With five novellas together in one book this is a bit of a mixed bag. Some are better than others. Some I loved, some were great and one was just OK.

All are prequels to Throne of Glass and fill in a lot of the gaps of Celaena’s background as the worlds greatest assassin and the events leading up to her incarceration in the Endovian salt mines. I read this after Queen of Shadows (the fourth book in the series) but you could probably read it at any point. I kind of wish I’d read it before Queen of Shadows as it gives a lot of details as to why Celaena has such a grudge against certain people and there are a few characters that pop up in Queen of Shadows from these stories.

I should say I’m generally not a fan of novella’s or short stories, I tend to find that they aren’t long enough to allow for a decent plot or any real character development and most of the time it feels like just as they are getting going they come to an end or that nothing really happens. In this case however, having all five in one book is almost like having a full story albeit that there are some breaks and changes in style between the individual tales.

Anyway, it’s not fair to review as one so thought I’d go a novella at a time.

THE ASSASSIN AND THE PIRATE LORD

The first story sees Celaena off to deliver a message to Rolfe the Pirate Lord with her fellow assassin Sam. It turns out that the message is that Celaena’s master (the King of Assassins) wants to go into partnership in Rolfe’s slave trade business. Something that doesn’t sit well with Celaena and makes her consider going against orders. If she does there could be some serious consequences for both her and Sam.

I loved that this story was just classic Celaena. It starts with her disrespecting the pirate lord on his own ship, ignoring what everyone says and doing exactly what she wants. These are probably the attributes I love most about her as a character. She’s at her best when she’s cheeky, rude, proud and just a little bit crazy and out of control. This is also the story where we first get to meet Sam who is so sweet and so obviously crushing on our heroine although she’s oblivious. Initially they seem to just annoy each other (which leads to some great banter) but somehow Sam manages to sneak under her defences and she’s forced to trust him. It’s a great start to the novel.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

THE ASSASSIN AND THE HEALER

This was a shorter story than the others and in my opinion the weakest in the collection. Celaena has stopped en route to the red desert in a dive of an establishment where she waits for her ship. It’s full of thieves and mercenaries and Celaena is looking for a fight but the barmaid would rather keep her head down. The narrative flits between Celaena and Yrene (the barmaid) which I found a little bit irritating. I don’t usually mind the different perspectives in the Throne of Glass series but in this story neither narrative was particularly captivating.

Celaena was being grumpy and miserable and didn’t really care about anything or anyone. Yrene was more of an observer than a participant and I found her lack of action a little frustrating. There was little dialogue which I think was also partly the problem for me. It’s kind of an interesting story but nothing special or particularly exciting. Who knows though, maybe Yrene will reappear in a later story.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

THE ASSASSIN AND THE DESERT

In this story Celaena has made it to the desert and the league of silent assassins with whom she is to train. She need to impress the master if she wants to return home but how long can she stay on her best behaviour and can she trust those around her. To me this plot felt a bit like the Karate Kid with Celaena doing a series of seemingly pointless tasks at the instruction of a new master. While they initially all seem pointless there is a secret purpose to them which will be revealed at some point. Think “wax on wax off” and you’re not far off.

What is most interesting about this story is that it’s the first time Celaena meets another girl the same age and in a similar position to herself. This could be her first chance to make a friend if she can learn to trust. It also lets her meet a different master of assassins and the contrast between the Mute Master and her own master Arobynn gives her something of a shock and leads Celaena to question a lot of her beliefs.

The ending is not particularly surprising but I thought it was a good read and it has a nice pace to it.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

THE ASSASSIN AND THE UNDERWORLD

This for me was the best of the five novellas in this collection.

Celaena is back home in Rifthold and ready to give her master Arobynn what for but somehow he manages to knock the wind out of her sails and convinces her to stay. He showers her with gifts and convinces her to take on a job that she believes will achieve something good. However, things may not be as they seem and she has to decide whether to trust Arobynn. I think everyone at this point, me included, is shouting no.

The relationship between Celaena and Arobynn is one of the most fascinating aspects of this story. You can never really get a clear answer as to whether he truly cares about her or whether he is playing games and using her. The highlight of this story however is the romance between Celaena and Sam. They are just so sweet and funny together. He is still so obviously hung up on her from the first time they bump into each other but Celaena is back to pushing everyone away. She just can’t help being rude and nasty. I love how he sticks by her regardless of how much she exasperates him.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (mostly for Sam)

THE ASSASSIN AND THE EMPIRE

Having read the rest of the series I was kind of dreading this story. Anyone else who has read the books know how things turn out between Sam and Celaena and I didn’t want to read it.

The story starts with them together and free from Arobynn at last, or are they?. They are short of money and if they really want to get away and make a new start they need one last job. The job they take on however could actually be too much for even the greatest assassin.

Knowing how it was all going to end I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach from the very start. The tale itself was just what I expected frustrating and so sad. It didn’t have the same emotion or depth for me as Crown of Midnight or Heir of Fire but this goes back to the novella thing. I felt like Sam and Celaena never really had a period of happiness so I wasn’t rooting for their relationship as much as I could have been. It also felt like you didn’t know that much about Sam which is a pity. It would have been nice to have some of the narrative from his point of view to know what he was thinking. It does however explain a lot of what happens in Queen of Shadows.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In terms of the book as a whole, I did enjoy it and would recommend it but maybe read it earlier than I did as I think you’d get more out of it.

Book Review: The First Last Kiss by Ali Harris

September 14, 2015September 14, 2015 Ali@abookishlife3 Comments

The First Last Kiss by Ali Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m one of those people who cry at pretty much everything, films, sad songs, stories on the news and even TV ads but I don’t think anyone could read this book without being reduced to a blubbering mess by the end.

It’s difficult to describe this book without giving too much away but essentially it’s the story of the relationship between Molly and Ryan. The story begins with Molly being woken up not by a kiss but by her cat Harry. It’s moving day and as she packs up her belongings and generally procrastinates (which I can totally relate to) she reminisces about moments and kisses she shared with love of her life Ryan.

In some ways it reminded me quite a lot of One Day by David Nicholls as it’s a series of episodes in their life that are linked in some way. However, where One Day was set on the same date, in this case the episodes are linked by the different types of kiss they represent such as the worst first kiss, the lost kiss, the celebratory kiss and the eternal kiss. This means that the story jumps back and forward in time from the mid 90’s when they first met as teenagers to the present day with Molly packing away her memories.

It seems at the start that they aren’t together any more, and the title of the book suggests that if there is a first last kiss there must be a last last kiss at some point, but what happened? Were they too young and grew apart, was someone unfaithful or has something driven them apart? I have to admit these questions and more drove me a little crazy. At some points I decided they were actually still together or at least that’s what I hoped.

I absolutely loved Ryan as a character. He just seemed so perfect, good looking, athletic, loving, romantic, funny, popular and totally devoted to Molly. I loved how determined he was to win her over and how he would do anything to keep them together and make her happy (although the story was told from Molly’s point of view so I suspect there was some bias).

Molly I wasn’t so sure about. She was the more ambitious of the two and always seemed to be wanting more than what she had. A better job, better flat, more nights out to the newest and trendiest places and to travel all over the world. She seemed like the rebellious teen who’d never really grown up unlike Ryan who wanted to settle down in his hometown near his family.

As individuals they couldn’t be more different but as a couple they just worked so well. I found myself really rooting for them and that was an emotional rollercoaster. There are some funny moments, some romantic moments that left me smiling for the rest of the day and some exceptionally sad moments which will take me a while to get over. Even thinking about it now, hours later makes me want to smile and cry. I’m so jealous of the love they seemed to have.

I have to admit I found the episodic style of the story and all of the jumping back and forward in time a little confusing and frustrating, particularly at the start. I kind of wish the author had just told the story but by the end it turned out there was a reason for it and once I understood it it made a lot more sense.

Overall it’s a great read and a book I’d recommend to anyone who loves a good romance and a bit of a tearjerker.

Book Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

September 12, 2015September 12, 2015 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“There was nothing left in her, not really. Only ash and an abyss and the unbreakable vow she’d carved into her flesh, to the friend who had seen her for what she truly was.”

I really love this series. It is so well written each book seems to build on the previous. It completely draws you in, overwhelms you and leaves you with an ending that could take months to recover from.

In Heir of Fire the story starts with Celaena alone, abandoned and in a very dark place. She has been sent by the King of Adarlan to Wendlyn “a land of myths and monsters – of legends and nightmares made flesh” to kill the King and Crown Prince leaving the country open to invasion. However she is overcome with grief and guilt after the events of the previous book and can’t do it. Instead she does nothing. She barely eats, drinks too much, starts fights and generally just hates herself.

She is soon found by Rowan Whitethorn, a distant fae cousin and servant of Maeve, who he takes her to meet. She seeks answers from Maeve but is refused them until she becomes worthy. To become worthy she must train with Rowan and learn to control her power. If she succeeds Rowan will take her to Doranelle, home of the fae to get the answers she needs to save her home, and if she fails she will be back to where she started with nothing but self hatred.

It’s very reminiscent of Throne of Glass, the first book in the series, with Rowan taking the place of Captain Chaol Westfall. However this time Celaena seems to have met a far superior opponent. While she walked all over everyone in Adarlan she is no match for the skills and abilities of Rowan and to make it worse he looks at her like something he scraped off his shoe. With her confidence at rock bottom it seems unlikely she will be able to win him over. As it turns out winning Rowan over isn’t the only thing she should be worried about, there are monsters lurking nearby and someone or something is killing demi fae.

Meanwhile back in Adarlan, Chaol and Prince Dorian are missing their friend and trying to work out how to deal with what they have learned about the King. It’s starting to look like they’re going to have to pick a side but will they be on the same one.

It’s safe to say there is a lot going on in this book and if I had one criticism it’s that I found it all a bit confusing at the start. We are in a different land and there are a lot of new characters to try to remember. As well as Rowan and the other characters that Celaena meets in Wendlyn, we are introduced to her cousin Aedion, the rebels and the witches. It’s quite a lot to take in and keep track of.

I did think that Rowan was a great addition to the series. It was so good to have a character who doesn’t worship or fear our heroine. He’s much older than she is and quite closed off and mysterious. He can’t be bothered with her self pitying attitude and Celaena is actually a little bit wary of him and has to check her attitude (to an extent). Their relationship and the way it developed over the course of the story was definitely one of the highlights for me. I absolutely loved their silent arguments.

Celaena herself develops and grows quite a lot over the course of this novel. At the start of the story she is at a pretty low ebb. She’s lost a lot of her vanity, pride and self assurance and ironically seems a lot more human as a result. She doesn’t want to admit who she really is and seems a little bit lost. At times my heart felt like it was breaking for her. She was just so lonely and tragic. There are still a few glimpses of the assassin but in this book she has to decide who she is and who she wants to be. Does she want to claim her birth right and fight for freedom or will she give up and run away?

For me this felt like a very transitional story. It feels a lot slower than the previous story particularly at the start but it does build and build throughout to a fairly heart stopping ending. I kind of missed having Celaena, Dorian and Chaol together and there was definitely not enough of the evil King of Adarlan but I get the feeling that it’s building the tension and setting the scene for the next story Queen of Shadows.

I did enjoy this but I have a feeling Queen of Shadows will be awesome.

Book Review: The Tea Planter’s Wife by Dinah Jefferies

September 2, 2015 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

The Tea Planter’s Wife by Dinah Jefferies
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was something very different from my usual read but I thought the description sounded good and it has some great reviews so decided to give it a try. Unfortunately it kind of reminded me why I don’t tend to read this type of book. I just couldn’t connect with the characters.

The story begins with 19 year old Gwen arriving alone in Ceylon to meet the man she recently married, Laurence. Laurence owns a tea plantation in Ceylon and, while overwhelmed by the change in her life, Gwen is very much in love with him and can’t wait to join him.

When he meets her in Colombo it seems all is well but as soon as they reach the plantation things change. Laurence becomes distant and is keeping secrets from her, there is unrest amongst the workers and Gwen is struggling to find her place and role. She begins to feel very much alone with no one to trust or confide in. When things finally start to improve Gwen is forced to make a terrible choice between her husband and her child but can she live with her choice.

Essentially it’s a story about secrets and lies and the damage they can do to a person and a relationship. Almost everyone in the book seems to be keeping some secret from everyone else and there are some complex moral dilemmas. It’s an interesting story that does keep you reading in the hope that you can get to the truth.

While the plot is interesting I found the pacing of the story a little bit slow. However, for me, the biggest problem in the book was Gwen. I’m afraid I couldn’t relate to her and I don’t think I even particularly liked her. At the start of the book she came across as very brave, marrying a man much older than herself and travelling from England to Ceylon alone to be with him. As the story went on though I started to feel she was quite naive and gullible and generally quite weak which I found frustrating. I wanted to shake her and tell her to get a grip, stop trusting everyone (particularly those who clearly have it in for you) and stand up for yourself. Most of my sympathy was with her husband and the others in the household rather than with Gwen and as a result I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I could have.

There are some great descriptions of Ceylon and life on a tea plantation at that time which I found fascinating but I think I just find the differences in attitudes and behaviour difficult to relate to. I’m not sure how keen I’ll be to read any more historical fiction for that reason.

Overall, I’d rate it as OK. I think those who love period family sagas will love it but unfortunately I’m not one of those people.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. It will be on general release on 3rd of September for those interested.

List Five : Scottish Authors

August 30, 2015August 30, 2015 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

This week I’ve taken my inspiration from the kilt wearing bagpipe player outside the supermarket this morning and have gone for a list of five Scottish authors. There have of course been many great authors born and bred in Scotland (I blame it on the bad weather forcing people to stay indoors) so it’s a bit of a challenge to limit it to just three but I’ve gone for some of my favourites. I should say, these are in no particular order as their books are so different it is impossible to compare them.

1. Ian Rankin

First on the list and arguably one of the most famous current Scottish authors Ian Rankin. It was my Dad who started me on Ian Rankin’s books as he was a big fan and at that point I was going through a bit of a crime phase (reading wise not mugging little old ladies).

He is probably best known for the Detective Rebus series which is set in his home town of Edinburgh (capital city of Scotland). It’s your standard grumpy, middle aged detective and his younger female partner who work in the homicide department investigating murders. Despite some of the clichéd characters they are enjoyable reads. There have been a couple of attempts to turn them into a TV series but in my opinion these were not particularly successful. I much prefer the books but then I usually do.

2. Christopher Brookmyre

Another mystery and thriller writer whose books have been turned into a TV series. The most well known of his books is Quite Ugly One Morning which was the first in the Jack Parlabane series and the one turned into a TV series starring James Nesbitt as the reporter who is dragged into a murder investigation. As well as the Jack Parlabane series, he has a couple of other series as well as quite a few standalone works.

What I love about his books are the fantastic titles, “Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks” springs to mind, as well as the generally incompetent villains who are often more of a danger to themselves than anyone else in the book. The other thing I really like is that they are for the most part set in west central Scotland which is where I live and work. Books feel so much more real when you can visualise a particular place.

Occasionally there is a bit too much social or political commentary for my tastes and they can be a bit blokey with big long sections on computer games, football or music but that can be forgiven as he is the author of one of my all time favourite books The Sacred Art of Stealing.

3. Jenny Colgan

Just to prove that it’s not all crime and murder in Scottish books I thought I’d better include Jenny Colgan chic lit author extraordinaire. Currently lives mostly in France but was born in Prestwick on the west coast of Scotland.

I’ve been reading Jenny’s books ever since I first picked up Looking for Andrew McCarthy many years ago. Her books are funny, quirky, occasionally sad and have an interesting mix of characters. Most of the latest ones have had some sort of food related theme (sweetshop of dreams, beachfront bakery, cupcake café etc) which is great because who doesn’t love reading about cakes and sweets. What makes them even better is that they tend to include a selection of recipes to try at home. I still use the cupcake recipe as it never fails despite how incompetent I am in the kitchen. (she also posts them on her blog which you can find here)

As a random fact, she recently wrote an episode of Doctor Who which is one of my favourite TV shows.

4. Stuart MacBride

…and it’s back to crime and murder. This time mostly in the Aberdeen area (north east of Scotland).

Stuart MacBride books tend to get compared with Ian Rankin but I actually kind of prefer them in some ways. His most famous series features police detective Logan McRae who seems to end up investigating an inordinate number of serial killers. What makes the stories so great is how real the characters feel. They avoid a lot (although not all) of the clichés such as the alcohol problem and the ex wife and all of the characters develop and change over the course of the series.

There is quite a bit of humour, mostly dark, a lot of bad language, usually some pretty gruesome deaths and some violence. Main character Logan is pretty likeable, doesn’t want to be a hero just wants to keep his head down and stay out of trouble, but the big draw for me is the cast of supporting dysfunctional characters who tend to make me laugh. I also love the constant commentary on the miserable weather. It is almost always raining which to be honest is pretty true to life in Scotland. The running joke here is that you know it’s summer because the rain’s warm.

5. Lewis Grassic Gibbon

I have to admit I’ve only read one Lewis Grassic Gibbon novel, Sunset Song, but it had such a big influence on me I had to include him in the list. He was born in Aberdeenshire in 1901 and passed away in 1935 but I think his books will remain classics forever.

Sunset Song is the first in the Scots Quair trilogy and was a set text when I was in secondary school meaning I was essentially forced to read it, or at least that’s how it felt at the time. At the start I absolutely hated it. It’s a very difficult book to read as the language includes a lot of words local to the area and the time which I had no idea of the meaning of. I spent probably the first quarter of the book flicking to the back pages where there were translations for some of the terms. It’s very difficult to get into a book when you have to keep looking words up.

However once I started to pick up the language I found I really loved it. It was one of the first books I had to really think about and which raised a lot of issues about the impact of the war. The characters were so real and the story captivating. It broke my heart in places.

Anyway, that’s my list for this week. What do you think? It’s got me thinking about how many crime writers there are in Scotland which is a bit of a worry but I promise it’s not all crime and death.

Book Review: Monster by C.J. Skuse

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

Monster by C.J. Skuse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For me what makes a movie scary is what you don’t see rather than what you do and it’s exactly the same with books. I want mystery and suspense, strange noises in the middle of the night, a glimpse of something in the corner of your eye, unexplained disappearances and suspicion of those around you. Getting the right balance between suspense and action is difficult but I have to admit Monster by C.J. Skuse gets it almost spot on.

This story is set in a boarding school and follows a small group of girls who find themselves having to stay at the school over the Christmas holidays as their parents either can’t get to them or are too busy for them. They aren’t exactly happy about being stuck with each other but things take a turn for the creepy when a heavy snow storm arrives, matron goes missing and the phones go dead. They are left stranded and alone miles from the nearest village with no way to get help. When they start hearing strange noises during the night it seems something may be hunting them but is it the beast from local legends, something or someone in the woods or could it be someone inside the school. The girls have to put aside their differences and pull together if they want to survive.

I thought this was a really enjoyable and gripping story and it kept me guessing throughout. Was it the beast, someone more human or was the whole thing in their imagination? The pacing is very good and the tension and suspense build and build until a pretty explosive conclusion. I found myself shouting instructions at the characters, “phone the police”, “run” or “don’t go out there alone” but that is part of the fun of a good horror/mystery story. It definitely had me on the edge of my seat at times.

There is a fairly good mix of characters amongst the girls including rebel Maggie who is desperate to be expelled, Dianna the school brown nose, Clarice the mean girl and Regan the outcast. The story however is told from the point of view of Natasha (Nash) who is 16, a long term boarder and favourite to become head girl at the school. She is the do gooder, bossy, know it all who pretty much runs the school but somehow manages to be likeable. At the start of the book her brother has gone missing, Clarice has it in for her and Dianna is trying to usurp her position in the school. Safe to say she is a bit stressed so having to take charge pushes her pretty much to the edge and made me question what was real.

The one criticism I did have of this book was that I thought some of the girls backgrounds were unnecessary and unrealistic. They didn’t really add anything to the story and I would have preferred something a little simpler but that’s probably just me.

Overall it’s a great page turner that I couldn’t put down so I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a creepy story full of tension and mystery.

Big thanks to the wonderful people at NetGalley and Harlequin UK for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The story will be published at the end of September.

Book Review: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

August 25, 2015August 25, 2015 Ali@abookishlife2 Comments

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I finished this book a couple of days ago but I’ve been feeling a bit conflicted about it and have been struggling to find the right words to describe it. The ones that immediately jump to mind are unique, magical, beautiful, captivating, weird, confusing and, I’m really sorry to say this, kind of boring.

I really, really wanted to like this book. If you’re a regular follower of my reviews you will have noticed that I’m a big fan of books that re-tell the classics, particularly if they add a bit of a unique twist. I was so excited when I saw this book. The cover is stunning and it’s based on one of my favourite stories “A Thousand and One Nights”. I have to admit however I found it a bit of a disappointment. Maybe my hopes were too high but I get the feeling that this is one of those books that people will either love or hate.

This retelling starts in a similar way to the original as our main character marries a king, Lo-Melkiin, notorious for killing his wives. By the time he reaches her village in search of a wife he has killed over 300 women so she knows there is little hope of surviving but she is willing to give her life to protect her sister. When she gets to the palace no one will meet her eye or speak with her as they are all sure of her fate. While servants pamper, bathe and dress her she is left to her own thoughts and company until evening comes and the king arrives. Miraculously she survives first one night and then another and another.

Meanwhile back at her home her sister has already begun to mourn her. She sets up a shrine in her honour making her a “smallgod”. As word of her bravery and her continuing survival starts to spread from village to village across the kingdom, more and more people begin to worship her. Within the palace things also begin to change, the members of the court begin to talk with her and treat her as a queen. Our heroine also begins having visions and develops powers which allow her to manifest the objects she dreams of. As her power grows, belief starts to spread that she could be the one to defeat the monster within the king and save the kingdom.

Despite my rather low rating there were quite a few things I loved about this book. I loved it’s originality both in terms of plot and writing style. While it is based on a classic tale it takes it in a very new and different direction which I really liked. The writing itself is also very different and unique. There is a lot of flowing narrative, vivid descriptions of dreams and visions as well as a very different world and way of life. I can appreciate the beauty in the writing and I think for this reason alone a lot of people will love this story.

Personally however, I felt it was short on dialogue and emotion. There is very little action within the first three quarters of the book. A girl is wed to a king and goes to stay in a palace where she eats, bathes, dresses, spins or weaves, and dreams. Once a night she is visited by the king who asks her a couple of questions, touches her in some way (holds her hand, grips her arm) and then leaves and she sleeps. There are none of the stories from the original work like Aladdin or Alibabah, so if you are expecting them you will be very disappointed.

There are in fact very few stories at all. Those that do appear are memories from her home and stories of her ancestors and smallgods. They are not told but remembered and as a result there is no questioning or interruptions, no dialogue and mostly serve to provide more substance to her background. Generally I found them difficult to focus on and tended to skim through to try and get to some action. There are a couple of interesting stories, most notably one with a talking camel, but a lot were stories about things she did with her sister or mother such as making a dress or looking after a flock of sheep. Maybe I missed something or didn’t look deep enough to get to the meaning. Possibly others will get more from them.

The other thing I found frustrating is that there are very few characters within the story who have names. The name of the main character is never revealed. She is referred to as “daughter”, “sister” and “lady bless” but never by a name. Her family are referred to by their relationship to her for example, “sister”, “mother”, “my sister’s mother”, and even my “father’s father’s father”. I found this a little confusing at times and had to think through the relationships to work out who people were. I can understand why the author decided to do this however, I found it difficult to connect with the characters. I didn’t feel any of the emotion I should have felt and this, combined with a lack of dialogue, meant that overall the whole story left me cold.

I will recommend that this book be read rather than avoided. While I didn’t like it I have to admit it is very different and I think a lot of people will love it.

Note: I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It will be released at the start of October.

Book Review: Puss in Boots by K.M. Shea

August 22, 2015August 22, 2015 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

Puss in Boots by K.M. Shea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s a book with a talking cat, a feisty heroine, adventure, romance, an ogre and magic. What more could you want? Did I mention the talking cat? I love a talking cat.

This is the sixth book in KM Shea’s timeless fairytales series but is actually a prequel to Wild Swans, an earlier book in the series. While there is some overlap with this book it still works really well as a standalone.

The story follows Gabrielle, the Miller’s daughter and one of the most beautiful girls in the land. Unfortunately her beauty brings her unwanted attention. She is unable to walk through town without boys propositioning her and girls hating her. When her parents decide to leave her with no inheritance but the stray cat that has been hanging around it’s the last straw. They insist she marry immediately to secure her future but she longs for freedom and the life of an adventurer.

As it turns out the cat, is a magical cat who can talk. He offers to accompany her on her quest for adventure if she will buy him a pair of boots. Together they end up travelling across the land from village to village battling magical creatures including goblins, witches, a mean old fairy and the gingerbread man. However Puss in Boots has a bit of an ulterior motive involving a quest for power and an ogre.

I thought this book was a really enjoyable read. It has a great pace that keeps you reading and weaves in threads from a number of different fairytales. Gabrielle was a likeable enough character however the highlight for me was Puss.

Puss, or Roland Archibald Whisperpaws the Fifth to give him his proper name, was a fantastic character and just how you imagine a talking magical cat would be. He likes everything his own way and will decide if you are worthy to be his owner. Should you be deemed worthy of the honour of becoming his mistress you will be required to obey his every command. He is affectionate on his terms only and does not take kindly to being loaned out to the village children for a game of dress up.

As a magical cat he is of course very intelligent and a cut above your average moggy, which you should never forget. He is perfectly comfortable chatting to the king and is supremely confident in any situation. Basically he was a cat and he was fabulous.

For me Puss made the story great but then I am a cat lover. I’m sure however that everyone will enjoy this magical tale of love and adventure.

The other great thing about this book is that it gives me an excuse to include a picture of my cat in a post so here he is looking decidedly evil.

Book Review: The Little Selkie by KM Shea

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

The Little Selkie by K.M. Shea
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m a big fan of KM Shea and her timeless fairytale series. Each book re tells one of the classic fairytales but has a little bit of a twist. They always have great female characters and this one is no exception.

This time the story is based on the little mermaid, however rather than a mermaid, who are apparently silly and vain, we have a selkie, Dylan. A selkie is a magical creature which has the form of a seal (or in Dylan’s case a Sea lion) in water but which can become human on land by shedding their pelt. Their role is to use water magic to protect the seas and rescue silly humans who go sailing in storms and get in trouble.

When Dylan goes chasing after the sea witch who has been terrorising their territories she gets captured and her pelt stolen meaning she is unable to return to the sea. Afraid the sea witch will force her to use her magic she asks a passing enchantress to seal her voice. When the bandits holding her take her to the palace she has to figure out what their plan is, recover her pelt and get her voice and power back to defeat the witch and return to the sea.

I did enjoy this book but I felt it was one of the weaker books in the series. The story seemed a little uneven. Parts such as the start seemed rushed whereas others were overly long. There were a few characters who seemed to pop up out of nowhere and disappear after a few pages with little explanation.

I did however really like Dylan as a character. I loved the fact that she really didn’t care about how she looked or whether people were talking about her. She let people dress her in whatever and only really reacted to comments if they hurt those she cared about. Some of her reactions to the bullying popular girls were priceless. She was a little reckless and didn’t back down from a fight. The best bits for me though were where she was obsessing about food. I think she spent most of the story thinking about, talking about or eating food.

Her interactions with the Prince made me laugh a lot and there were a lot of funny incidents however I think it was probably meant for a younger audience than me as some of it was a little silly.

Overall therefore I enjoyed it but it wasn’t as good as some of the others in the series such as Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast. Definitely a great book for young adults and I think it should be suitable for young readers.

Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas (Throne of Glass book 2)

August 16, 2015 Ali@abookishlife5 Comments

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One word. Wow.

This was incredible. I loved the first book in the series but this one just took it to a whole new level.

The action kicks in from the very first page with Celaena on a mission to kill someone for the king. She has signed her contract as kings champion which means she has no choice but to do or kill whatever the king commands. Failure would mean forfeiting the lives of those she cares about and losing her chance for freedom but can she really go against her conscience and kill for a man she hates.

The one perk of her job is that she gets to spend more time with the Captain of the Guard Chaol and her friend, the rebel Princess Nehemia. While she hates her work and is forced to keep secrets, Celaena finds love and starts to think she could have some chance at happiness and freedom. However, as she becomes caught between the evil king and the rebel movement the secrets everyone seems to be keeping cause everything to fall apart and we finally start getting to the truth.

I loved this book so much it is definitely moving to my favourites list. There is so much action and so many twists and turns it’s like an emotional rollercoaster. I wanted to laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time. Around the halfway point I was actually scared to read any further as I just had such an awful feeling as to what was coming. I wanted to read it but wasn’t sure I was ready for what I just knew would happen.

While this is fantasy, the story and characters just feel so real and believable. We finally got to see Celaena as the incredible assassin that she is. I definitely wouldn’t mess with her when she’s in one of those moods. The author said she was inspired by the bride in Kill Bill and there were sections where you could definitely see that (think of the epic sword fight and you get the idea). We also got to see more of her softer side and found out a lot more of her background.

The relationship between her and Chaol shifted and changed throughout the story but always felt right and natural. There wasn’t the usual teenage angst or melodrama and while there is a bit of a love triangle it’s much more grown up and real and it’s not the focus of the story.

Overall, exciting, sweet, violent, sad, magical and horrific…wow.