Reading The Riot Act: 3 stars

Showing posts with label 3 stars. Show all posts

Sunday, 18 February 2018

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Makani Young thought she'd left her dark past behind her in Hawaii, settling in with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska. She's found new friends and has even started to fall for mysterious outsider Ollie Larsson. But her past isn't far behind.

Then, one by one, the students of Osborne Hugh begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasingly grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and her feelings for Ollie intensify, Makani is forced to confront her own dark secrets.

Reading the Riot Act

There's someone inside your house by Stephanie Perkins
289 Pages

We all remember Stephanie Perkins of Anna and the French Kiss. It feels as though it has been a million years since we last heard from her but finally, just in time for Halloween, she released a new horror novel for us to enjoy.

Now, I am not a horror fan. I have an overactive imagination and deep, deep paranoia that really just does not suit well to fans of the horror genre. Thankfully, this book serves as almost a precursor to the horror genre. I mean there are murders, and gore like any self=respecting horror book. But this is entry level horror for the wimps out there like me.

We follow Makani, who in horror tradition has just moved to town. There is all this secrecy in regards to her past. Why did she move suddenly? Why won't she talk about what happened there? Then, enter the murders. Students are slaughtered left right and centre. Perkins has set up a hell mystery.

The murderer seems to be coming only for Makani, they are after her for some reason. At this point, I thought I had the book figured. I was expecting a Johnny Depp, The Secret Garden sort of plot line. TWIST MAKANI IS THE MURDERER! But that didn't happen.

We get side-tracked by this love story. And I'm into it, the guy is hot and I'm rooting for my Hawaiian babe to get a bit of action. Then, out of nowhere, they figure out who the murderer is, and I can't even tell you - because he's such a small character. Here is where everything begins to fall apart.

It's not so much a shock, as a....who? Who the hell is that guy? Oh, that's right he was in the peripheral at the beginning and seems to have no actual motive. The murders and Makani's shady past have no connection whatsoever. The plot begins to reek of broken promises.

Let me make this clear...there is nothing wrong with subverting expectation. But this book didn't seem to be doing it for any reason. It read more like Perkins realised the murderer was easy to guess - so bullsh**ted. I can see her now, furiously typing on a keyboard yelling 'FUCK IT!' at the top of her lungs.

Girl. I feel you - but there is such a thing as reader expectations.
Follow the genre tropes or subvert it, but don't do both.

You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook. Until then...Happy Reading.

Tuesday, 8 August 2017

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

Louise Wilkes 02:34:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora's brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend's boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora's fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world, Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life.

With little more than the words "be brave" inked into her skin, and written reminders of who she is and why her memory is so limited, Flora sets off on an impossible journey to Svalbard, Norway, the land of the midnight sun, determined to find Drake. But from the moment she arrives in the arctic, nothing is quite as it seems, and Flora must "be brave" if she is ever to learn the truth about herself, and to make it safely home.

Reading the Riot Act

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
Published January 12th 2017 by Penguin
Paperback 303 Pages

Flora Banks has no life. She has a best friend and a school and parents that love her - but her memory lasts barely a day, hours maybe. Still, she goes on, writing notes to herself on her arms, writing her memories down to tell herself later. Then, at his leaving party - Flora kisses her best friends boyfriend, Drake,...and the next morning, she remembers him. Then the next day, and the next day. The kiss on the beach and the boy. She remembers something, finally but the guy is gone, across the ocean and her friend hates her for kissing him. When her estranged brother becomes sick, Flora is left alone and after several R-rated emails between her and Drake, Flora is on a plane. She feels the memory slipping away and she knows Drake is the only person who can help her.

She heads to the Arctic, with no idea where he is or what he's doing - but she goes anyway. I was really excited once she'd decided to go. This book has a lot of repetition. I mean A LOT! Which is understandable, but still annoying as hell. The majority of it is re-reading the same stuff we read a few pages ago. Flora Banks has Amnesia - but I definitely do not! We get to the Arctic and here I am hoping things are about to happen. No. It's gonna take another 100 or more pages of wandering around in shops and having the same conversations over and over before she even gets an idea of where Drake is. This entire section made me wonder how insensitive I am - maybe that's the point. I didn't care that Flora was struggling, that she was in a new place and could not remember getting there. That she had no idea what was happening to her and still managed to make the slightest progress. Still, I hated her for getting in my way - for taking too long.

When Flora begins to make friends, begins to recall more and more of what is happening, I become very proud of her. It's the point we know there is something more than Amnesia going on because without her medication, she is starting to remember more. She goes on excursions, sees polar bears and I forget about Drake - just like Flora does. I'm in the moment with her but it seems even sweeter, because I know I'm the only one who will remember it.

Just as I give up on Drake - there he is. Flora, like a mad woman sails to his girlfriend's house with no memories. It's bonkers and I'm not annoyed at her anymore. FLORA IS A DAMN BADASS! Of course, we get there. Drake's girlfriend answers the door and he pretends not to be there. He slams the door in her face and the girlfriend brings her inside. It is horrible. He says that the kiss never happened, that all the emails were from Flora to herself, she imagined them all. She is crazy. And maybe she is. Suddenly the whole journey I've taken with Flora is bathed in suspicion, I don't know what to believe her on or if even she knows what's true and false.

Flora's parents bring her home, her father instantly seeming like the most comforting person we've seen in this book. Flora's brother is dying and he came to get her anyway. She doesn't know why none of them have spoke in years, there's still more to figure out but is any of it true? Is she just mad? Well, no. It's turns out the estrangement came when Flora's mother decided to buy illegal medication off the internet. In truth, the arguments between the mother and everyone else is because her Amnesia is getting better. The dad knows it, her brother knew it and now her best friend knows it. Flora is being doped up to keep her docile and it's affecting her memory. Then, her best friend to the rescue. She pops by for a visit, Flora lost in the fog of drugs. She tells Flora she knows she wasn't lying about Drake - because a girl from the party took a photo of them kissing. She does remember, and they are going to see a doctor who can help - besides she's only a week away from being 18. Soon, her mother won't be able to control her. And it ends. Just like that. I am furious.

I have issues with the ending. First off, the whole point of writing about someone dealing with an illness is redundant if that person is magically healed. I get it was about the journey, but if I was suffering from something like Amnesia or a memory disorder - I'd feel ripped off. Everyone in these stories ends up "normal" in the end. What a load of crap, why can't someone with a problem be allowed a story without them having to be magically cured of the problem? Why can't it be about representation? I didn't want Flora to get better, it felt...dishonest. Next, I had a problem with the parental plot twist (that everyone saw coming), I don't care how protective you are - I don't see any mother, especially the one we've watched worrying for Flora and wanting her to be happy- drugging her daughter to be sure she remains memory-less. It's too far-fetched and honestly, if the doctors knew that was happening, where the hell are the police? Why isn't the father doing anything? I didn't get it and I don't believe it.

So yeah, The One Memory of Flora Banks was a mixed bag. Often, that can be a good thing - it keeps it all interesting. Overall, I gave this book a solid 3 stars! A totally respectable rating.

You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook. Until then...Happy Reading.

Monday, 15 August 2016

The Girl of Ink & Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Louise Wilkes 01:59:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Waterstones Children's Book of the Month and The Times Children's Book of the Week.

Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella Riosse dreams of the faraway lands her father once mapped.

When her closest friend disappears into the island’s Forgotten Territories, she volunteers to guide the search. As a cartographer’s daughter, she’s equipped with elaborate ink maps and knowledge of the stars, and is eager to navigate the island’s forgotten heart.

But the world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland – and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a legendary fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself.

Image from mrripleysenchantedbooks

I am really not sure how to start this review, mostly because I don't know how I feel about this book. Isn't that always an odd one? You finish and you enjoyed it but not sure what to make of it afterwards. Very odd - but I'll give this my best shot.

This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I'm not sure what I was expecting but a floating island, kids adventure death mystery was not one of them. This is not a bad thing by any means, in fact it was refreshingly original. I'm not sure this book is for my audience - I tend to tell through the protagonist who was very young, far younger than myself and it was odd to read from a child's point of view. First of all the length, it was only 200 pages and the narrative arc was not as complex as I would expect so it is difficult for me to love it.

I can appreciate a well-written book with diverse and smart characters. The story is predictable but still cute and it was perfectly enjoyable. I think if I had a child who was just getting into the world of YA this is the perfect transition book. It has all the pieces and expectations only in a smaller package. It's like a gateway drug to young adult fiction, only without the downward spiral afterwards.

I think my issue is that the book is lovely and the characters are lovely but I didn't feel emotionally connected to them. Maybe in only 200 pages that can be difficult for a wisen-old reader like myself - maybe my own expectations let me down, but mostly I was just a little bored. I enjoyed it but with a none active reading boredom. It was very linear, very we are here and I know where we're going - there wasn't space for that time in between, the time when they are just walking and you learn them. It was very fast paced and the ending was rushed.

I also had an issue with the maturity of these characters, 11 year olds are lining up to sacrifice there lives nobly for the island but are also stupid enough to walk into dangerous territories because someone called them a bad name. In some cases they acted older, like teenagers, then like 5 year olds and then like adults - there is a lot of inconsistency there for me. It is understandable, I could never write the inner monologue of an 11 year old, I don't remember what it was like to be 11 - to me it always felt like now.

In the grand scheme of the story these things are minor and mostly just annoyances. For me it stopped me really connecting with this book, but that doesn't mean other won't. There was excitement, drama, mythology, a strange setting. It would be a great read for someone less picky I imagine - after all if I don't think a book has merits I stop reading and I finished this one. So that really says all you need to know.

Let me know what you think.
Happy Reading!