Book Review: Gullstruck Island

Title: Gullstruck Island

Author: Frances Hardinge

Publisher: MacMillan Children’s Books, 2009

Genres: Middle-Grade/Ya, Fantasy, Adventure

Three Word Description: Not As Expected

Goodreads Rating: 5/5

 

 

“On Gullstruck Island the volcanoes quarrel, beetles sing danger and occasionally a Lost is born . . . In the village of the Hollow Beasts live two sisters. Arilou is a Lost – a child with the power to depart her body and mind-fly with the winds – and Hathin is her helper. Together they hide a dangerous secret. Until sinister events threaten to uncover it. With a blue-skinned hunter on their trail and a dreadlocked warrior beside them, they must escape. Can the fate of two children decide the future of Gullstruck Island?

Discover a dazzling world, a breathtaking heroine . . . and an incredible adventure. For on the island of Gullstruck nothing is exactly as it seems!

With a cast of larger-than-life characters, this is a richly imagined adventure no child will be able to put down – or ever forget!”

***

I want to laugh at this summary. I cannot remember the last time I stumbled upon such a misleading description of a book. Sit down people, I’m gonna tell you about this book that I didn’t give 5-stars on Goodreads because of “an incredible adventure”. It is the work Gullstruck Island that truly is not what it seems. 

Oh so you got this book, thinking it’d be like it ‘says on the (back)-tin’?

 

I went into this book, thinking I’d be focused on Frances Hardinge’s creative work and how it has developed from this book, which was published in 2009. Instead, I found myself trapped on an emotional rollercoaster which would shoot out in anger and dip down in despair. Oh, they promised you wouldn’t forget the story alright. But they never told you why.

This isn’t a story of just two sisters escaping from a mysterious assassin and uncovering a secret. The first part of the book may think this is what it’s building up to, albeit a bit slow. And then it completely escalates. I was debating on whatever or not to reveal the very core theme of this novel, as I myself prefer to know as little as possible. However, I really want with all my heart that everyone should read a middle-grade/YA fantasy that deals with such a horrifying subject. The main theme of this novel, is in fact Genocide. Gullstruck Island corporates the genocide which took place in colonial time, during the Holocaust, throughout history and can be found even in the future from when it was written.

Hardinge’s work is really not meant for just kids and teens. The book is written in such a way, from characters, writing style and plot, that anyone can ‘enjoy’ it. Enjoy however is not the word that really describes the number of times I chocked on tears or had to pace in anger. This book was great by any means, by all which I will soon be going through, but it’s not something you’d sit down on a couch with and a nice warm cup of tea to feel cosy. This is a book that’ll constantly have the kettle boiling in order to make yourself Camomille tea to calm your nerves. 

For throughout the majority of the book I was filled with such an overwhelming mix of anger, desperation and grief. Despair is perhaps the best word; utter despair. I cannot count the number of times I had to put down the book, to enter my imagination where I could reach Gullstruck Island myself. Where I could grasp at every villain, every impassive character, every single background character that revolted at a people and whispered rumours of them with no regards for the consequences. This despair completely filled my imagination of me shaking, punching, shouting at every character that allowed these horrible things to happen.

---

” ‘I never thought I would hear you shouting. It doesn’t suit you. It makes you ugly.’

Grief was ugly. Rage was ugly. Fear was ugly.

‘You made me ugly,’ “

---

Of course, it was far from just the theme and how well it was handled that made this book great. No there were so many things that made this book just so good. For a start, we have the main characters; Arilou and Hathin. And from the beginning, you’ll find out that they’re not all that they seem. As for all Hardinge’s books, I can see that characters and their development is not a challenge for the author. Her young heroine Hathin develops such determination and courage that I was immensely inspired by her, yet at the same time, my Big Sister instinct wanted me to do nothing less than wrapping her in blankets and murder everyone who hurt her. But in all, Hathin is my latest addition to ‘favourite heroines of all time’.

---

“You are dust, her eyes said. You are dirt. You are nothing. Why do you bother surviving? Why are you still alive?

I am the dust in your eyes, was the answer in Hathin’s look. I am the dirt that will bury you. I am the nothingness waiting to open up under your feet. And I can hold on longer than you.”

---

 

Knowing Hardinge from her later books, plot-twists and tiny but extremely significant details, is just what I expected and was rewarded from her. However what really stuck with me is how the world creation has such an important meaning for everything in the story. It’s learning a culturally-‘affected’ saying earlier, only for it to later break your heart (as an example). The existence of gods and beasts are ever-present but in such a way, that you’ll understand that Gullstruck Island could just be any Pacific island. The magic and deities are much to these islanders as deities and mythical creatures are to believers today. And there’s no proof they don’t exist, especially not when you can feel their wrath. I really wish I could go into more details, but as always, these reviews are spoiler-free.

And of course, it’s always necessary to discuss the antagonists. By Gullstruck Island’s theme, you may have guessed what type of villains you may find. However, what really stuck with me here was how frighteningly real Hardinge’s villains were here. Not mythical, immortal, impressive or anything like that. No, the villains are the indifferent men and women, the angry mob, the man who never thinks of an ethnic group as people, and a woman who can play with some children and then not hesitate to murder other. If you think no villain can top the amount of hate that Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter-series amassed, you’ll find her match in Gullstruck Island (and in the opinion of one who hasn’t read the HP books, her ‘better’). There’s a villain with such unspeakable cruelty that it wasn’t the ‘love to hate’ category they would go. No, this villain fits in the ‘I don’t even want you to breathe inside this book’.

***

So would I recommend this book? With all my heart. Like I’ve made pretty sure throughout this reviewing (which I’m writing while I’m still devastated) that this is not a ‘light’ read. This isn’t the book you read when you expect to be transported to Narnia. Gullstruck Island is painful, it’ll make you angry and it’ll drink your tears. But it’s also beautifully written and will spark your own imagination, perhaps make you see nature in an entirely different light. Most importantly, it teaches readers of all ages about the horror of hate-crime and genocide.

 

Book Review: Shadow Captain

Title: Shadow Captain (Revenger #2)

Author: Alastair Reynolds

Publisher: Gollancz, 2019

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera

Three Word Description: Space-journey, Sisters, No-Romance

 

 

 

 

How can one enjoy freedom in the present, when one is still trapped in the past?

 

After many years of waiting for a sequel I never thought I’d ever see, it was with no little amount of surprise that I stumbled upon this book on display! Shadow Captain by Alastair Reynolds is the second book in his Revenger-series set in a very distant future, where two Ness-sisters leave home to sail in the sky, or space (in our vocabulary).

In the previous book, the elder sister Adrana Ness was captured by the fretted Bosa Sennen and Arafura “Fura” Ness managed to free her and capture her foes spaceship. However, it was not all glory– Fura was forced to become ruthless, and Adrana suffered such deep psychological manipulation that she once put a knife to her sister’s throat. After the defeat of Bosa, the crew find that the rest of the worlds have assigned her crimes on them— and now Bosa’s enemies has become theirs.

Revenger was told first-person through Fura, with a narrative I deeply came to love. Not because it was poetical in any way, but because of the great use of unreliable narrator trope and a clear change of views as her character developed. Now, the p.o.v. switches to Adrana instead in Shadow Captain, something I didn’t really know how to feel about first. However, the first few chapters I felt like I could accept it, yet I still yearned for the narrative of Fura, especially since her manipulations and ambitions become more and more clear to Adrana. Unfortunately for me, it took a good while before I could get into the character and story. But, that was the same with Revenger.

Adrana Ness had suffered under the claws of Bosa Sennen, but in the first part of the book, it was as if she’d forgotten her time as a prisoner. In fact, she seemed like one of the most mentally healthy of the crew and always supportive and kind to others. I didn’t dislike her, but her narrative lost interest to me for a great while.

But then, Reynolds does his thing. It is revealed to both Adrana as the reader that Bosa Sennen still has a hold on her from beyond the grave, something in the form of her nature. Adrana tried but cannot escape what she went through. It is revealed very little to readers about her time as a prisoner, but enough to understand that psychological and physical torture was a part of it. The sister who believed in morals and cared for others, was also capable of acting on her late captor’s ruthless desires. 

I felt that Adrana as a character became more interesting as it followed the same kind of mental and narrative ‘game’ as it did with Fura in the first book. However, Reynolds brought something new, and he made sure that Adrana did not become a copy of her sister’s character development. For as Fura could relinquish her feelings, Adrana could still feel. She knew what she and others were doing was wrong, yet she was trapped on too many levels in order to act differently. However, morals are subjective, and while Fura had little qualms about manipulating others, Adrana never saw any wrong in doing her own manoeuvrings.

In short, Adrana as a character came to grew on me, but it still took a little too long for my liking. I also felt that the plot was a bit too slow to develop, and since there was no real clear and interesting enough ‘red thread’ to follow until more than 100 pages in, scenes could feel long and uninteresting when there was nothing to look forward to. Reynolds did build up an original and interesting world, but his descriptions could be too long. Once I counted three pages to describe one aspect of a thing I could not even comprehend. Because that’s another barrier that plummetted my experience far greater than other things; the vocabulary. 

English is not my first language, but I have no problem reading advanced adult literature, including nonfiction. But so many advanced mechanical and technical terms gave me a headache, and I gave up on trying to understand what the author was even describing. I usually don’t have a problem understanding descriptions but these were just too difficult. It kind of errs me when writers use a too advanced vocabulary to describe something that already is difficult to understand. Yes, Reynolds, you were a space scientist, but your readers probably aren’t. What is even the point in sharing something when you cannot even bother to make an attempt at explaining so others understand? As a non-native speaker, of course it made me question if maybe I was just too stupid to understand. Looking up the author’s education saved a bit of my self-esteem.

Honestly, the most interesting and shocking things happened too near the end, so we never got to see the consequences of what happened. It took me half the book to finally get sucked into the story and not needing to force myself to pick it up, which did of course feel a bit rewarding. Still, half the book is always a little too long when the book is ‘only’ 400 pages. I’ve read books that were 1000 pages and I didn’t get sucked into the story until around page 400, but then you had so much more time as a reader to appreciate the story from that moment as well as the build-up. After the climax had happened the story continued longer only to draw the readers into an enormous cliff-hanger. Like I said, I loved what happened at the last part of the book but honestly? This makes me wonder if I won’t look back at this one as the ‘second book syndrome’ of the series. But I’m afraid that once again I’ll have to wait many years for the third book to even make that judgement.

In summary, my feelings are mixed on this one. Things happened too slow for my liking, too much explanation of things in a too advanced vocabulary for me to even understand. But I’m glad I finished it, I came to really like Adrana’s narration and I’m honestly really excited to see where the story will go from here.

Book Review: A Face Like Glass

Title: A Face Like Glass

Author: Frances Hardinge

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Children’s, 2012

Genres: YA, Middle-Grade, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Three Word Description: Out-of-the-Rabbit-hole, Creative, Wonderful

 

“In the underground city of Caverna, the world’s most skilled craftsmen toil in the darkness to create delicacies beyond compare—wines that remove memories, cheeses that make you hallucinate, and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as they slit your throat. On the surface, the people of Caverna seem ordinary, exc12ept for one thing: their faces are as blank as untouched snow. Expressions must be learned, and only the famous Facesmiths can teach a person to express (or fake) joy, despair, or fear—at a steep price.”

Enter Neverfell, a twelve-year-old girl with such a dreaded face she must hide it behind a mask. One fateful day after chasing a run-away rabbit, Neverfell finds herself outside of her care-taker’s home and around people of the higher society in Caverna.

***

Honestly, I don’t know where to start with this review. This book had me hooked from start to finish, couldn’t possibly release it. Ever since I read The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge did I fall in love with her writing, and despite this being her earliest works I’ve read, it did NOT disappoint.

Loving a book and trying to convey that feeling into words is probably one of the things I find hardest as a reviewer. What can I say without spoiling anything? How can I possibly make you feel what I feel, for you to start reading it? I feel like I’ve tasted something so delicious yet I can only describe that foreign taste to you. With a language that lacks the words, and a shotgun to my head unless my words travel too close to the truth. Alas, I shall make a try.

Describing why I loved the story is kind of hard without spoiling anything. However, I can tell you that it’s never fully predictable with so many twists and turns in the plot. I can almost hear Hardinge, whispering to herself as she outlines the plot– “we’re all mad here”. For there are some elements that would make this a re-telling of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, however the book differs so much that I honestly think the comparison is unfair. Perhaps what the novel’s closest adaptation to ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is the entire spirit and feeling of the classic.

Like Alice and her adventures in Wonderland, the story follows mainly the perspective of Neverfell who is new to Caverna, her own Wonderland. Since the world outside her confines is almost as much a mystery to Neverfell as for us readers, it’s a great way for Hardinge to build up her world and plot with Neverfell’s guides as the reader’s guides as well. Considering the weird and fantastical properties of most things in Caverna, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

And then there’s the concept. The whole deal with humans being unable to work their face muscles into facial expressions is just one of the bizarre things about this novel. However, it has a very important and symbolic meaning for the novel’s theme– our right to express ourselves. Where the rich crowd to the trendiest Facesmiths for a delicate new Face, must the working class be content with the Faces of the aristocracy’s choosing. But it’s not only the Faces that matter in this story. Keep everything in mind, for anything can turn out to be Chekhov’s Gun.

Although the story may sound grim, it actually has plenty of humour and light-hearted moments. All from a character being forced to chase and stop our heroine from licking a wall, to two mortal enemies comically trying and failing to have each other assassinated in one scene. This novel is one of those bizarre mixes of light-hearted humour, then a sudden murder from nowhere occurs and you don’t know how to classify it. After all, this book is meant for younger readers, and I think it’s brilliant that Hardinge managed to make a certainly darker Middle-Grade/YA novel without being too heavy on the ‘grim’ side. Kids and teens aren’t stupid, they can perfectly understand elements and subtext in the book that makes one truly see what a dystopian it is.

And then we have the characters. Every single named character has a distinct personality and felt so… Intriguing. Unique in their own way. A heroine navigating the dangerous underground city. A grumpy Cheesemaker and caretaker. A villain with a personality for each of his brain-halves. An ambitious but divided friend. A powerful patron that creates forgetting Wines. A mysterious woman with a smile from Neverfell’s past. And a crafty Kleptomancer that steals for the chaos it will bring. But most dreaded of all are the mapmakers of Caverna.

There’s so much I wish I could talk about these, but I will constrict myself to focus mostly on the main character Neverfell.

The main character will no doubt make some readers frustrated with her in the beginning. She is young, naïv and has been alone with a grumpy old man for seven of her twelve years in a cavern full of cheeses. Of course she was terrible at dealing with life in the upper city-circles at the beginning. She’s extremely gullible and believes everyone to be sincere, at the beginning not even fathoming that one would lie or deceive her. However, Neverfell’s view on the world and others in the start is a very important part of her character. The following character development is, by consequence, very satisfying. If you have ever read Hardinge’s other books like The Lie Tree, for example, you’ll know how perfectly she writes a girl’s raw emotions.

I never had a problem with Neverfell has the main character (but I read other reviews to understand how people feel on different areas), because Hardinge didn’t enforce Neverfell’s naïv views as a dogmatic truth to how the world is. Neverfell never means anyone harm and doesn’t even hesitate to save others, but for her character development means understanding who is in need of help, and who isn’t. She is naïv, but she is the first one who is ready to risk her skin for someone considered lower than her, because she cannot understand their corrupt world view. Like I’ve stated before, I’ll value a character and book much higher if the hero or heroine is greatly flawed in the beginning and gets to actually grow as people.

Of course, it’s also important to remember what we should all be judging books by– the villains. And Hardinge delivers in this one. One of the villains I’ll mention here, ‘The Grand Steward’, is such a dreaded character that even I as a reader would never want to be face-to-Face with. He never hesitates to kill everyone and anyone he suspects of treason. Hell, you only need to stumble as a servant and he will have your head. Despite having lived for centuries, he himself is in one way, dead from the start. As he never lets his guard down, he takes turn letting his brain-halves sleep, resulting in different personalities depending on if his left-eye or right-eye is open. Which eye is open can, therefore, determine your chances of survival when meeting him. Not only did I really enjoy this character as a villain, his and Neverfell’s strange relationship, a coldhearted tyrant and a naïv but honest twelve-year-old results in some great character dynamics.

***

In summary, it’s not exactly a shock that I LOVED this book and I’d strongly recommend anyone to give it a go! x

Book Review: Summers at Castle Auburn

“As a child, Coriel Halsing spent many glorious summers at Castle Auburn with her half-sister-and fell in love with a handsome prince who could never be hers. But now that she is a young woman, she begins to see the dark side of this magical place…”

This is the kind of novel that leaves you nostalgic for a place you’ve never been, and (sadly) never will. If I would describe the feeling I had while reading it, I’d say I felt like I was looking out from our car while driving through a large avenue of oaks on the countryside, on our way to visit some relatives.

It is a story by author Sharon Shinn of the summers Coriel Halsing spent at a castle with her half-sister and friends, with an everpresent magic atmosphere. Though I enjoyed it from start, it still took me some chapters to get really hooked. Then it was finished in a day! The main plot does not sound like much; her sister is in an arranged marriage to the crown prince, a person whom Coriel loves herself.  But this summary can fool you, in a good way. There’s no rivalry or contest between the sisters for his heart, no unnecessary and enforced triangle drama (honestly as things are, I would hardly call anything in this novel a ‘triangle drama’). The novel is much more focused on the maturity of Coriel as she grows from a young teenager who dreams of princes, to a woman who starts to see the corruption of court and marriage.

The book is told in first-person narrative from Coriel’s view, something I’m usually not very fond of, especially when it comes to YA. But if someone asked me how I think it could be well executed, I’d give them a copy of this book. No, it wasn’t just well, I think it was excellently executed. Shinn demonstrates her skills in writing by leaving room for the readers to form their own opinions of events and characters, while still writing her p.o.v.’s conclusions. Coriel doesn’t need to be a bland YA heroine because the author fears people won’t care for character or story. Coriel can feel one thing while you feel another, yet still enjoy her perspective because the author doesn’t force us to see the world from her view. A character isn’t bad because Coriel thinks so, nor does a person need to be attractive for the same reason. This is especially applied when it comes to her view of girls that fancy the same boys as her. Yes, she’s jealous– but it’s not the other girls’ fault. The narrative of Summers at Castle Auburn is great because it is so clear that Coriel is not an extended avatar of the author and her beliefs, but a character with her own personality and growth.

The curious thing about this novel is that so much can happen in Coriel’s world, without it actually being such big things. This isn’t a court intrigue where you fret that every character might be a traitor, who’s after the throne, will there be a civil war? Or, not exactly like that. The court intrigue of marriages, romance and family can be just as life-changing for a young girl who wants nothing but to be with her sister and work with herbs. I love high and epic fantasy, but just as much can I enjoy such a cosy romance novel as this one. And this is a fantasy romance novel with no instalove, bless the gods.

People would think, reading my reviews, that I don’t like romance in fantasy novels. How absurd. The fact is, I do, I just rarely like the love interest or how the romance was executed. Majority of the time, I didn’t like it because I couldn’t bring myself to care about that part of the story. But here there was plenty of room for romance because it did not overshadow some more important plot point. If the heroine has to fight a hostile army, overturn a corrupt government or some other crazy thing which I totally do every other weekend, romance can often feel enforced and unbelievable. And honestly, it makes me as a reader annoyed that it is stealing focus from what could be much more interesting.

The Bad Guy in this story is just simply a bad guy (of whom many women will meet in their life), The anxiety and long preparations are not for a ‘final battle’ but for a wedding. But it also brings up fear of the expectations on one as a wife, how marriage affects a medieval girl’s freedom and separates her from the people she has loved. The story is such a gem and I would highly recommend as a read if you’re looking for something to relax to; perfect for both reading while basking in the sun or cuddled up on the sofa on a cold and dark night. x

 

Book Review: The Wicked King

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOOK ONE

The Wicked King (2019) by Holly Black is the second novel in her series The Folk of the Air. The story follows the narrative of Jude, a human woman who had grown up and lives the land of the Faeries. After the last time we met her in book one, she has managed to install Cardan as the official through a coup. But thanks to a bargain, Jude can control Cardan and is, therefore, a true de facto ruler of the land, without anyone’s knowledge. Though not all is a dance on roses and soon creatures of the sea are threatening war, possible traitors are plotting and Cardan does everything within his power to undermine Jude. However, the two cannot deny the unnatural attraction they seem to have for each other, something that doesn’t make life much easier for any of them.

I gave this book three stars on Goodreads, as my feelings for the book is… complicated. There were things I liked and disliked, for a starter I thought the plot was mostly OK. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t that much for me. After all, this is a YA romance, so the focus is more on the romantic parts if you’d call them that. So that is a problem; if you don’t care for the romance it is immediately something that sinks the book. However, I wouldn’t say that the romance diverges from the plot, for it does have major relevance in the main story.

I can’t really say for sure on how I felt about our main character, Jude. First, I am very happy that she was given personality traits that didn’t make her ‘bland’, meaning no personality at all so that all readers are supposed to relate. The other thing is that I could understand her anger. Trust me, if you haven’t been in an environment where you feel powerless, you don’t understand the corrupt search for power a person can fall to. Not to mention the whole deal with the character Locke. So she is justified in her feelings, which can explain some actions. However, I feel like her character was more ruined by the way Black wrote her narrative, because I really didn’t like the writing style. Since it’s first person narrative, it kind of ruins the character’s image.

Though this is a matter of taste, meaning another person has every right to love Black’s writing. The problem I had with the writing style is that it’s too much like other YA fantasy/SciFi novels– overuse of (same) metaphors, parables and unnecessary adjective and adverbs. Yes, I get it, he has ‘cruel eyes’, a ‘twisted smile’ and other things that should be described for the villain, not your crush Jude. It’s really a pet peeve of mine, for a book will instantly make me just groan when these are used to describe someone’s attractiveness. And this isn’t just when it comes to character descriptions. If the narrative is in first person, language is so important because it tells us on how the character thinks from every single word. And I find it very unlikely that people observe and reflect in such language that Black used in her writing style, the result just felt cheesy at many times.

Cardan? I’m so sorry to say this but he’s JUST like every other Nonhuman Bad Boy Love Interest ™, from looks to personality. And it is totally fine to like such a character! But I don’t. He felt unoriginal; I didn’t care for his tragic backstory, didn’t find his seductive behaviour seductive, and I really didn’t care for him. At all. I felt that I would have enjoyed the book series so much more, had Jude retained her old feelings of disgust and hate towards him.

However, my experience with the novel was saved by the ending. For it made me really, really angry. The last part had me first thinking ‘oh what a shocker that was totally not predictabLE’. But!! I did a last little sprint and finished it, and the ending changed the way I looked at the characters and the romance, as well as it built me with great anticipation for the next novel. And the anger was a good anger, the anger the author clearly intended for you to feel. So heads up for that!

Overall I don’t regret reading this book and it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t for me. I don’t strongly recommend it, but if you love YA novels from big names as Sarah J Maas and Cassandra Clare, I definetly think you could love this series as well. X

Book Rant: The Confessions of Young Nero

So… yes. A long time ago I eagerly awaited the novel The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George, as I was thrilled to read a historical fiction take from the perspective of Nero. I have no doubts on that the guy has been painted as (like many others) much worse than he was, but certainly his life story is as weird as it is horrifying.

See, Margaret George did a really great job on researching Roman life and I really enjoyed how alive her setting felt. And no doubt is she a really good writer.

But then… Agrippina the Younger appears.

And I had tried to be blind by it with George’s representation of other historical figures in the book, but finally I realize where this book is going– and stops. See, if you are familiar with the common myths about Nero, you’ve probably heard the rumours that he had sex with his mother, Agrippina the Younger. These, are very very likely to be just another rumour to slander a political opponent. And whaaat did I realize George chose? Yeah, write Agrippina as a sexual abuser of Nero so she could control her son for power. Newsflash, she had other means to control men around her for power than having sex with her son. Seriously, this is a textbook example of weird accusations. I just couldn’t bring myself to continue the book.

Now, don’t get me mistaken– Agrippina the Younger was no victim or saint. She was just like her male counterparts during her time in Roman politics; ruthless, quick-thinking, calculating and seeking influence. She believed in her legitimacy to rule, she made Claudius change laws so they could marry, she ruled (almost) as an equal to both Claudius and during the first time of Nero’s reign (and when he forced her to retire, she wasn’t bloody happy). However, that doesn’t erase the patriarchal structure — Agrippina the Younger had to use her men around her for power, no matter if it be brother, husband or son. She murdered, schemed etc… and was successful. She did all things we find fascinating in historical men, but instead people act shocked that a politically active woman is not a saint and quietly use her ‘feminine guiles’ to persuade her husband. A part of unravelling gender history is more than lifting up women as influential figures, but to realize that men and women can be as equally ambitious– they simply have different means.

Yes, if a story was written from Nero’s p.o.v., Agrippina the Younger would be an obvious villain. But was Nero any better? Hell nah. Another reason why I wouldn’t continue the book was because it seemed like he was painted as innocent and the blame was always on other people. It’s boring and unbelievable and feels like the author really is only looking to twist historical sources for Nero’s benefit. But Agrippina the Younger was during her time more successful than her son, even in surviving his poor attempts to kill her (note: check if your opponent can swim). SHE is the reason Nero became as powerful, and it does not take a genius to see that as the last one of the Augustus line, he would have been killed long ago if it wasn’t for the power position his mother fought for. To be honest, I’d be more interested in reading a book from the p.o.v. of Agrippina the Younger than Nero.

For example; Caterina Sforza will always be one of my absolute favourite historical figures. But do I excuse her behaviour? She was extremely complicated and fascinating, like any human being, but has a ruler in her own right she could be just as tyrannical as she could be merciful. She would buy grain and sell cheap to save starving citizens and protect them from raiders and women from abusers, but one time she fell into deep emotional turmoil and motivated by vengeance, ordered the deaths of innocent children and women. Yes, many historical figures have been ‘misunderstood’, but you will be surprised to find that people can do both good and bad deeds. Misunderstood means more than being marked as ‘evil’; it means having their actions downplayed, exaggerated, twisted or erased. But there’s no need to excuse actions to make people valid and interesting in history.

Margaret George could have written such an interesting and dynamic relationship between Nero and Agrippina the Younger without throwing her under the bus to create sympathy for Nero (like so many other characters). Hell, she could have given sympathy for Nero by showing the dynamic between a woman who can only use men to gain power and her son, a man who doesn’t want this power. I know this is a fiction, but it still vexes me that so many read historical fictions like this one and then take them as fact on how the people actually were.

But this is not me shitting on you for enjoying the book, I honestly can see why so many people love it. I only ask for you to be a critical reader when it comes to historical fiction, especially when the author presents their work like Margaret George; as if she’s a critical thinker who is showing the true side of emperor Nero. But she is only being critical on the representation of Nero, not anyone else. Her take is interesting, yes, but subjective and blinded by a strange goal to purify him and rationalizing all his misdemeanours.

Review: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

 

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“‘When in doubt, we follow our hearts. Words can be false, images and sounds can be manipulated. But this…’ He tapped his chest, over his heart. ‘This is always true.'”

This 6-part-series by Michael Scott follows mainly two twins, Sophie and Josh Newman, as their summer turns up-side-down when their jobs are attacked by a man called Dr John Dee. Soon the twins learn that Josh’s employer is none other than the alchemyst Nicholas Flamel, and that history and myth were far closer than the twins could ever have imagined…

After without much consideration, it became clear that this is a series that I needed to do one review of it as a whole, not one for each book. The main reason is that of my own reader experience. This is a series that took a long time for me to get invested but in the end, I felt overwhelmed by not just emotions, but the beautiful and frightening world Michael Scott created.

I sometimes found myself disinterested in the books, either because of too much information-dump or simply feeling disconnected from the plot. It did not necessarily make the first books hard to get through, it was more of the kind where you question yourself sometimes with ‘Is this series really worth continuing?’ because you don’t really see how you will get emotionally invested in either characters or plot.

But I tell you; don’t stop. It took me three (and a half) books, but then I was finally sold. The thing with Scott’s writing is that he does not rush for the readers to get the strands of the plot. Things that seem like an unnecessary info-dump earlier in the series will be relevant when all points are finally sewn together. If someone spoiled the entire series, the entire world which Michael Scott created, I would hardly have believed them. The world-building turned out to be far more complicated than what you can guess from the first books, and I’m honestly grateful for the slow-burn.

I made the mistake of comparing this world-building to Rick Riordan’s series, as both are built on the same premise of ‘what if all the legends are true and gods and mythical creatures still exist in our world?‘. So for the first two (or three?) books I thought of the world as a less funny version of Riordan’s. But have patience, for trust me when I tell you that the world-building is far more complicated than what even four books will make it seem. To be honest, I actually got chills during several reveals in The Enchantress, the last book of the series.

There were a lot of characters to keep track on, as I made clear neither did I care much for any until later. Sure, Perenelle Flamel was awesome and the twins were nice. Then as the story progressed you do get more attached, BUT Scott’s greatest strength was no doubt in his depiction of relationships and how important they are for the characters. There was practically no romance except for between the official couples (unless some read sub-text), the series instead will get you invested in the friendships, family and of course BEST-friendships. The characters are developed and so much more animated in how they are depicted in light of whom they are with. One character is cold, manipulative but a bit sympathetic ‘punch-clock’ villain in one book. But then he gets a new young colleague that he comes to care for, showing readers another side of the character.

There are so many important friendships that will have your heart, even if you do not realise it until they are… jeopardized. I never thought this series would have me bawling my eyes out and sniffling like a three-year-old with a cold, and yet there I was at 2 a.m., reading the last chapters of The Enchantress. If someone was observing my reading progress, they’d be like Bart Simpsons in that episode where he points out to his sister “Watch this, Lise. You can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half.”

The world-building and the characters are the strongest points of this series. The plot relied a lot on the others, but since they take time to develop, so does the plot. So there could definitely be improvements for the story to be more engaging, before you know much about what is really going down. But like I’ve repeated before, don’t be discouraged because you feel that the plot isn’t moving forward. It is biding its time…

Would I recommend this series for everyone? Probably not. I think plenty of people will be hooked from the start, but not all. But if you are a patient reader or simply someone who must finish a series you’ve picked up, this series will be rewarding. x

Book Review – The Dark Prophecy (Audio Book Review)

Title: The Dark Prophecy 

Author: Rick Riordan

Narrator: Robbie Daymond

ISBN: 9780141376240

Publisher: Penguin Audio Books

The Word Description: Funny, Emotional, Great

Rating: 4/6 (the rating is based on Goodreads rating system but with an extra star for those exceptional books)

You know guys, I was actually a bit uncertain if I should really write a review of this book. Why? Because I love his books (I’ve read all of them in his universe of gods), so my view on this is very subjective because I cannot not love his books. Of course we’re all subjective about the books we read, but to a review, it’s also important to be objective to be able to criticize som parts of a book even if you loved the book.

But what the hell.

In the second installment of Rick Riordan’s book series The Trials Of Apollo, the former-god-Apollo-turned-into-mortal-Lester, along with Leo Valdez and Calypso, has to travel to save both a friend and an oracle from the claws of an evil emperor. But of course things has to complicate, especially when the identity of the second emperor is revealed…

I listened to the audio book, and as with all of Riordan’s books taking place in the “Percy Jackson universe”, I really recommend it. Why? Because the story is told through first perspective, so it feels like the narrator, this time Apollo, is talking (complaining for the most part) to you about what happened to him.

The Dark Prophecy started off a bit too quick for me actually – I felt like I didn’t have time to really settle myself into it. But of course, that was only relevant for like the first two, three? chapters. Then the plot kept a nice pace, complete with the typical adventure, heartwarming moments, tear jerkers and the humour characteristic of Riordan (featuring waaay too many pop-culture references and hilarious moments and characters).

Though in this book the plot felt a lot more serious and emotional than the first due to both Apollo/Lester’s character development and what ‘triggers’ it. To recover different oracles his only one part of his trials, after all. Riordan empathizes Apollo’s relationship with people, new and old, (bad and good) to demonstrate his ‘weaknesses’, what is needed to ‘grow’ in him. I like how Riordan doesn’t excuse some things Apollo has done (even though he himself does it at first, which is perfectly in character) and forces him to realize his mistakes. Calypso, a new/old supporting character, was a great character on her own – she was brave despite being ‘powerless’, clever but also kind – to those who she saw deserved it. Therefore she also made for a good ‘companion’ to Apollo, forcing him to understand how he had wronged her.

For another important relationship, which I absolutely love that Riordan did, was the one between Apollo and the Big Bad. Any kind of (previous) personal relationship between a hero and a villain has always been one of my favorite tropes, it makes their interactions and actions so much… more.

Apollo went through a dramatic character development by the near end of this book as he not only realize some of his (many) mistakes like in the previous one, but also learns about the importance, for example, of selfless kindness. Of course, this is Apollo we’re talking about – it’s not that he turns into Mother Teresa. But his character growth, thanks to a certain someone people, also shows that then growth goes both ways.

As for the other characters, Leo is still the lovable Leo (though maybe a bit more serious? But he was this after Blood of Olympus too), plus some old characters appear, but also new ones that I’m super excited for. Riordan has done a great job in working to expand his diversity, from ethnicity to sexuality, but also improve how he portrays them. When a certain character came out as the officially “first” gay character, some fans where angry because of the way it was handled. So in the next series, Riordan made the lead character bi-sexual and openly comfortable with it. No, not a supportive character. He has included a muslim main character, transgender, gay couples and people from different ethnicities (oh and in his series about Egyptian gods, almost the entire cast was black or bi-racial. Take notice Hollywood). He has also talked about parents who kick out their kids for being transgender, police brutality against black people, emotionally abusive parenting et cetera.

Suffice to say, I am both awed and so greatful for Riordan to actually reaching out to ALL kids and (young) adults, listening to his fans and adding more characters that people can relate to. He’s “milking” his fans for money that way? Oh first off, his an author; being a writer is a profession, meaning job, meaning he gets his money this way. Of course he needs to sell – all authors want that! But he is not, unlike some auhtors who create new series or books in a world with the same cast of character, the same one gay and two black characters to call themself diverse. No, he is activaly trying to improve his books and talks about so many things that are important for kids to understand and learn. I know for certain that when I get kids, I’ll be reading his books to them.

Okay maybe I got a bit off topic (the review) but oh well, just thought of having it said. So the thing is, in this book we get a relationship many people have only had in headcanon. Like I discussed with @Joce only about two days ago, Riordan is like one of his gods in his series – if you say his name, he’ll hear you. BUT, I’m honestly shocked to see that some people have an issue with the relationship by complaining that Riordan wrote of a group as “homophobic” for not including them, when it is clearly stated why they cannot be included. And it’s not just their relationship either. I can not say too much without, well, revealing too much (although to be honest it’s not a big spoiler or anything). But c’mon. I can honestly tell you there’s nothing homophobic in this book and those who say otherwise have clearly either not read previous books or don’t know anything about the mythology of said group.

Okay, moving on.

This book, like all his books, also includes some great comedic bits and characters. Listening to a part which includes a train had me actually laughing out loud (guys it was ridiculously hilarious). That’s why I’m equally surprised at how quickly it can change from funny to serious. For the most part, this was very well handled but one or two times it kind of didn’t go so well in my opinion. I also blame it on the narrator, he is not the best I’ve heard when it comes to expressing emotional moments. He wasn’t bad, just not good enough.

But in summary, this was (as always) a great experience and I do really recommend people to read or continue this series. It’s light, warming and a lot of fun, but also not to be underestimated when it comes to being emotional. Not really the “strongest” of Riordan’s book, but still great and unique.

Book Review – The Books Of Beginning

Titles: The Emerald Atlas, The Fire Chronicle, The Black Reckoning

Author: John Stephens

Publisher: 2011, Alfred A. Knopf (The Emerald Atlas) 2012, Knopf Books for Young Readers (The Fire Chronicle) 2015, Random House (The Black Reckoning)

Three Word Description: Wonderful, Nostalgic, Heartbreaking

Rating: 5/6

“So how was the books?” 

Oh dear, I got into this series solely because I wanted something cute and relaxing (plus I had heard it compared to Narnia). Spoiler alert: it is not relaxing. At all. I got so emotionally invested that I won’t be able to read another book for awhile to be able to judge it justly.

The Emerald Atlas is the first book in The Books Of Beginning – trilogy by John Stephens. It follows the three siblings, Kate, Michael and Emma who as small children was left at an orphanage. When they arrive at a strange town and a strange orphanage, without any orphans, the kids suspect there’s something very wrong with the place. When they find a strange book, something very strange happens…

The book will promise you something along with Narnia and His Dark Materials, and speaking from someone who’ve actually read the books, I can confirm that even though it may not be the same, it is actually pretty similar in some ways but especially in “spirit”. You can’t expect to get the same from different books, but I do think you’ll like The Books of Beginning if you liked the magic and adventure of Narnia and the world, characters, and heartbreak of His Dark Materials.

Right, let’s start to go through a breakdown of the good and bad parts of the series;

I absolutely loved the characters and their relationships. The three siblings are officially one of my new favorite siblings in literature. I found their respective personalities actually very understandable and believable. Stephens understands how our environment and relationships affect us, for better or worse, and the siblings all went through very good character developments. Each book focuses on the character development of one of the siblings, so if you like character driven stories, you’ll no doubt like these. But at the same time, they don’t ignore the developments of the other siblings or characters that may not be entirely the focus.

Seeing as we’re talking about characters and relationships, I must warn you about a thing as I will not be held responsible for any consequences.  See, the first book is great and all, but it’s all fun and games until the second, The Fire Chronicle, which will rip your heart out, stomp on it, tear it to pieces and then stare you down as they crumble to the ground. There are several reasons why, so of course, I won’t spoil them. But the thing about this book, and the next, that I loved (and was heartbreaking), was that you realize how young the siblings actually are. Sometimes I feel like both middle-grade and Young Adult authors forget that they’re writing about kids and teens, not “under-developed” adults that need some character development. Being forced to grow-up is terrifying, especially when the fate of the whole world is your responsibility…

As for the plot, I really liked how Stephens built up that mystical feel that you just love about “real world meets fantasy world” – books before things starts to make sense. I had hardly read anything about the books before I started them, so I had no idea as to what was supposed to happen. And that’s honestly the best, books should give out as minimal information as possible. The plots are heavily ‘adventure-driven’, except being character driven, each book has this kind of quest(s) they have to go on, like in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson – books. A problem though I had when reading the books was, even though it was the best to use the children’s different p.o.v.’s, it did bug me at times as “BAM! something happens at the end of the chapter! I must read the next to know what follows!” And then it switches perspective to someone else and the whole time you just want to go back to the other person’s narrative instead of focusing on the one currently telling the story.

Otherwise, each book has a new and fresh plot so none of the books feel repetitive, which I’m really grateful for. As I’ve probably already stated, the second book really surprised me with where it was going/ended, I loved it, but I loved it in the same way you always love being deeply emotionally wounded by books and other types of fiction. You know guys, we might as well just ask the authors to just punch is the face.

But you know another bonus point for this series? It made me actually really, like really care for a certain ship. Typically I am that person that rolls my eyes at “intimite” moments, or just outright don’t care. I want to go back to the relevant plot, please. Though in here it actually was relevant to the plot. And you know what that means – it ain’t gonna be easy…

But to summarize, I absolutely loved this fantasy-adventure series and it has so many good qualities. I do not know if this series is for everyone, but that’s honestly true to every book out there. If you have no problems with reading middle-grade or Young Adult literature, I’d dare bet on that you’ll at least like it.

Book Review – The Burning Page

Title: The Burning Page

Author: Genevieve Cogman

Publisher: 2016, Pan

ISBN: 9781447256274

Three Word Description: Fast-paced, Intruiging, Fun

Rating: 5/6

 

[Side note: Hi guys how are you?! I’m sorry I haven’t posted anything last week, had so much school work AND was sick. Not a good combination. Hadn’t any content I had written before either so nothing I could queue. Oh well, here’s finally the review I promised before, with a bonus – rating!! I’ve decided to finally do rating (had trust issues with rating system) but chose to begin now with it. Instead of the usual 5 stars, I’ll go with 6! The extra will go for the absolute extra book]

*Throughs the book in your face* READ IT!!

No seriously, this YA-ish series (I honestly don’t know sometimes, seen it marketed as both) needs so much more recognition. Secret librarian agents, dragons, fae, humor, adventure, steam-punk, alternative-worlds… and, *sobs with gratitude*, no romance sub-plot in the way. It’s not that there is no romance, it just isn’t in the way of anything.

Anyway, let’s get started with the review.

The Burning Page is the third installment in the Invisible Library – series following the librarian Irene and her student Kai. Their job is to collect books from different worlds for the Library, which exists outside all of them (it’s… you’ll understand). But their job is rarely a walk in the park, especially not if a bigger threat is looming over them.

The plot is fast-paced and filled with both humor and suspense, and I honestly think this is the strongest book in the series yet. Irene is a wonderful protagonist; she’s professional, smart, witty and strong-willed. Anyone foolish enough to challenge her would soon enough find their tails between their legs (in one case, literally). But because of resent events in the book, or books, both Irene and Kai comes to face fear worse than ever. Though it did not make me enjoy the book any less, Irene still acted very calmly and reasonable (for the most part) for someone who expects a murderer at every corner. But that is her character, she knows that panic won’t solve anything. It gives also a good contrast to her partner Kai, who wants to act on a bit more on their paranoia.

The writing style and humour is something that deserves a praise as well. Never does Cogman ignore a possibility to leave a little comment that’s worthy of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams. It may not be as much ‘lemony’ as them, but it’s still an almost constant present. Some highlights being;

“She wondered what the proper etiquette was for visiting werewolves. She’d done vampires, Fae, dragons, and even university students.” /…/‘Is anyone up there?’ came a yell in French from downstairs. The natural human response was to shout ‘No!’ which said something about humanity. 

I also loved that we got so many different environments in this book. In the two previous installments we go about one “main” environments in which the plot is taking place. For a book about different realities and a library in-between, I actually wished for a bit more “world discovering”. In The Burning Page however, Cogman takes us to both familiar and new locations. And I also had my suspicion of that one of them is a foreshadowing, and will come to play a part in the next book (which was a bit confirmed when reading the synopsis of The Lost Plot. The rest remains to be see).

I really can’t come up with many critics for this book, I loved it and am only regretting reading it too fast. The only thing I can think of is that there is still some potential to flesh-out Kai’s character. It’s not that I find him 1-dimensional, it’s just that I think, because Irene is such an amazing character, he ends up in her shadow. But I bet my money on that we will see some more character development on his part in the next book.
As for characters, I really liked the villain in this one, he was the classic type that always works. But the interaction between the Big Bad and the protagonist is what really made it. As both have a sharp intellect, it becomes a sort of “battle to the wits” (or what you call it). In my opinion, a great book needs a great villain.

And I just want to thank Cogman again for no unnecessary romance sub-plot, despite there being romance. Everyone is just so professional and understands that hey, we have other problems to deal with. Attractions happen, but they don’t have to cloud your mind. Hell, there was even a sort of love triangle without a single person disliking each other (rival or not) or creating any real complications. I didn’t even know that was possible in a YA book.

So, needless to say, I loves this book and I really recommend it to everyone. Great writing, great protagonist and a great story!