Reading The Riot Act

Friday, 25 September 2015

The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

It's the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises bloom.

The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.

But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free?

The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Published August 18, 2015 by Corgi Childrens
This novel was marvellous. Strictly speaking within classic reviewing techniques, I'm supposed to keep my opinions to myself until the end. But screw that, this book was marvellous. It's been a while since I read a book that was so unputdownable. On creative writing courses, they always teach that it doesn't matter what happens in the story if you have a vivid enough character. Within this book we literally follow a family around for a month, and it is vibrant and magnificent and yet not a lot happens. I thought this would be some crazy supernatural witchcraft kind of novel, but really we follow a family around who think they are cursed, when in reality they have had some shitty luck and have made up "The Accident Season" so that it feels like it's all happening for a reason and not just a c'est la vie sort of thing. That being said there is also this whole thing with Elsie, she's a dead, alive girl who was a still born baby ghost thing? Honestly that made no sense, the book spent time convincing me the accident season didn't actually exist, that it was coincidence and repressed fear from Sam's abusive dad. Then suddenly there was a dead baby ghost. It made no sense within the narrative but I didn't care.

Seventeen year old Cara is our protagonist. She seems fairly average has an older sister, a best friend and a not at all biologically related step-brother (you can tell what happens immediately can't you?) The book is very PLL (Pretty Little Liars) if everyone was open and honest there would be no accident season. Everything would be much simpler, but then there would be no story, and it is one hell of a story. Each character has something forbidden, some secret they are frightened of. Sam and Cara are in love with each other, obviously a taboo relationship, as are Cara's sister and best friend. But her sister is in an abusive relationship and has repressed memories of being abused by their step-father. A fact in which Cara's mother knows and all the while they are all searching for this girl Elsie from school who has disappeared and nobody knows who she is. Ironically as well, invisible, ghost girl Elsie opened a secret booth in their school so that everyone can let out these secrets and all of this is honed into an enchanting, crazy beautiful work of writing craftmanship. It is a wild, whimsical dream book. I can't tell what was real and what was intense teenage, drunken imagination. This group of teens stole my heart with their tipsy minds and surprising fear. I shipped Sam and Cara, they aren't actually related and besides, they grew up together as best friends. At first the idea made me uncomfortable but 100 pages in I was sold.

Overall I loved this book, I immediately popped it onto my Favourites shelf on Goodreads and couldn't stand to put it down for a second, so even ended up taking it on a pedalo. READ IT. READ IT. REAAAAD IT.

Happy Reading.

READ IT.

Wednesday, 2 September 2015

review

In The Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken

Louise Wilkes 06:02:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds.

They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids.
Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire.

Image from Twirling Pages

Behold, I finally read the final book in the Darkest Minds trilogy, and my world was a it satisfying! I should probably do a quick synopsis. So one day, a bunch of children get this "virus", many of them die, but the ones that don't get supernatural powers.I know what you are thinking LAME! But no, we skip years ahead in which all these children are in concentration camps and the trilogy kicks off with Ruby escaping her camp. I won't say anymore because you will want to read this series. Go now if you haven't, then come back and we can talk about it then. BYEEEEE!

Have you gone?
Good.

I'm just gonna jump right into it, Ruby is the protagonist I have been waiting for my whole life. Bracken is the almighty queen of character development, there is not a single character, no matter how small and seemingly meaningless who doesn't change due to the events of the book, Ruby obviously changing the most. She begins in the Darkest Minds very meek and scared and then turns into this fighting, bad-ass, army trained hero. During 'In The Afterlight', this persona isn't gone, but she is struggling. I love it when characters struggle. Especially when it's against things they themselves have done, the way they see themselves. It is so mesmerizing to go into that persons head and feel them struggle, because very few authors show struggle the way it is, monotonous and constant. It doesn't come and go and get resolved in the next chapter. No! Bracken makes it realistic, it's underlying in every scene, every snip of dialogue and it is beautiful to read.

Even Clancy at the end of this book is changed, not willingly but changed and how Ruby dealt with him when she saw him in his fragile state.Taking away the memories of being tortured and researched on was just lovely and his face afterwards. And the twist where it turns out he had been manipulating her throughout the whole book! WHAAATTT?! I had no clue. Though admittedly Clancy isn't as much in this book as he was previously, the bad guy in this book is Ruby against herself. Not to mention the in fighting from the kids. It's almost like the seams are all fraying and falling apart in this book and all the characters are in a rush to stop the camps, before the string falls loose altogether. Ruby and Cole are grabbing at the fraying strings and trying to pull them back together and nobody else is even noticing the strain. That was one hell of a metaphor.

There was only one thing I wasn't too keen on. Sex. Now this is no Fifty Shades of BDSM. But when authors try to write people having sex without getting graphic, it's just a lot of gross innuendos. Maybe it's my personal preference, maybe it's a universal shudder down the spine- but honestly a sentence of 'then we had sex.' would make me a lot more comfortable than 'our bodies became one' yada yada yada. Then again I can't really think of any good ways to combat this issue and still have a visual and romantic scene, so keep trying authors.

All in all, this ending was very satisfying, it tied all the ends together with enough slack that you can guess and imagine what happened. You know the world will change now and even though you don't get to see it. Somehow, it's okay. This is one of my favourite series of all time and I highly recommend you read it. I've tried to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, because this series is one hell of a ride, and I don't want to tell you too much about where your going,

Happy Reading

Tuesday, 1 September 2015

the queen of the tearling

The Queen of The Tearling by Erika Johansen

Louise Wilkes 01:45:00 2

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

An untested young princess must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness in this spectacular debut—the first novel in a trilogy.

Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom's haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

Long ago, Kelsea's forefathers sailed away from a decaying world to establish a new land free of modern technology. Three hundred years later, this feudal society has divided into three fearful nations who pay duties to a fourth: the powerful Mortmesne, ruled by the cunning Red Queen. Now, on Kelsea's nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of the Queen's Guard—loyal soldiers who protect the throne—have appeared to escort the princess on a perilous journey to the capital to ascend to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling.

Though born of royal blood and in possession of the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic, Kelsea has never felt more uncertain of her ability to rule. But the shocking evil she discovers in the heart of her realm will precipitate an act of immense daring, throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil—and unleashing the Red Queen's vengeance. A cabal of enemies with an array of deadly weapons, from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic, plots to destroy her. But Kelsea is growing in strength and stealth, her steely resolve earning her loyal allies, including the Queen's Guard, led by the enigmatic Lazarus, and the intriguing outlaw known simply as "the Fetch."

Kelsea's quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun. Riddled with mysteries, betrayals, and treacherous battles, Kelsea's journey is a trial by fire that will either forge a legend . . . or destroy her.

No joking, that is seriously the entire blurb. Yikes.

Having been published back in October 2013, I'm a bit late to The Queen of The Tearling series. There is already another book . Whether I'm going to read it is still to be decided. This novel begins strong, a secret princess is found and has to leave everything she knows for a life of danger. However, it goes downhill from there. You can probably tell from the blurb but Erika Johansen doesn't want to miss anything out. It takes us almost 100 pa
ges to get Kelsea to that goddamn palace and nothing eventful happens. She runs away from some bad guys, wakes up in a group of bad guys and then they just let her go. That is literally 100 pages of this novel. It is very slow, very detailed and very hard to keep reading. Luckily I was on holiday as I was reading this, so I could pop it down and come back later.

Apart from the narrative being too slow, I was not sold on Kelsea as a protagonist. She's (and please excuse my language) a bit of a dick.

"What does she see when she looks in the mirror? Kelsea wondered. How could a woman who looked so old still place so much importance on being attractive? Kelsea saw now that there was something far worse than being ugly: being ugly and thinking you were beautiful."

Because how dare anyone ugly accept themselves and love themselves with confidence. Johansen is really attempting to create this dowdy princess and that's cool, but in essence she has created a Regina George who thinks she's a Cady Heron. There is also no love interest, well officially there isn't. But of course plain, old, bitter Kelsea has hoardes of men at her beck and call, all ready to die for her honour at the slightest whim. I just really didn't care about her, even as she was saving people I was thinking, yeah that's great Kelsea - but now everyone in the kingdom will be killed in the war that you just started.

There is honestly nothing else that happens. In two paragraphs I have summarised 500 pages of action. It's slow, it's so slow. However, if you are the kind of person who reads several books at once, a bit of this, a bit of that. Then this will work for you. This is honestly a new Bella Swan for all the people who have been missing her. Well, enjoy.

Happy Reading,
Louise

Thursday, 9 July 2015

victoria aveyard

Cover Reveal: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Louise Wilkes 16:18:00 0

Due to be released February 2016

The second book in the Red Queen series is due out February next year. Now as the title would suggest obviously the cover has just been revealed and I like it. I don't love it. It just seems too similar to the first cover and yet I still think it is beautiful and will look lovely on my bookshelf. "Kneel or Bleed" now that is a bit of excitement. It sounds perfect for this series and really is violent and ahhh.

If there's one thing Mare Barrow knows, it's that she's different.

Mare Barrow's blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: She is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

winter

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Louise Wilkes 04:40:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

I want to start off by addressing this cover, this series always has stunning cover art and I do judge a book by it's cover, not aggressively but there is always a small part of me affected by the cover. This cover is stunning, they all are but this is my favourite, the fire, the veil, it's haunting and dark and yet has a sadness about it. It tells me so much about the book with just images. I love it.

This is the sentiment throughout the book. I loved it, and I know I'm supposed to keep my opinion to the end, but this simply can't wait. Within Cinder, Queen Levana is simply the bad guy - the evil queen, and yet within Fairest we delve into her past. How her beginnings were full of good intentions and cruel treatment. I was surprised Cinder's mother was so vicious, it was a genius and realistic twist. Levana's struggle was so engaging to read and I didn't want it to end. I flew through the book and wished I'd read it slower.

From her hard childhood and bullying from her sister, orphaned and alone Levana falls in love with a guard. Hint: Winter's father. Being the only person in the palace who is kind to her this doesn't surprise me but the way it develops, the way her mind becomes confused and obsessed with what she thinks love is and what it should be. You see a child caught up in something, her immaturity being her greatest downfall. Her insecurities having this huge power over her and yet still trying to do better but repeatedly doing worse. Levana honestly seemed like a victim, this changes only as she becomes more twisted with power after her lover's wife dies. She becomes terrifying, eventually killing the man she loves and becoming the Levana we see within the series. We meet Winter and Cinder as children and see her "death" being plotted.

As it's in first person, we are able to see all of Levana's thinking, the way her mind works. She rationalizes all the sick things she does and you can almost understand her reasoning. Which is messed up and really is a technique so sophisticated, it perfectly shows the relevance of YA fiction. It is smart and new and fresh. It follows the same feel as the previous novels but gives a new insight into the villain, the kind of which I haven't seen since Harry Potter. This novel makes Levana a person, not simply a two dimensional, cardboard villain for our hero to fight. She now has a journey and a background and a heart. I honestly fell a little in love with her and now hope she gets some form of a happy ending in the final book. Yet before this book I couldn't have cared about her at all.

Overall this book is more than just a bridge to keep us going until Winter. This is a solid beautiful asset to the series and has made this more than you're average YA dystopian series. I love it.

Winter is out this November.

Happy Reading!

review

Only Ever Yours by Louise O'neill

Louise Wilkes 02:33:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

In a world in which baby girls are no longer born naturally, women are bred in schools, trained in the arts of pleasing men until they are ready for the outside world. At graduation, the most highly rated girls become “companions”, permitted to live with their husbands and breed sons until they are no longer useful.

For the girls left behind, the future – as a concubine or a teacher – is grim.

Best friends Freida and Isabel are sure they’ll be chosen as companions – they are among the most highly rated girls in their year.

But as the intensity of final year takes hold, Isabel does the unthinkable and starts to put on weight. ..
And then, into this sealed female environment, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride.

Freida must fight for her future – even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known. . .

If you are looking for a happy ending, this isn't the book for you. I've put off this review for a while because this is not a regular book, there is a plot but there isn't a plot in the traditional sense. Instead this book is more led and directed by it's ideas. It has a heavy feminist slant with aggressive ideologies about beauty and the way society expects women to look and act. This was more what the novel was about rather than Freida and Isabel themselves. Frieda was more of a vehicle, she was used like a puppet to suggest O'Neill's thoughts.

We follow Freida in this dystopian world in which all women are genetically engineered and grow up in academies, training them to please men. They go through rigorous stages and tasks in order to decide whether they will be Companions, Concubines or Sisters. Basically Wives, Whores or Teachers. Despite being promised a story of friendship between Freida and Isabel, turns out there friendship dies out before the novel begins.

Honestly I can't decide whether I liked this book. It was tedious at times and preachy but it was excellently written and full of big ideas. It felt more like a book you would analyse for a literature class, 't you aren't going to enjoy it too much, but you can appreciate the effort and intelligence behind every word.

Happy Reading