The Liars by Jennifer Mathieu

Pages: 336 

Publisher: Hachette  Children's Group 

Released: 5th of September 2019 

It's the summer of 1986. Joaquin and Elena, two teenage siblings live in a toxic environment with their alcoholic mother on an island off the Texas Gulf Coast.

Elena falls for a new boy who has just arrived from California. Joaquin must wrestle with his decision to stay on Mariposa Island to protect his sister or flee from his mother's abuse.

As both teenagers struggle to figure out who they are and want to be, they are caught in a web of family dysfunction and secrets from their mother's past. 

What I Have to Say 

This was such an interesting book to read. It was so generational. Showing how the suffering of one generation can lead to more suffering in the next, travelling from generation to generation. It was a fascinating look at abuse and fear and how it can lead to control. 

I don't know much about Cuba, so I was interested to see what it was like there and how the upper classes were affected by the revolution and the evacuation of the children. 

I loved the two different view points and how they lie and rebel against their mother's rules. It was such a good look at lies and deception and how each teenager handled their mothers rules in their own way. 

 My thanks go to Hachette's Children's Group and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

 

Pages: 470

Publisher: Tor Books 

Release: 1st March 2022

The Alexandrian Society is a secret society of magical academicians, the best in the world. Their members are caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity. And those who earn a place among their number will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Each decade, the world’s six most uniquely talented magicians are selected for initiation – and here are the chosen few...

- Libby Rhodes and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona: inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds.

- Reina Mori: a naturalist who can speak the language of life itself.

- Parisa Kamali: a mind reader whose powers of seduction are unmatched.

- Tristan Caine: the son of a crime kingpin who can see the secrets of the universe.

- Callum Nova: an insanely rich pretty boy who could bring about the end of the world. He need only ask.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they must spend one year together to qualify for initiation. During this time, they will be permitted access to the Society’s archives and judged on their contributions to arcane areas of knowledge. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. If they can prove themselves to be the best, they will survive. Most of them.

What I Have to Say 

This book fascinated me. I really enjoyed reading it.

 First of all a little warning, this is not an easy read. The writing is dense and there is a lot of very science-like talk about magic. The magic system is elaborate and the writer has gone deep into the way it works. Don't pick this up if you mind a slow read. I could only manage it in small sections, because it tired me more than some books do. I happened to like the slowness and the sciencey stuff so it worked for me but different people have different tastes. 

Secondly the characters are all immensely dislikeable.  This was something I loved about the book. It was so interesting how the writer could write such horrible characters and still get you to like them and feel empathy for them. One of my favourites was Parisa who was one of the worst. She was callous and manipulative and I ate up every moment of it. 

The ending was the only thing that let me down a bit. And it was a big let down. The big reveal was told rather than shown and it felt really distant from the action. I was really disappointed because it would have been a really good reveal if it had been done better.  

That said, it really set up some interesting stuff for the next book so I'm excited to see what comes next. 

(3.5 stars) 

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

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

 

Pages: 336 

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton

Released: 22nd of February 2022 

Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.

Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking… 

What I Have to Say 

A book absolutely steeped in Korean mythology, this book read like the best of fairy tales. There are people who compare it to a Gibli film and they are absolutely right, from the main character being transported to another word, to the strange spirits helping her along, it reads just like a Gibli movie brought to the page. 

I haven't read the original mythology, but I'd really like to. I've always been interested in Asian mythology, though I haven't read much about the Korean ones, but this awoke a desire in me to learn more. I'd like to see the original tale and see how it has been changed and adapted to create this book. 

I absolutely adored the main character, Mina. She was strong, stubborn and wilful with ideas about sacrifice and not looking the other way which anyone should admire. She was definitely the just and true heroine of this beautiful fairy tale. 

This is definitely a book for the fairy tale or mythology fans, the Gibli fans and just about anyone who enjoys a good story. 

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

Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll

 

Pages: 313

Publisher: Knights Of 

Released: 3rd of February 2022 

Edinburgh is a city filled with magical creatures. No one can see them... until Ramya Knox.

As she is pulled into her family's world of secrets and spells, Ramya sets out to discover the truth behind the Hidden Folk with only three words of warning from her grandfather: Beware the Sirens.

Plunged into an adventure that will change everything, Ramya is about to learn that there is more to her powers than she ever imagined.

What I Have to Say 

I love Elle McNicoll so much. I love that she writes characters like me who are neurodiverse and she does it so well. She makes things hopeful and happy rather than dwelling on the difficulties. Although sometimes her writing is so accurate that it hurts a little bit, she makes me feel seen. 

Like a Charm wasn't as good as Show Us Who You are. I still enjoyed it, but Show Us Who You Are was truly special for me and I don't think anything could live up to it. That said, I just found Ramya a little bit too abrasive. She's a beautifully made character, strong and brave and full of personality and I can understand why she's abrasive. She has every reason to be. It's just for me that was a bit off-putting. 

Like Ramya, I have dyspraxia, but only mild, so it doesn't effect my life as much as it does hers. I can't ride a bike and I have trouble carrying a tray of drinks without spilling them everywhere, but other than that, I don't really notice it. But I can still relate hugely to the way the teachers talked about her. The fact that she was always a disappointment to them because she was never quite enough. That and the motor skills workshops is something we share.

I was very happy with the representation in this book, but it wasn't everything to me the way that the autism representation was in Show Us Who We Are. Perhaps if I had worse dyspraxia, then it might have been more. 

All in all though I really enjoyed this book, I'm looking forward to seeing more adventures from Ramya and Marley, especially now that Ramya's starting to fit herself a little better. 

My thanks go to Nights Of And Ed PR for providing me with a copy of this book for review. 

Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao

 

Pages: 464

Publisher: Harper Voyager 

Released: 28th of November 2019 

In the Cyrilian Empire, Affinites are reviled. Their varied gifts to control the world around them are deemed unnatural--even dangerous. And Anastacya Mikhailov, the crown princess, is one of the most terrifying Affinites.

Ana's ability to control blood has long been kept secret, but when her father, the emperor, is murdered, she is the only suspect. Now, to save her own life, Ana must find her father's killer. But the Cyrilia beyond the palace walls is one where corruption rules and a greater conspiracy is at work--one that threatens the very balance of Ana's world.

There is only one person corrupt enough to help Ana get to the conspiracy's core: Ramson Quicktongue. Ramson is a cunning crime lord with sinister plans--though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the princess might be the most dangerous player of all.

What I Have to Say 

So I'll admit, I wanted to read this book because of the controversy around it. I put my faith in the author and the publisher that they had fixed any problems that may have been in it and although I don't always notice these things, there was certainly nothing I could see of the problematic content. Race didn't come into it at all. Though with the Russian inspired setting, it makes me wonder what was there before. 

The book itself though was pretty meh if I'm honest. The setting was interesting but the characters just didn't capture me at all. There was nothing wrong with them, but I just didn't care about them. Ransom was meant to be this sassy backstabbing dickhead, which is usually my favourite kind of character, but it just didn't hit right. 

As for the plot, it was okay. There were a few bits that didn't add up, especially with the ending, but it kept my attention okay. It just felt forced though. And how many times can people fall into the river??? 

Basically not for me at all. 

My thanks go to the publisher and netgally for providing me with this copy for review. 

Lily's Just Fine by Gill Stewart

 

Pages: 320

Publisher: Sweet Cherry Publishing

Released: 11th of June 2019 

Lily couldn’t have planned life better herself. She lives in the best house in town and she’s dating the most popular boy in school. Everything else she can fix. Mum’s apathy? On it! The stuffy gala committee? Watch this space!

Tom has enough on his plate without trying to drag Newton St Cuthbert into the 21st Century. His sister is sick and there’s nothing anyone can do. Not doctors, not his parents, and certainly not Lily Hildebrand.

Sail away this summer with the unexpected romance of Scotland's most determined teenager.

What I Have to Say 

This book was lovely, such a comfort read even with the issues that the main characters had. Mostly I loved the set of characters. The main character would probably be a bit annoying if you knew her in real life but it was really fun to see her friends rolling their eyes, but going along with her latest scheme. It was clear that they loved her because she was like this not despite it. 

I thought it was a very good example of the coping strategy people have where they throw themselves into something so that they don't have to deal with their problems. It really showed exactly why that's a bad idea. 

It also showed the strain of being a teen carer. Having to care for her mum while she was only a teenager herself. I hope spreads some awareness of real life teens who are in similar situations. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for providing me with this copy for review. 

Sorry for Disappearing!

 Hi all, sorry for the very long and sudden hiatus. I developed a back problem which caused me pain every time I typed on the computer. By the time that was gone, the pandemic killed all my reading. 

But I'm back now and ready to work my way through my mountainous backlog. Other than a couple of new releases, I'm afraid it will mostly be books from three or four years ago, as I try to fix my Netgalley stats. 

But I have some reviews already written and some notes I have to decipher, so reviews should start coming back soon. 

Thank you for your patience

Love Lily xx