Robinson Crusoe

Hello, this is Heather! Since my Tuesday postings are usually honest reviews of books that we get sent in (if I keep up with my schedule, which is rare), I’ve decided to spend Thursdays writing about any other piece of writing that sparks my interest. It’s going to be more informal and rambling-styled, because I’m exhausted by this time in the week. Despite taking an A-Level in maths, I keep thinking that sixteen comes after seventeen today, which is a little worrying. It seemed proper to start this with what could possibly have been the first English-written novel (with a lot of debate around the topic, for instance Beware the Cat by Baldwin is a strong contender, funny title given that the protagonist of this one is rather cruel to cats), Robinson Crusoe. 

To say I enjoyed this novel would be perhaps an exaggeration. I actually read the first chapter on holiday and found it so dreary that I put it down and decided not read it again. Like Robinson himself, I went against my word and drudged through it with the aid of an ASMR rainy room to exude the whole stormy atmosphere.

Alright, so it’s crucial to note that Defoe didn’t have all the resources writers do today – on almost every writing tips list, it’s highlighted that reading a variety of novels is vital. 1719? Well, life was somewhat different to 2017; Defoe himself having lived through the Plague, the Great Fire of London and the raid on Medway. His mother sadly did pass away when he was ten, and it’s highly probably that he was familiar with death given that only three houses survived the Great Fire of London in his neighbourhood including his own. England itself prosecuted anyone that involved in a religion outside of the Church of England, so it’s likely that Defoe was familiar with the Bible, which is echoed further in Robinson Crusoe. Obviously, the amazing Shakespeare had been around before Defoe was born, perhaps the Tempest influenced the whole island theme, this is all speculation as no one knows for sure. What we do know is that Daniel Defoe was born with the surname Foe, probably adding the ‘De’ on to sound more aristocratic, he was awful with money, being in enormous debt regularly, and other than writing, he also worked as a spy and pamphleteer. Normally I wouldn’t include so much context, but honestly without all that it’s difficult to appreciate the depth of the novel. 

For a modern audience, it’s pretty difficult to actually like Robinson. As a protagonist, he’s infuriating. Like Victor Frankenstein, he spends a long time loitering in a state of self-pity and commits himself to doing something stupid that everyone and God disapproves of. Everyone warns Robinson not to go to sea, and when he does go, his first voyage is such a fiasco that he initially views it as a sign from God that he should stay away from the sea, but being the stubbornly romantic idiot that he is, he does indeed sail again. His adventures get a little more exciting than a rebellion against the family and feeling awfully sea sick when he gets enslaved for a couple of years, breaking out with Xury, who I saw as a symbol for an angel or at least some rationality. Naturally, Robinson messes up a lot more, I won’t spoil the plot, but I think we all know that he inevitably winds up on an ‘uninhabited island’ that is actually used by cannibals to kill and eat their next meal. If you didn’t know that then frankly it’ll be a kind spoiler, I spent the majority of the book awaiting the cannibals. Eventually, I’m relieved to say that he is low on ink and thence cannot waffle nearly as much, making it all much more bearable. So, Robinson is stubborn, stupid, defiant against anyone that cares about him, kills several people (admittedly sometimes this is, arguably, justified) and pretty treacherous too. Oh, and he also drowns countless numbers of kittens who clearly just want a cuddle. Yup. I know, there are several rude words that I reserve for such kitten-slayers as he. I will never look at Robinson fruit juice without remembering Crusoe.

Naturally, in an older book, there are some ideas and words that are now offensive utilised, given the date of publication this really shouldn’t be penalised. I’d love to show Defoe how different our societies are. Really, what I found the most astonishing thing was the fact that Robinson apparently never really needs to use the loo or shower on this island of his. With that being said, writing usually leaves out such details, note how Harry Potter is basically told by Cedric to take a bath in the fourth book. Some of the topics discussed are actually really interesting – despite being dislikeable, Robinson has some thoughtful moments, then again, I guess we all would if we were on an island alone for so long. My favourite was the debate over cannibalism; is it wrong for someone to kill a fellow human if they think of it as normal and acceptable? Like I said earlier, it’s also important to remember that thanks to Daniel Defoe, novels became far more popular after Robinson Crusoe was publicised. Furthermore, it probably served as inspiration towards several castaway and desert island books. If ever anyone has found themselves on an uninhabited island and is familiar with the novel, this novel could potentially save their life, they’d know to lookout for cannibals. 

However, I feel like if this book could be a masterpiece if only we could scrub it, washing off the irrelevant and dull paragraphs of Robinson complaining or telling us again and again about how he’s building a fence. If the reader takes the time to analyse the novel, it’s pretty clear that Defoe has mastered the fundamentals of being human, letting Robinson fully express regret, sadness, guilt and confusion, and understand how simple our society could be, our needs being purely to eat, drink and retain good health. I’ve read several reviews that state that he has no character development and honestly, I really disagree with this. As the novel progressed, Robinson became less ignorant and more patient, valuing of the companions he had rather than discarding them and realising the futility of money when you only have the basic tools to survive with (perhaps something Defoe did to make his gigantic debt feel less stressful). Another plus point is that this is simply an adventure book. There’s no romance, no fantasy, no mystery, and it’s getting rather rare to find novels that fit snugly in one category. He’s adventuring not only literally but also spiritually; through meeting Friday in particular, he realises what his religion means and wonders why God allows certain actions.

Whilst I cannot say I loved this book, I can definitely appreciate the amount it's done in allowing us to understand humanity, stripping us back to basic needs, and for literature as a whole. If anyone wants to share their view on the novel, please do comment below.

Smugglers & Scones: Volume 1 (Moorehaven Mysteries)

Hey, it’s Heather here! Today I’m doing an honest review for Scones and Smugglers, a murder-mystery novel, hope you all enjoy.

Information

Author: Morgan C. Talbot

Published: January 2017

Publisher: Red Adept Publishing

Length: 222 pages

Genre: Mystery, Detective Fiction

Brief description (from Amazon)

Pippa Winterbourne runs Moorehaven, the Oregon Coast’s quirkiest bed-and-breakfast and former home of world-famous mystery writer A. Raymond Moore. Guests come there to write their own crime novels. When a real-life murder takes a local’s life and washes a handsome boat pilot into her arms, Pippa is yanked into a deadly plot of her own. A tangle of secrets crashes past into present, and Pippa must uncover clues dating back to Seacrest’s Prohibition days, including a secret Moore himself hid from the world. Juggling her book-writing guests, small-town intrigues, secret club agendas, and a possibly fatal attraction, Pippa must sort fact from fiction to know who to trust before a desperate killer claims a final revenge nearly a century in the making.

Hey, it’s Heather here! Today I’m doing an honest review for Scones and Smugglers, a murder-mystery novel, hope you all enjoy.

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smugglers-Scones-1-Moorehaven-Mysteries/dp/1940215870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501591707&sr=8-1&keywords=smugglers+and+scones)

Review

Scones, friendship and a murder mystery, what more could anyone want in a book! The plot was good; from learning about Pippa’s usual day working at the bed and breakfast, to the murder solving bits, it was a nice measure of fun and serious stuff. I really liked how the history of the people and the town linked into the story – and no, I did not guess who the culprit was, so the last few chapters were quite a surprise for me. Writing style throughout was friendly with nice splashes of description and humour every now and then. I especially liked the references to Hermione’s patronus and Doctor Who. Each chapter begins with a Raymond Moore quote – the fictitious mystery writer who the bed and breakfast used to home – which was a charming touch. I was also pleased with the sensitive way depression and suicide was mentioned, showing that despite Pippa being mostly recovered now, the suicide of her roommate still impacted her massively.

The characterisation was good, Pippa in particular making herself an appealing protagonist with her welcoming and empathetic personality. I loved the scone recipe in the back and will certainly be making a batch later on in the summer, I certainly felt a craving for them as I read. The entire concept of running a bed-and-breakfast solely for authors was wonderful. From their breakfast games to the way they picked up on certain phrases and words, I adored the bunch, and was thoroughly entertained with how their innocent curiosity to research led to some troublesome situations. In fact, the book involves a wealth of lovely characters without getting confusing or too stereotypical at any point. The community itself is really nice to get to know, and I’m sure that we’ll hear back from many of the characters in books to come. There was also a theme of friendship throughout, something very underrated in novels that made the read endearing. I’ve included my favourite quote, and my excuse for giving my besties the pet name scone.

“Scones are the edible version of a lifelong friend. They’re full of amazing things. They can adapt to any circumstance. And they’ll never let you down with some weird kind of cream-filling surprise.”

The only aspect I was less keen on was the romance between Pippa and Lake, which I felt was a little rushed. Detective fiction and romance are always difficult to mingle because the reader is in a constant sense of suspicion about who the murderer could be, therefore making it difficult for the reader to happily anticipate the protagonist growing close with anyone. In Beaton’s Agatha Raisin books, it took a really long time for Agatha and her attractive neighbour James to become a couple, even at that stage their relationship was unsteady, the snooping detective life being hard to balance with life and love. Given that Lake was found at the scene of the murder without any memories of what happened, I’d have been extremely cautious about romancing him, so was rather surprised at how rapidly they got to the kissing stage and did not warm to his character. As the series continues and his character develops, however, I’m sure I’ll like him more; I’m rather hoping for a Tommy and Tuppence styled relationship to divulge.

Many thanks to the author for letting me read this. I'm pretty excited about reading the rest of the series when it comes out. If you’ve read this, let me know your thoughts below (and if you guessed who the killer was, because I could not have been more wrong about my initial prediction)!

Strangers

Hey guys, its Lydia here! I was trying to challenge myself to write a poem a week to keep up my creativity for university, but me being lazy didn't write anything last week. So now I must discipline myself, so I will be writing two poems this week to make up for last week. I hope you guys like this one.
I'm also posting my poems on my Tumblr account, search for Literature-addict and give me a follow.

Connection hums in the air,

Both hairs a flow of dark auburn,

And sapphire eyes stare in knowing recognition.

Identical voices, low and considering in passing questions,

Although polite, answering is plain and shallow.

An ignorant bond is known under crust,

Trying to push a paternal union.

But nothing can break an infinite void

Of infant screams unanswered, or grasping invisible palms –

With collection of missed calls, and promises unkept.

They felt the half-hearted appreciation, and struggling affection,

That showed in limp hugs and simple birthday cards -

That is never breathed, neither timeless bare concert seats, and the distant voice of bedtime stories.

Same hot blood revealed impersonal silences

Then only faded knowledge of each other.

Cherished love and kindness might be seen by acquaintances,

Yet time saw cold strangers.

A Passport to a Nation of Talking Slugs and Other Stories

Hello, it's Heather here. This has to be the most peculiar title for a book we’ve ever received, so my expectations for creativity were certainly high. As it’s a collection of short stories, I decided to structure my review differently for it. Many thanks to the author for letting me read this in exchange for a review.

Information

Author: Andrew Kozma
Published: August 2016
Publisher: Self-published
Length: 44 pages
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories

Brief description (from Amazon)

A Passport to a Nation of Talking Slugs is a collection of weird, speculative fiction containing four stories of people exploring strange places and situations, from a newly-discovered civilization of six-foot-tall talking slugs to being haunted by a man in a dark chocolate suit. Whether waking up in a prison camp or navigating a city full of copies of themselves, the characters in these stories are bent on understanding their world, even if that understanding also means the end of the world they thought they knew.

Andrew Kozma’s fiction has been published in Drabblecast, Albedo One, Interzone, and Daily Science Fiction. His book of poems, City of Regret (Zone 3 Press, 2007), won the Zone 3 First Book Award. His previous collections of short fiction are The Year of the Stolen Bicycle Tire and Other Stories and You Have Been Murdered and Other Stories.

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/Passport-Nation-Talking-Slugs-Stories-ebook/dp/B01HBYOE18)

Stammlager 76

The first short story is an ominous tale about a man that finds himself in Stammlager 76, a sort of prison, with no recollection how he got there, or an inkling of how/when he would be released.

“The weather was complicit, the clouds always hovering above like a woolen blanket, so textured, so gray, that the sky itched just to look at it.”

Kozma does a spectacular job at setting the atmosphere in this little story. I hope he doesn’t mind that I’ve included my favourite quote above – what a wonderful line! Whilst concise, as needs be in a short story, his description captures the mood beautifully, using the simile of the clouds being an itchy blanket to reflect both the dark, almost claustrophobic entrapment of the sky (usually a symbol for freedom in literature), and also the frustration of the narrator, as well as the foreboding sense of being watched from the verb ‘hovering’. This thoughtful style of description is apparent in all of his stories. I did, however, feel that the story should have been a little longer, even if it was just an extra page to provide more development on how the narrator settles in, or a scene in which he meets other prisoners (aside from Aaron).

The Man in the Dark Chocolate Suit

This one is about a man dressed in a dark chocolate suit that haunts the narrator and his friend Joe, appearing everywhere he goes.

This story immediately draws the reader in; this time using dialogue first to exert urgency before settling into the, again very well written, description. It’s a well-executed short story very reminiscent of the ghost stories I recall hearing at Brownie camp that’d leave everyone with bad dreams (but in a far eloquent style). My main criticism is that I’d have liked more in the in-between stages of this one, more about how the taunting figure of the man in the dark chocolate suit irked the narrator, why he appeared and how, though the ending of the story was very good.

We of the Future are the Ghosts of the Past

As the title insinuates, this tale uses the symbolic interactionist idea of people having different versions of themselves as we change so drastically over time. It also focuses on death.

This is my favourite story in the collection. Remarkably creative, surreal, and tragic in the most composed manner. Not only does it examine the self, but also the way love alters over time. Sure, like the other stories, there are many unanswered questions, but I really loved the ambiguity of it, letting the reader come up with their own theories. I also liked the length of it, it felt whole, the reader can be attached to the narrator without requiring any of his background, which is really difficult for short stories to achieve. The paragraph about her voice is exquisite, such a pure and lovely way to show his feelings towards her.
Another (slightly random) thing to commend for the author on here is that they actually understand death! There are so many novels I’ve read that romanticise death without comprehending that, yes, gas is released and muscles relax, so there will be a… smell… it’s gross but realistic, and slightly ruins every magical moment when someone dies and their partner cradles their dead body… which leads me to the question: did Harry Potter go through this process when he kind of died in the last book?

A Passport to a Nation of Talking Slugs

At the title of this novel, of course I was curious about the whole slug thing, and I have to say that I was not disappointed. Taking a more light-hearted style, this is literally about Roger going on holiday to Slugland, which is inhabited by giant slugs.

“…but I’d never believed I’d actually see a slug as tall as a man, wearing a fanny-pack, carrying a briefcase.”

Quite possibly the best quote I have ever included in a review. I cannot express my joy at having gone from three albeit very deep and eloquent short stories to this. It’s not often that writers can write well in both comedic and serious tones. The writer clearly had a lot of fun with this one, it’s uplifting and amusing. Roger himself was very distant, I’d have liked to have understood the appeal to going to Slugland more. Was it a little bit too weird for me? I’ll admit, the relationship between Roger and Shelly was concerning and perhaps a little too bizarre for me.

All four stories show an immense amount of creativity and are a fun, quick read.

Strange the Dreamer

Hello everyone! It's Shani here today with another book review! Today - if you hadn't guessed from the title - I will be reviewing Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer.

Published: 28th March 2017
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Author: Laini Taylor
Length: 532 pages
My Rating: 5/5

Brief Summary: 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?

I have many things to say about this book. One of the things I will say is that it has the best book I have read in 2017 so far. The plot is fantastic, though at times a lot to get your head around as a majority of fantasy books are, and Taylor's language is exquisite. I think it's amazing how Taylor manages to craft this completely new world which is very different and yet in certain aspects very similar to our own. Fantasy is my go to genre, it always has been since I was a child, and Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer has captured everything which I look for in the genre such as magic, distant lands, gods and goddesses, a sprinkle of romance, and excellent world building. 

The first few chapters of the novel can be slightly slow placed which was a bit off putting at times but this was also needed to introduce certain concepts about Taylor's world and mostly importantly build a foundation for the city of Weep where the majority of the story takes place. Taylor's world building is wonderful and her descriptive language really gives the reader a clear image of what the fantastical world of Zosma and Weep look like. I especially loved reading about Zosma's library where the protagonist, Lazlo Strange, lives as a librarian. It was so wonderful to read about books being written about in such a lovely manner and Lazlo's deep love for books captured my own, and many other readers, deep infatuation with reading which I thought was lovely coming from a male protagonist. 

This leads me on to my next point: Lazlo Strange. I adored Lazlo as one of the protagonists so much. He isn't your typical male protagonist, he is shy, overly polite, not very physically strong, and lives in a fantasy world. Lazlo is also abused a lot as a child, he is brought up in an Abbey for the first thirteen years of his life, and sometimes this sort of abuse can make a character turn guarded and nasty. Not Lazlo Strange my dear readers. Oh no, Lazlo takes what happened to him as a child and is nice to everyone because of what happened to him, which I loved about his characterisation. He doesn't act like a victim, even though he has suffered a great deal during his early childhood, and he still treats everyone, even those who do not deserve to be treated with kindness, with a gentle manner and this sort of attitude is so inspiring. To be nice to people even if they aren't necessarily nice to you. It's a motto I live by (Lazlo is a total hufflepuff) and it was lovely to see Lazlo's attitude towards people being unaffected despite what happened to him as a child. He is also obsessed with stories. Stories about the lost city of Weep in particular. I was able to connect with Lazlo for a number of reasons and this made me love his character from the moment Taylor introduces him to the reader. If anything Lazlo is one of the most atypical male characters I've read about in long while and it was refreshing to have a male perspective in YA literature because the majority of protagonists in the genre now are female. Especially since Lazlo is the least brooding, mysterious male character ever unlike the majority of the YA genre. 

Whilst this book is in the YA fantasy genre I didn't feel like I was reading YA fiction. Maybe it's due to Taylor's beautiful language or the complexity of her world, but I didn't feel like I was reading YA fiction especially because the amount of dark themes in the novel such as enslavement, torture, death, rape and imprisonment. Some of these dark themes aren't mentioned but rather subtly implied by the writer but even so the Gods in this book are not very nice people and they have done a lot of terrible things to the citizens of Weep, as has the 'Godslayer' otherwise none as Eril-Fane the man who destroys all the Gods to the children of the gods. I won't relay any spoilers but lets just say Eril-Fane does some appalling things as well and that the point of this novel is that the citizens of Weep and the masochistic Gods are just as bad as one and other. 

Another aspect which I adored was the relationship between Lazlo and Sarai. There was something so beautiful and yet fragile about their relationship, their entire worlds were coming apart at the seams and they only cared about making sure the other one was safe. It was so sweet to watch how their relationship grows... but the ending. The plot twist - sort of plot twist? - at the end of the novel tore me to pieces. Now, I don't tend to cry when I'm reading. Normally I'm very good at not crying even if the books is very emotional. That seemed to go straight out the window when I got to the end of Strange the Dreamer because I was crying so much! I'm not even sure why because everything... Well the majority of things gets resolved, but I need the next book now! It's killing me I need to know what's going to happen!

So, if you're interested in the fantasy genre then I would recommend Strange the Dreamer. It's honestly so beautiful and needs more love. 

Storm of Attraction

Hiya, it's Lydia here. Today I'm posting a review on the book Storm of Attraction by Lily Black. I hope you guys enjoy the review as much as I loved reading the book.

Author: Lily Black
Published: January
Publishers: Red Adept Publishing, LLC
Length: 250 pages
Genre: Romantic, Thriller, Contemporary

Description from Amazon 

Alexa Wolving has just one rule: never give a guy a second chance. That works just fine in the safe life she’s built. In the charming town of Willowdale, her day job as a librarian balances perfectly with her evening job as a black belt instructor. But when she attracts the attention of a stalker, Alexa’s carefully built world begins to crumble.
Drew Cosimo knows he broke Alexa’s heart five years ago when he took his first Ranger assignment and disappeared from her life. Now that he’s out of the army, he’s moving back home to Willowdale. He’s not looking for a fight, but making peace would be easier if Alexa hadn’t told the entire town he was a money-grubbing jerk. Despite the tension between them, Drew is quick to offer his protection when a stalker forces Alexa from her home.
As the stalker’s attacks escalate, Alexa and Drew are forced to face their painful past and the simmering attraction between them. They must fight to save each other before everything they care about goes up in flames.

I recommend that readers should only read this book if they are fifteen and above.

Review

Romantic and intriguing are two of the many words I would use to describe this novel; while it was heart warming, it was also racing and hair-raising. I'm not the sort of reader who usually goes for thriller themed books, I would most likely let the other bloggers read and review it. However, Storm of Attraction has opened up a new and interesting genre for me to explore in the future.

The plot and story-line was written well, it wasn't too fast-paced, and yet it wasn't too slow that the reader fell asleep. The reader is taken on a climbing journey, that meets a climax towards the end of the novel that wonderfully reveals the face of Alexa's stalker. Even though I liked how the stalker was unmasked, I felt that the suggestion of the stalker written to near the beginning, and that it would have been better for the writer to let the reader discover for themselves why all these strange and eerie things were happening to Alexa. However, this is just my opinion and may be my format as a writer emerging into this review.

When reading I instantly knew that the author is a feminist, much like myself. However, while most female readers love an independent and strong minded heroine, they don't need to be told this all the way through the novel. I understood that Alexa was an emancipated young woman from a few simple descriptions, but from reading this in almost every chapter it made Alexa's sense of independence repetitive. But what I did like about Alexa is that she realised that her almost extreme sense of independence was stopping her from ever finding love and happiness in the future, and for me personally this the characters realisation of her faults was my favourite part of the book. It showed the true essence of being human, understanding our faults and finding a way to overcome them. For myself, this is what makes a really good writer, someone who captures a sense of human life within language, and Lily Black did just that.

Another aspect I found interesting about Storm of Attraction was its parallels between love and obsession. This gives the reader clues and makes them aware of the difference between the two emotions. The stalker is most indefinitely a psychopath, and wants to possess and control Alexa. The reader sees this from the third person narrative Black uses, where we can see into the mind of the stalker and hear his twisted and dark thoughts. Though this can be disturbing for some readers, I again liked how there was a sense of darkness that contrasted with the light of Alexa and Drew's relationship.

The books other main character, Drew Cosimo, is kind hearted and basically any persons dream guy. He cooks, he's handsome and he likes cats. However, what I liked most about his character is that he desired Alexa in the beginning, but that sense of lust changed into something futuristic and long-term, and within this he realised that he wanted to progress in the direction of a stable and martial relationship. Personally, I believe that this is how love should progress. You desire another person, and then, once you've spent a substantial amount of time with them, you develop a sense of protection and deep respect for them.
While I did like Drew, at times I felt that Black didn't let me discover his sense of character for myself and that she told me all of his feelings. The book had quite a telly narrative, and for some stories it can work quite well, however, when it is used excessively it can make the reader feel as if they can't think for themselves.

Aside from the small things I criticised, overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an engaging and gripping read.

The Bag (The Bucket Series)

Hey, this is Heather posting today. Many thanks to Pegasus Publishers for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review. The cover art for this book is stunning.

Information

Author: D.J. Cattrell
Published: June 2017
Publisher: Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Publishers
Length: 347 pages

Genre: Children's/Teenage Fantasy

Brief description (from Amazon)

The day had finally come for Sarah to meet her sister Rachel after eight years. Being in a different world, Sarah was determined to be re-united with Rachel back in her original world, with The Bag'. But does that solve all the problems? The witch, The Esmeralda', makes her way into her new world aiming to take hold of The Bag' from Sarah. What is so precious about this bag? Sarah must protect it and its contents, and is willing to give up her life to save the world from the witch's evil doing. Will Sarah survive? And, if Sarah does survive, which world will she choose to live in? (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bag-Bucket-D-J-Cattrell/dp/1907552979/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500472492&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=the+bag+dj+cottrell)

Review

I’m a massive fan of the genre children’s/teenager fantasy so my expectations were pretty high. It’s crucial for children and teens alike to expand their imagination by reading fantasy novels. Through reading fantasy, we can manipulate our own minds to appreciate the bizarrely beautiful mundane elements of our own world that someone from another world would notice. It’s also wonderful to provide us with some escapism, I recall spending many dark nights in Harry Potter’s wizarding world, adventuring with Lyra and Will in Philip Pullman’s dark material and hobbling along with the hobbits and elves of Tolkien’s literature when my own life was stressful and sleep troubled.

The pacing of the novel is rapid.  I did feel it was a little too fast at the start but had I read the prequel I’d probably not have had this issue. It’s often difficult for writers to include enough description yet still captivate their readers for this audience, but this is definitely a success story for that. Imagery, plot and dialogue were all in the ideal ratio. There are some illustrations too, whilst these aren’t really needed as the imagery is more than adequate in allowing the reader to visualise what is happening, I still enjoyed looking at them. The plot is good, certainly a page turner, though the end still leaves the reader questioning what will happen next, which is excellent if the author is planning to write another book. I was also pleased that the writer had come up with their own creatures to fill this world with, like the cuddly rocks and Jasban.

The characterisation was definitely another highlight. I adored the Jasban, which are playful critters, especially the contrast between them and the grouchy but equally lovable white tiger. The Esmeralda was an excellent villain, cruel and literally feeding from the pain of others, she struts around with a confidence reminiscent of Jadis from C.S. Lewis’ Magician’s Nephew, capturing followers through the power of her eyes. My favourite character, followed closely by the endearing Robin, had to be Mrs Mole. Mrs Mole’s perspective was such fun to follow; an avid rule enthusiast distraught from her husband leaving her and left feeling pretty desolate, she consumes herself with caring for her plants, disapproving of Sarah and being a Guide leader (I’m hoping the sequel might give her some more happiness). Her journey shows the most satisfying character development and there’s some spectacular imagery as she joins Sarah on her adventure. Rachel, however, confused me, particularly her claim that ‘ruler’ (as in the item in your pencil case) is improper, and that it’s really called a ‘rule’. I checked the Oxford Dictionary and for the British, a ruler is definitely acceptable terminology for a tool used to measure lengths and draw straight lines with. That’s not to say that she’s a badly written character though – sure, she’s pompous and a know-it-all (except about rulers, it seems), but some of the best people in this world are.  

Some authors can be pretty daunted by the children-teenager bridge in literature, so I really have to commend the writer for going for this audience. The writing style is fun to read, but uses mature language, a lovely balance that should help younger teenagers to keep reading. However, throughout there was a case of overly ‘enthusiastic’ punctuation in which a lot of sentences ended with an exclamation mark. I’d really advise writers and editors to check before publishing to reduce exclamation marks – they should be used only sparingly to make full impact when necessary. Children’s literature does tend to use more exclamation marks than most, but even so, consider that authors like Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf and F. Scott Fitzgerald all used less than 500 of them per 100,000 words. It’s a minor thing to nag about, and normally I’d completely ignore it, yet the book itself is written so well that it doesn’t require them.

Only one element of the novel did I really dislike: the rabbit incident. This is a really small part of the book and not really needed to fabricate the storyline, it’s more included to demonstrate how poorly Sarah adapts to our world as she takes the Guides rabbits and makes rabbit stew with them… then uses the skins to make the Guide leader, Mrs Mole, slippers. Maybe I’m a little biased? I’ve kept rabbits since the age of three – my bunny Tilly is currently parading round my bedroom floor as I write this (she was rather startled by the lightning last night so was owed some cuddles). So, I’ll admit it, I adore rabbits and the thought of someone doing that to Tilly quite frankly is horrific. This meant that for the remainder of the book, I was ‘stewing’ about why rabbit stew is even a thing! I know I’ve ranted too much on this one point, but needless to say I was not amused by it, particularly for the age group it's aimed at. As a counterpoint to this, I know that rabbits are eaten in the wild and that Sarah did not realise how traumatising her actions would be to the other children… but I still don’t forgive her.

Aside from the rabbits, I really enjoyed this novel and will definitely try to get hold of the prequel sometime. If you’ve read or are reading this book or even just love the genre like I do, please let me know in the comments below.