Genre: YA Fantasy

Format: Hardback (purchased)

Terrible as it is to admit I’ve never actually read Daughter of Smoke and Bone so this was my very first Laini Taylor. With all of the good things I’d heard about her stories and her writing I was very excited but I have to confess my experience of reading Strange the Dreamer was mixed.

The story is wonderful. It’s about an orphan, Lazlo Strange, who follows his dreams and travels to the mysterious, and cursed, city of Weep. It’s full of magic, monstrous creatures, heroes and stories, basically all the things I love.

I absolutely adored Lazlo Strange, the Dreamer, who sees the best in everyone and everything and is happy to help others do great deeds rather than seeking glory for himself. He loves stories and fairytales and believes anything could be possible and he’s just so sweet. I think I fell a little in love with him.

The other characters are also wonderfully etched from Eril-Fane the Godslayer who is plagued by nightmares of past deeds, to Thyon Nero the golden boy considered a genius and Lazlo’s tormentor, to Minya the woman trapped in a child’s body who is so full of hate and anger. Each and every one was captivating in their own way.

The writing is beautiful but for me I found it a little too flowery for my taste. I’m generally not a fan of lots of description and imagery though so this is definitely a me issue. I also believe it could have been shorter without really losing much.

The ending was however stunning, edge of the seat reading so there is absolutely no question over whether or not I will read the sequel (I will).

Synopsis

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.

Review: Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

June 9, 2017 Ali@abookishlife5 Comments

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Source: NetGalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A captivating fantasy set in feudal Japan with mythology, monsters, samurai and just the right amount of romance. There’s definitely a lot to like about this story and with a heroine who uses her knowledge and talents rather than special powers or fighting skills we have someone we can all relate to.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.

So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.

The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

My Review

I’ve never been angry to have been born a woman. There have been times I’ve been angry at how the world treats us, but I see being a woman as a challenge I must fight. Like being born under a stormy sky. Some people are lucky enough to be born on a bright summer’s day. Maybe we were born under clouds. No wind. No rain. Just a mountain of clouds we must climb each morning so that we may see the sun.

Yay!!! At long last we finally have a YA fantasy with a female main character we can relate to. Mariko may not have special snowflake super powers, be particularly blood thirsty or have incredible fighting skills which allow her to defeat all of her enemies and save the world in the blink of an eye but this story is all the better for it. She’s scared a lot of the time, she’s physically weaker than the boys but she’s smart and inventive and learns to use those abilities to hold her own and find her place.

There is a real girl power theme running throughout this book, which I loved, but unlike most YA fantasy stories this power doesn’t come from Mariko competing to show she’s just as strong or fierce but from realizing she has unique skills that make her just as valuable, something a lot of girls can relate and aspire to.

That’s not to say there isn’t a lot of action as this story is packed full of it. It begins with a young boy watching the execution of his father (which was brutal but gripping) and from there on in it doesn’t let up. I’ve seen a lot of reviews describing it as a Mulan retelling but while Mariko disguises herself as a boy and has to learn to fight that’s pretty much where the similarities end. There’s no noble purpose of trying to save her father by going off to war in his place but a slightly more selfish desire to find out who was behind an attack on her and also to find some freedom from the role she’s being pushed into.

There are a few twists and turns in the story and it definitely makes for some addictive reading. I have to confess there weren’t many twists that surprised me, I had an inkling around most of them, but it was still enjoyable following Mariko on her journey of discovery.

There is a bit of romance in this but it’s not too heavy and I really liked it as it has that hate to love thing going on. There’s a definite spark between Mariko and a certain bandit and one of the highlights of this book for me was the banter and teasing between them.

The other characters and the world the author creates were also fantastic. Ahdieh has a real talent for describing both people and places so that you can perfectly imagine them and they feel completely real.

With all these pluses this book could have been a five star read but it’s not quite perfect. It’s a little lacking in originality, Mariko does some downright silly things despite supposedly being clever and great at reading people and it felt like the magical elements were a bit light. I would have really liked to have a bit more explanation of the magic system in particular, although maybe the author’s leaving that till the next book in the series.

Overall it’s a great story and definitely one I’d recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC

Thirteen Reasons Why, You Should Read the Book

June 3, 2017 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

If you’ve been reading my posts or tweets over the past few weeks you’ll probably have seen that I have been obsessing over Netflix’s Thirteen Reasons Why, and I’m far from the only one. There’s definitely a lot of hype around it and it’s easy to understand why. It’s not an easy watch but it’s completely engrossing and at times heartbreaking.

The book the show’s based on was actually written more than 10 years ago by Jay Asher and was one that I’d been wanting to read for a while but had never gotten around to until very recently.

If the show’s so good you might be asking yourself what the point is in reading the book so rather than doing my usual review I thought I’d give you the 13 reasons why I think its worth reading (I may regret this as 13 is quite a lot). Before I do though, here’s the synopsis, just in case you’ve never heard of it 🙂

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

You can’t stop the future.

You can’t rewind the past.

The only way to learn the secret is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home to find a strange package with his name on it. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker – his classmate and first love – who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

Hannah’s voice explains there are thirteen reasons why she killed herself. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening – and what he discovers changes his life… forever.

13 Reasons Why You Should Read It

Reason 1 – It’s the original story

I always think it’s good to know where the idea and the basis for shows and films come from. I have been known to pick my reads based on which shows or films are coming out as I like reading the source and being able to compare the two.

Reason 2 – It deals with some very difficult issues

Suicide, sexual assault, harassment, mental illness and dealing with loss all feature at some point in this book. You may not think the author deals with them correctly or you might think he does it perfectly but it will definitely get you thinking and more importantly discussing them. They’re all important issues and the recurring theme throughout the book is that if Hannah had really reached out and asked for help or if others had paid more attention and just been nicer things could have ended differently. These are all issues young people will no doubt encounter so it’s important that they’re discussed.

Reason 3 – The format is very unique

In the authors notes at the end Asher says that the format of this book actually came before the idea for the story. He was inspired by audio tours (you know where you wander round a gallery/castle/museum and listen to a recording of someone telling you about the thing you’re looking at) and wanted to do a book that was like that, he just needed the right story.

The book captures this feel exceptionally well and for me this was definitely the highlight. You essentially listen to the story along with Clay and travel with him to the places Hannah identifies on a map. Her story in her own words is interspersed with Clay’s reactions to what he both hears and sees on his journey. It did take me a little while to get used to this format but once I did I absolutely loved it.

Reason 4 – It has a very narrow and intense focus

The focus is very much on the tapes and Clay’s reaction to what he hears. Unlike the show, there are no side stories about a court case, or Hannah’s family’s struggling store. It’s just Clay learning what exactly was going through Hannah’s head and what drove her to do what she did (or what she claims were the driving forces). It makes it a very intense and absorbing read.

Reason 5 – Everything happens over a short space of time

It’s a very quick read and the whole thing takes place over the space of a night as Clay makes his way through the tapes and follows the map to various points around town. Again this makes it quite an intense read as Clay swings through a range of emotions in a very short space of time. It does possibly lack a bit of the depth from the TV show but the show has 13 episodes and releases the tapes gradually over that period (something which frustrated the hell out of me), allowing it to focus on each name in a lot more detail. Personally I think the author does a fantastic job of putting so much into such a short space of time (and it feels a lot more real than someone taking days to listen to tapes which name them as responsible).

Reason 6 – Hannah is a bit of a mystery

Hannah only appears in the book as a voice on a tape and through Clay’s memories so for me she remained a bit of a mystery. The tapes are essentially a suicide note so you have to assume she’s not in a stable frame of mind and not a reliable narrator. Even Clay as he listens to the tapes begins to realize how little he really knew her or what was going on in her head. She comes across as quite bitter and angry and I found it difficult to have a lot of sympathy for her. A lot of the time I was actually quite angry with her, why would you send tapes to people blaming them for your death, but I think it’s good that the author created these complex emotions around her as you can feel what Clay feels.

Reason 7 – Clay

Clay is an absolutely wonderful character. The author has done a brilliant job of portraying your average, clueless teenage boy who’s struggling to deal with the loss of someone he cared about. In fairness he does come across as very sweet and innocent (and nicer than most of the teenage boys I know). He’s clever, well mannered, insecure and obviously had a major crush on Hannah but didn’t know what to think about the rumours about her and her reputation. For me this book actually felt more about Clay in many ways than Hannah.

Reason 8 – There are no flashbacks

The whole story is very much in the moment, something which I loved. You listen to the tape with Clay and you get his instant reaction (at times it’s almost like a dialogue between them). There’s no jumping around in time or long drawn out flashbacks. Hannah tells you what happened and Clay reacts. It’s simple but it works.

Reason 9 – No other perspectives/secondary characters

You may like this or you may hate it but there are very few characters who interact with Clay while he listens to the tapes (his mother, a bus driver, a waitress, Tony). We hear Hannah talk about other students and teachers and their behavior and actions but you never get anyone other than Clay’s perspective. No one is given the chance to tell their side of the story or argue their case against inclusion on the tapes. You have no way of judging whether Hannah’s telling the truth or not.

Reason 10 – More open/raises more questions

Linked to the previous point, because none of the characters are given the chance to tell their side of the story it does make you question whether events happened as Hannah claimed and whether there’s an element of over reaction. Was it really so bad that Hannah had no other choice but to commit suicide? A lot of the events described in the book seem quite mild, particularly when you compare to how they are portrayed in the show, and it did make me wonder if these were the real reasons or just a chance to get revenge. I also thought there were a few people who really didn’t deserve to be on the tapes.

There are also a few hints scattered throughout the story that Hannah’s had issues in the past which again made me think that the tapes may not be the whole story.

Reason 11 – It’s less brutal and shocking than the show

This is both a good thing and a bad thing. I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying they felt that the book glamorizes suicide or at least makes it seem like a good way to get back at people who’ve upset you. I honestly don’t think that’s the case although I can understand why some would think this given the light touch the author uses. The show is more explicit and more brutal and I think that’s right for it but I don’t think the book needs it or that it would work. I feel like if the author had made the story more brutal and shocking it would have faced more criticism. I do think it lacks a little of the emotion it could have had but it’s still quite a powerful read.

Reason 12 – The writing is just really good

I really like Jay Asher’s writing. There’s something very real and natural feeling about it. As I mentioned it was missing a little depth and emotion but Clay as a character is brilliant and the whole format and style of the book works so well.

Reason 13 – You can say you’ve read it

Like Clay, this probably doesn’t belong on the list but lets face it who doesn’t like being able to say they’ve read the book when everyone is talking about the show. You can point out all of the differences and why you think this worked better or that’s not as good.

So that’s my thirteen reasons. Overall I did think it was a really good book and definitely worth reading, ideally before watching the show. If you want to know my rating I gave it 4 stars.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts are as always my own.

Review: Release by Patrick Ness

May 29, 2017 Ali@abookishlife9 Comments

Release by Patrick Ness

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really, really wanted to love this book. Ness is by far one of my favorite authors and while all of his books are very different they have all been great in their own way. That’s not to say that Release isn’t great (it is), I think it’s a simple case of this book not being for me.

Ness has said himself that he was making the most of his current popularity by taking a risk and writing the book he always wanted to write, the book he wishes had been around when he was a gay 16 year old looking for something he could relate to.

The story is based on Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Wolfe and Forever . . . by Judy Blume (neither of which I’ve read) and like Mrs Dalloway all of the events take place over the course of a day. Also just like Mrs Dalloway, the day begins with main character Adam Thorn going to get flowers and ends with a party but this is a day with a lot of changes and challenges for Adam. It’s a day of endings, heartbreak, confrontation, sex and love. There’s also a side story involving a spirit which eventually collides with Adam’s story.

For me Adam’s story was by far the more compelling. If I’m completely honest the whole ghost/spirit side left me completely confused and I ended up kind of skimming a lot of it as I wasn’t sure what was going on and kind of didn’t care. For this reason I probably would have enjoyed the book more had it just stuck with Adam but I suppose a normal YA contemporary probably wouldn’t be very Ness.

It’s definitely an action packed day for Adam and as always the author manages to write some truly memorable moments, the confrontation with his Preacher father being one. I’m not actually sure if I liked Adam. I found him a little on the mopey and miserable side. He does have good reason for this but I really didn’t like the way he treated certain people within the novel.

BFF Angela was for me a much more likeable and relateable character. She is the one who brings a lot of the much needed humor to the story and I kind of want her as my best friend.

The writing is as always wonderful (I would expect nothing less) and the author does create a strong cast of complex characters and brilliant dialogue. I did feel like it was maybe a little bit slow in places but I think my biggest problem was that I didn’t connect. I could definitely appreciate the writing and the story but I found it all too easy to put it down and go off and read something else.

I don’t think however that I’m the right audience for this story. I think others who are struggling with similar issues to those dealt with in the book or who can relate more to Adam will get so much more out of this book.

I definitely applaud Ness for creating the book that he wanted and for putting something new and unique out there for an audience desperately in need of it. It just wasn’t for me.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

Inspired by Mrs Dalloway and Judy Blume’s Forever, Release is one day in the life of Adam Thorn, 17. It’s a big day. Things go wrong. It’s intense, and all the while, weirdness approaches…

Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It’s a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won’t come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course.

Review: Hunted by Meagan Spooner

May 28, 2017May 28, 2017 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love a good retelling and this is a great retelling.

It’s based on Beauty and the Beast and sticks pretty close to the original version but is a little darker with a Beauty who’s possibly even fiercer than the Beast. It’s surprisingly light on romance but absolutely full of magic and mystery and weaves in more than a few fairy tales and magical creatures.

I’ve read many, many retellings and this is definitely one of the best. I literally couldn’t put it down.