, where any past lives or crimes were forgiven and they were able to fight for a better future. It was great to see a group of mostly women and also a group where transwomen were just accepted and seeing solely as women and not anything else. 

I really really liked the ending. I wasn't sure if it was going to end happily or not. I could see it going both ways. But the way it ended was just an absolutely perfect message of hope, justice and just so fitting for all the characters. 

4 stars 

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

 

Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald

Pages: 496 

Publisher: Penguin 

Released: 20th of July 2023 

To hell with love, this goddess has other plans...

Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.

The real story is much more interesting.

Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.

Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.

But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell . . .

What I Have to Say 

Unapologetically feminist, this book was fun, daring and imaginative. It takes the toxic qualities shown by certain Greek gods and shows what it might be like to try and be a women in a time when just anyone can kidnap you and take you for their own. Running away from all that, Persephone acts boldly and goes to the underworld hoping for a better life. 

This was a really interesting take on Hades. Artistic, sensitive and caring for many people he would be the perfect man, though best look elsewhere if you're looking for a bit of dark romance, this novel is about stereotypes that are cast on people and how there might be something different hiding underneath the surface. 

There were just two things that held me up about this book. One was that the slow burn romance was a little two slow for me in some places and everything would have been solved so easily if the characters had just hurried up and talked to each other. The other was that the Greek god of life was Phanes and the god of illusions was Dolos (a quick google search told me this much) and not the characters these things were attributed to in the book. 

Overall though, this was a good read, great for teenage feminists looking for a bit of girlbossing. 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for gifting me with this copy for review. 

Charming by Jade Linwood

Pages: 336

Publisher: Solaris 

Released: 18th of July 2023 

9 to 5 with fairy tale princesses in a delightful comic fantasy revenge/heist!

Brave, Resourceful, Deceitful, Double-Crossing... Charming.

Prince Jean-Marc Charming Arundel, known to friends and enemies alike as "Prince Charming," is handsome, well-mannered, brave, a peerless swordsman, a cunning tactician – and a liar, a con man and a fraud. For years he has been travelling from one kingdom to the next, rescuing endangered princesses and maidens, securing their troths and his place in their fathers' palaces, then looting their treasuries and having it away before dawn.

Until a chance meeting of three of his victims – raven-haired Marie Blanche de Neige, the sorceress Doctor Emilia Rapunzel and the long-slumbering Bella Lucia dei’ Sogni – suggests a course of revenge...

What I Have to Say 

This was such a great new imagining of fairy tales. I loved the fresh angle and the way they explained how Prince Charming is in every fairy tale. It was interesting to see a modern take on it with three strong women looking to take him down. 

The fairy tales themselves were the main event for me. Sleeping Beauty was briefly skimmed over but Snow White and Rapunzel were told in full. I really liked the Snow White one and the Snow White character was my favourite, but I found the Rapunzel one strayed a little too far from the original tale. It was basically a brand new story. 

The ending was satisfying, playing into the main characters' skills and bringing it to a really satisfying conclusion. 

A must read for fairy tale fans. 

4 stars 

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

The Sharp Edge of Silence by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum

Pages: 496 

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 11th of April 2023 

Students at Lycroft Phelps are marked for success.

As a straight-A student and girlfriend of the school's star rower, Charlotte believes in what the school has to offer. Meanwhile, scholarship student Max is struggling. Until he's asked to join the rowing team offering him popularity - but at what cost? Then there's Quinn, a sixth-generation legacy student, who should be able to lay claim to the school in a way others can't. Who instead must watch the boy who assaulted her continue to play at the top of the school's food chain. Only in the dead of night does Q realize the solution to her suffering: Colin Pearce must die.

But Lycroft Phelps has more than one dark secret at its heart, and as the three students uncover just how far the school will go to keep those ugly truths hidden, there's a lot more than reputation at stake...

TW: Misogyny, panic attacks/ disorders, rape 

What I Have to Say 

I will never get tired of reading books about girls bringing down the system and getting revenge on boys for all the shit they put us through. The only downside was how long it took to actually get to the plot of bringing down the system. It felt like there was a lot of set up with the different relationships and the crew team. I don't know if anything could have been taken out, because a huge part of the plot was Max getting caught up in the crew team and that was very necessary, but it just slowed down the book a lot. 

I wasn't sure at first about having a male voice in a book about rape, but I really really liked Max's POV. I think it really added a lot to the book. Because it showed how boys, even boys who know better, can be pulled into the toxic masculinity and become part of it. It was good to see one of the "good ones" and how easy it can be to stand by and not stop things like this from happening. 

In all, I think this was handled really well. I liked how the emphasis wasn't on the rape. The rape had happened before the book even started and was only shown in flashbacks. The emphasis was on the fall out and how to stop it happening again. 

Definitely on my list of best feminist reads of all time. 

4 stars 

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

Savage Her Reply by Deidre Sullivan

Pages: 256 

Publisher: Little Island 

Released: 1st of October 2020 

A dark, feminist retelling of The Children of Lir told in Sullivan's hypnotic prose. A retelling of the favourite Irish fairytale The Children of Lir. Aife marries Lir, a king with four children by his previous wife. Jealous of his affection for his children, the witch Aife turns them into swans for 900 years.

 Retold through the voice of Aife, Savage Her Reply is unsettling and dark, feminist and fierce, yet nuanced in its exploration of the guilt of a complex character. Voiced in Sullivan's trademark rich, lyrical prose as developed in Tangleweed and Brine - the multiple award-winner which established Sullivan as the queen of witchy YA. Another dark & witchy feminist fairytale from the author of Tangleweed and Brine

What I Have To Say 

I couldn't connect to this story at all. It just felt unemotional and I didn't have any sympathy for the character. I wanted to hear her side of the story but it was told so matter-of-factly that I just couldn't really feel for her. 

The book was set out in a really interesting way and I really liked all the poems between the chapters, but the paragraphs detail what happened in the original story felt unnecessary. It was good to see when Aife's version diverged from the original, but a lot of the time it was just telling us what would happen in the next chapter. 

I wish I could have enjoyed it more. I wanted to like it but it just fell completely flat. 

2 stars 

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

The Gifts by Liz Hyder (Audiobook)

Pages: 400 

Publisher: Manilla Press 

Released: 10th of February 2022 

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in Shropshire as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.

Meanwhile, when rumours of a 'fallen angel' cause a frenzy across London, a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger . . .

THE GIFTS is the astonishing debut adult novel from the lauded author of BEARMOUTH. A gripping and ambitious book told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of nineteenth century London, it explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society and the dark danger of ambition.

What I Have to Say 

I enjoyed this book, but it didn't leave much of an impression on me. I don't think I'll remember much of it in a few years time. Which is a shame. 

I liked the female characters a lot, and found the male voice interesting and slighting disturbing (in a good way). But I did find that at the start, I couldn't remember which character was which, which is a problem I'm finding a lot with audiobooks that have a lot of different narrators, it's harder to keep them straight in your head, I think than with a traditional book. 

I liked the ending a lot. I feel it concluded nicely while still leaving stuff open for speculation, I just wish I could have been more into the book from the beginning. 

My thanks go to Manilla Press and Netgalley for gifting me this copy for review. 

 

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent

Pages: 352 

Publisher: HQ Digital 

Released: 12rh of October 2022 

Meet Kitty Collins.

FRIEND. LOVER. KILLER.

Have you ever walked home at night, keys in hand, ready to throw a punch in self-defence? That’s how it all started. The killing spree, I mean.

I sort of tripped into this role… Literally. The first one was following me. That guy from the nightclub who wouldn’t leave me alone. I pushed him, he stumbled, and fell onto his own broken wine bottle. Oops. It was such a waste of a good house white.

But now I can’t seem to stop and nor do I want to… I’ve got a taste for revenge and quite frankly, I’m killing it.

What I Have to Say 

This book is perfect for any feminist who loves a good contemporary story. If you are angry and upset about any of the misogyny in the world and want to live vicariously through a funny and lighthearted novel, this is for you. 

I loved how it didn't take itself too seriously. Kitty is an influencer. She an instagram star and is vegan. Vegan but gets her thills from killing men in a variety of ways. And despite the subject matter it was a very easy to read, quite cosy book. It was really nice to sink into and have something that was relatable and just not too realistic. 

The characters were probably a bit shallow, but in this sort of book, that didn't really matter. They weren't meant to be really deep, thought out characters, it's just not that sort of book. 

This book was just exactly what I needed right now. 

 

My thanks go to HQ Digital and Negalley for gifting me this copy for review. 

 

Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One

Pages: 320 

Publisher: Firefly Press 

Released: 18th of October 2022 

A funny, feminist, and queer contemporary middle grade debut about 12-year-old loner Hazel Hill, who after one of her classmates is harassed online, devises a plan to catch the school's golden boy in the act.

Seventh grader Hazel Hill is too busy for friends. No, really. She needs to focus on winning the school-wide speech competition and beating her nemesis, the popular and smart Ella Quinn, after last year's embarrassing hyperbole/hyperbowl mishap that cost her first place.

But when Hazel discovers Ella is being harassed by golden boy Tyler Harris, she has to choose between winning and doing the right thing. No one would believe that a nice boy like Tyler would harass and intimidate a nice girl like Ella, but Hazel knows the truth--and she's determined to prove it, even if it means risking everything.

Deeply relatable and surprisingly humorous, Hazel Hill Is Gonna Win This One is a wonderfully empowering story about friendship, finding your voice, and standing up for what you believe in.

What I Have to Say 

A fantastic feminist story for the younger generation, Hazel Hill unashamedly calls out sexism and misogyny in an elementary school setting. It shows injustice and ageism, making you want to scream and throw the book across the room at certain points because of how the teachers just aren't seeing it! 

There are honestly parts of this book that are gonna stay with me for a long time. I felt so much for these kids. The way the teachers just didn't listen to them at all, punishing them for speaking out, but still calling themselves feminist just got to me. It was beautifully written. 

I think this is just a perfect book for kids to introduce them to these important topics. Showing them what to do in the face of sexual harassment and generally standing up to classmates in general. 

4 stars 

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

 

A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

Pages: 400

Publisher: Harper Collins 

Released: 12th of May 2022 

The season is about to begin—and there’s not a minute to lose.

Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. This is 1818 after all, and only men have the privilege of seeking their own riches.

With only twelve weeks until the bailiffs call, launching herself into London society is the only avenue open to her, and Kitty must use every ounce of cunning and ingenuity she possesses to climb the ranks.

The only one to see through her plans is the worldly Lord Radcliffe and he is determined to thwart her at any cost, especially when it comes to his own brother falling for her charms.

Can Kitty secure a fortune and save her sisters from poverty? There is not a day to lose and no one—not even a lord—will stand in her way...

What I Have to Say 

I absolutely adore Kitty Talbot. She is manipulative, conniving and absolutely wonderful. In the book, she sets out to manipulate her way into the high reaches of society and she is damn good at it. It was also obvious from every step how much she loved her sisters and I think the fact that her motivations were to save her family were what kept her from seeming cruel. It was just so refreshing to see a character who was so set on reaching up to a level that wasn't given to her at birth. 

And it was not just Kitty I loved. Cecily was also a wonderful character. I loved the richness that the two girls brought to the plot as they took the London society by storm. The way it played out was satisfying and exciting with parallels to Austen that felt right to the story, while still bringing it's own original feminist twists to the telling. 

I haven't read much regency, I'll admit, but even I could tell that this one was something else. 

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

Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney

Pages: 384

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 3rd of May 2022

Monique lives a perfect life - a preacher's daughter and the girlfriend of the town's golden boy. But it's not that simple. She's torn between her parents who want the pure virginal daughter, and her boyfriend, Dom, who wants to explore the more intimate side of their relationship.

Tired of waiting, her boyfriend breaks up with her, spurring Monique to discover she has a medical condition that makes her far from perfect and she concocts a plan to fix her body and win him back.

With the help of her frenemy, Sasha, the overly zealous church girl Monique's mum pushes her to hang out with, and Reggie, the town's not-so-good boy, Monique must go on trips to unknown and uncomfortable places to find the treatment that will help her. But in doing so, she must face some home truths: maybe she shouldn't be fixing her body to please a boy, maybe Sasha is the friend she needed all along and maybe Reggie isn't so bad at all.

What I Have to Say 

This book was so good. When I started it, I thought it might be too heavy on the teen drama for me, but it reminded me of everything I love about YA. The complex plots, the heavy emotions, the fact that everything can feel so immediate and that the parents can be a real obstacle and sometimes threat. 

What I loved most was just how easy it was to sink into the book.  The main character Mo, was easy to get to know and get into the voice of and I just loved every second of reading her story. I also felt the subject matter was important. It was handled in an honest, feminist and completely entertaining way that never felt forced or like it was pushing the issue. 

It also had a little sprinkle of LGBT rep, as two of the side characters are Sapphic! 

All in all, this book was just perfect. I loved it. 

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

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Pages: 352

Publisher: Doubleday Books

Released: 3rd May 2022

Learn about the Mass Dragoning of 1955 in which 300,000 women spontaneously transform into dragons...and change the world.

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950's America is characterized by a significant event: The Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales and talons, left a trail of fiery destruction in their path, and took to the skies. Seemingly for good. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex's beloved Aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn't know. It's taboo to speak of, even more so than her crush on Sonja, her schoolmate.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of dragons: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and a new "sister" obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety. Through loss, rage, and self-discovery, this story follows Alex's journey as she deals with the events leading up to and beyond the Mass Dragoning, and her connection with the phenomenon itself.

What I Have to Say 

If there was anything the 1950s needed more of, it is definitely dragons. I loved this concept. It's an absolutely beautiful idea and the execution was fantastic. It showed the breaking down of societal boundaries as hundreds of thousands of perfect 50s housewives became big unruly creatures that society did not want. The idea of women, frustrated with their lots in life, turning into beautiful fire breathing creatures and destroying the homes, and often husbands, that kept them there was inspired. 

Alex was a great character, she was perfect to show the way society kept things quiet. As a child who witnessed everything and was kept quiet and shushed when she asked questions, she was able to tell us everything that happened at the time of the dragoning and after. I also adored Beatrice. She was an absolute gem and the perfect way to show the pressure to keep dragons from being talked about. 

I was also thrilled that the idea of trans dragons was mentioned. It was only a tiny bit and unfortunately there were no actual trans characters, but this book acknowledged and accepted that they would be involved in these events. I honestly expected the book to not mention them at all, so I was pleasantly surprised. I also felt there were parallels later in the book with transitioning and dragoning. 

It's also worth mentioning that this book is Sapphic! The main character is gay and though the romance was only a small part of the book, it was there and it made me very happy. 

My thanks go to Negalley and Bonnier Books UK for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352 

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 1st of October 2019

Aster. Violet. Tansy. Mallow. Clementine.

Sold as children. Branded by cursed markings. Trapped in a life they never would have chosen.

When Aster's sister Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge - in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by the land's most vicious and powerful forces - both living and dead - their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.

It's going to take more than luck for them all to survive.

What I Have to Say 

A great new fantasy book about girls fighting against their abusers and oppressors. The thing that really set this book apart for me was that though they showed the trauma of sexual abuse perfectly and in several different ways, the emphasis is on fighting back rather than the abuse and trauma itself.

The wild west inspired world that the Good Luck Girls was based in was a really well created picture of colonialism and slavery. The references to the taking and corrupting of native lands made a fantastic contrast to the glorified picture of cowboys and outlaws that are often shown in Westerns.

I loved these girls so much that it was sad to put the book down. I look forward to seeing what Charlotte Nicole Davis comes out with next.

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

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Head of Zeus 

Released: 11th of April 2019 

1906: A large manor house, Wake's End, sits on the edge of a bleak Fen, just outside the town of Wakenhyrst. It is the home of Edmund Stearn and his family – a historian, scholar and land-owner, he's an upstanding member of the local community. But all is not well at Wake's End. Edmund dominates his family tyrannically, in particular daughter Maud. When Maud's mother dies in childbirth and she's left alone with her strict, disciplinarian father, Maud's isolation drives her to her father's study, where she happens upon his diary.

During a walk through the local church yard, Edmund spots an eye in the undergrowth. His terror is only briefly abated when he discovers its actually a painting, a 'doom', taken from the church. It's horrifying in its depiction of hell, and Edmund wants nothing more to do with it despite his historical significance. But the doom keeps returning to his mind. The stench of the Fen permeates the house, even with the windows closed. And when he lies awake at night, he hears a scratching sound – like claws on the wooden floor...

Wakenhyrst is a terrifying ghost story, an atmospheric slice of gothic, a brilliant exploration of the boundaries between the real and the supernatural, and a descent into the mind of a psychopath. 

What I Have to Say 

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It's a great mystery, full of obsession, madness, demons and all things creepy. Paver is a master at creating an atmosphere that pulls you completely into the scene and keeps you there in suspense, unable to put the book down. 

This book really delves into the dark sides of Christianity. It shows the madness and religious fervour that can be brought on by those who would use it as a form of control, but it also explores the nature of questioning the concept of Christianity. Whilst escaping from the control of her father and his version of religion, she also questions the mortality of it all. The idea that everyone is born in sin and have to redeem themselves. I really liked to see all her thoughts and explorations while escaping from the strict rules of her father's household. 

It was really interesting to see the study of the medieval fixation on the afterlife, the fixation on the punishment and demons in hell rather than the bright happy reward of heaven. This really is a fantastic look at the history of Christianity both medieval and during Maud's time. 

A damn good mystery focused on how things went down and what actually happened. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for providing me with this copy for review.

Meat Market by Juno Dawson

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 416 

Publisher: Quercus Children's Books 

Released: 23rd of May 2019 

Jana Novak's history sounds like a classic model cliché: tall and gangly, she's uncomfortable with her androgynous looks until she's unexpectedly scouted and catapulted to superstardom.

But the fashion industry is as grimy as it is glamorous. And there are unexpected predators at every turn.

Jana is an ordinary girl from a south London estate, lifted to unimaginable heights. But the further you rise, the more devastating your fall ...

Honest and raw, this is a timely exposé of the dark underbelly of the fashion industry in an era of #TimesUp and #MeToo. It might just be Juno Dawson's most important book yet.

Trigger Warnings: sexual abuse, anorexia, bulimia, mentions of prostitution, drug use, anxiety, depression

What I Have to Say 

This book. Oh. This book. It gave me chills, it was so good. Dawson is an expert at combining a fairly casual style full of quirky metaphors and tons of pop culture metaphors with topics that are gritty and real and so, so dark. This book delves deep into the dark world of the fashion industry and does it in a way that gives you an enjoyable reading experience while still getting the point across in a way that makes you want to stand up and take action. 

I loved the way that Dawson was upfront about the darkness of the book from the start. How she put the foreshadowing front and centre, making it clear that this wasn't going to be a fairytale model story, but that things would get dark and that Jana would end up hurt. It added a creepy sense of foreboding to the whole thing and led me to pick up little things right from the start that showed the industry's core and the lies of those in charge of Jana's agency. 

Dawson also did a fantastic job of treating the issue at hand with respect and sensitivity, showing real, raw emotions without doing it to solely to shock and disturb the reader. 

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

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 14th of May 2019 

'In an ancient city by the sea, three sisters - a maiden, a mother, and a crone - are drawing maps by candlelight. Sombre, with piercing grey eyes, they are the three Fates, and every map is a human life . . .'

Stepsister takes up where Cinderella's tale ends. We meet Isabelle, the younger of Cinderella's two stepsisters. Ella is considered beautiful; stepsister Isabelle is not. Isabelle is fearless, brave, and strong-willed. She fences better than any boy, and takes her stallion over jumps that grown men fear to attempt. It doesn't matter, though; these qualities are not valued in a girl. Others have determined what is beautiful, and Isabelle does not fit their definition. Isabelle must face down the demons that drove her cruel treatment of Ella, challenge her own fate and maybe even redefine the very notion of beauty . . .

Cinderella is about a girl who was bullied; Stepsister is about the bully. We all root for the victims, we want to see them triumph. But what about the bullies? Is there hope for them? Can a mean girl change? Can she find her own happily ever after?

What I Have to Say 

This books was so beautiful, full of feminism, strength and fairy tale scenery, but it felt a little disconnected to the original Cinderella story. I felt that Isabelle should have felt more guilt over how she and the rest of her family treated Ella. She just didn't really think about it that much. I liked the way they showed how her mother had treated her and turned her into a girl who would bully her sister and cut off her own toes in order to win the prince, but if felt like the change back from that was a little abrupt. 

That said, I loved Isabelle's character so much. I loved how both the stepsisters had their own strengths that aren't seen as "feminine" and "attractive". Isabelle being so brave and so fierce, a natural born fighter. You can see her destiny and her strength from really early in the book. The potential to be beautiful. And Tavi, academic and so, so smart. It was so great to see this story changed to bring these other strengths to the forefront, to show how they can be celebrated. 

I was also glad that the book did all that without completely stepping on the girls who are more sweet and gentle. Ella was still seen as a strong woman and while the stepsisters were obviously jealous of her in the original story, they didn't really hate her and managed to find their place alongside her as strong women. 

Anyone who's a fan of fairytales, anyone who wants to see different types of strong women. This is a must read for feminists. 

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

The Burning by Laura Bates

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 368 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK 

Released: 21st of February 2019 

 A rumour is like a fire. You might think you’ve extinguished it but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back into life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames ...

 

New school.

Tick.

New town.

Tick.

New surname.

Tick.

Social media profiles?

Erased.

 

There’s nothing to trace Anna back to her old life. Nothing to link her to the ‘incident’.

 

At least that’s what she thinks … until the whispers start up again. As time begins to run out on her secrets, Anna finds herself irresistibly drawn to the tale of Maggie, a local girl accused of witchcraft centuries earlier. A girl whose story has terrifying parallels to Anna’s own…

Trigger Warnings: rape,  public humiliation, torture, bullying, cyber bullying, rumours, mention of abortion

What I Have to Say 

This only thing this book was missing was a bit more witchcraft. I loved the parallels that Bates used between Anna's story in the present and Maggie's story in the past, showing that the way women were oppressed in the past are still very much still being used today. 

Anna and Maggie were both normal girls who made the mistake of trusting the wrong guy. I loved how Anna delved so deeply into her research on Maggie, how the information wasn't as easy as just going to the library and reading a story that was laid out nicely for her in a book or too. I find the details of real historical research fascinating, making a mystery so much harder for a character to find and much more satisfying when they get the information. 

I've seen so many books about cyber-bullying and naked photos lately, so I'm just really interested in seeing Bates bring forward a new way to tell this story. Her characters and plot are interesting, but it's definitely the historical witch hunt element that sets this book apart from others of it kind. 

Another must read for feminists! 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this free copy for review. 

Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 306 

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 

Released: 10th of Januray 2019 

Rachel Walker's family and community have turned away from the world.

Every part of Rachel's life is controlled, from what she reads to where she goes and what she wears. Her parents dictate how her life must be: marriage, modesty, children and obedience to her future husband. But when a former member of her community, a girl who escaped, moves back to her small Texas town, Rachel's world turns upside down.

She realises that her life is her own. But can she find the courage to fight for it?

What I Have to Say 

This was such a great book. Moxie is still my favourite, but this had a lot of the same things in it that made Moxie so great: A fantastic main character, a well constructed setting and a need to fight back against the patriarchy. 

I loved Rachel so much. She was so easy to get inside the head of and empathise with. I wanted her to get away from her family and out of the community that was confining her so badly. But I also wanted to see more of it. I really wanted to see what Journey of Faith was like. I was torn in two ways, interested to see more but also wanting so much for Rachel to get away and not have to go there. I've never felt so torn while reading a book like this before. 

The community was constructed really well. You could see how everyone was made to believe in the ways that they did things, that the way that they were living was the right way that would take them to heaven. And it was also easy to see where there were holes in their argument, if only Rachel would just figure it out quicker!! 

This was such a great book and it's definitely one that everyone should read. 

My thanks go to Hodder Children's Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK 

Released: 4th of October 2018 

They called us the Mercies, or sometimes the Boneless Mercies. They said we were shadows, ghosts, and if you touched our skin we dissolved into smoke ... 

Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are Boneless Mercies – death-traders, hired to kill quickly, quietly and mercifully. It is a job for women, and women only. Men will not do this sad, dark work.

Frey has no family, no home, no fortune, and yet her blood sings a song of glory. So when she hears of a monster slaughtering men, women, and children in a northern jarldom, she decides this the Mercies’ one chance to change their fate.

But glory comes at a price …

What I Have to Say 

For me this was Skyrim in book form. Or at least Skyrim the way I play it. Tough Nordic Girls battered into warriors by years of harsh winters and fending for themselves. April Genevieve Tucholke's writing drew me so deeply into Frey's world that it felt like I was part of the sisterhood. And it was a beautiful sisterhood. I could have read about these four girls fighting to make something of themselves beyond where their fate had led them all day. 

This for me is the perfect Feminist book. It didn't have the background of so many of the books around where women are subjugated through rape only. Books that try to empower women and show them fighting back while still reducing them to just their bodies. In The Boneless Mercies, the only mentions of rape are alluded to pleasure houses and it shows the few options there are for women without actually showing the violence that is used against them. Coming to the story at the end of the struggle. When the Mercies make the decision to fight for more was the perfect way to show the struggles of women without showing the violence. 

Every word of this book was perfect: the ending and fighting the monster, the Cut-throat-queen,the empowerment of women through the entire book. There wasn't anything I didn't like. It was beautiful and made me feel like a warrior just reading it. 

This is supposedly a standalone, but the ending certainly left it open for more. If I never get to see another story from the Mercies and this world, I will be very disappointed. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this copy for review.