Michelle

Book 2 of 2013 finished, Among Others by Jo Walton: Among Others was first published in 2011, and has won two awards – and yet reader reviews are varied. Having been sent a copy for review, I can see why. There’s a lot to love about this book, but also some aspects which can be annoying. I started off very unsure, but by the time I put it down, it had worked it’s magic on me, and left a smile on my face. It’s not the easiest to review, so please bear with me if I ramble around… On it’s surface, Among Others tells the story of Mor, a fifteen year old whose twin sister was killed in the accident which has left Mor with an injured leg. Trying to get away from her mad mother, Mor ends up with her estranged father and her aunts, who send her away to boarding school. There, Mor deals with the grief of losing her sister, whilst accepting who she is, and the limitations she faces from her injuries. She discovers more about her family, and experiences her first relationships. Yes, on it’s surface, this is a coming of age novel, but there are some interesting twists. Mor and her sister grew up seeing and playing with fairies, and her mother is a witch who tried to harm them. This gives a wonderful layer to the story, but is in no means the focus. This isn’t your traditional fantasy novel, full of other-worldly creatures and magical spells, and it’s quite possible that the fairies exist only in Mor’s mind – deciding which gives an interesting aspect, and readers will all have their own views. The book itself is in a diary format, and runs over 300 pages in hardback and 400 in paperback. It’s a slow, mellow tale, just as you would expect from this format. To me, the first half was a little too slow, but then I’ve recently been reading some snappy YA novels, so this took some getting used to. There’s also a final aspect, which is both a positive and negative – Mor spends most of her time reading Science Fiction, and many of these books are mentioned and discussed. For fans of SF, I would imagine it would be fun spotting your own favourites, as well as checking out those new to you. For others, though, it becomes a little tedious, like being on the outside of a cliquey group. However, a book about a love of reading is always a bonus! This is a book best approached with no expectations, and with plenty of time to give. If you allow it, it has much to give back.

I didn't write a review of these ones, but I remember having a few criticisms whilst reading. As I can't remember them, they can't have been that bad, and my general memory is a very good one. As I said elsewhere, I'm hoping The Daylight War will become available on audio, then I'll be hitting Wiki to refresh my mind.

The Phenomenals: A Tangle of Traitors The Phenomenals is a new fantasy series from F.E. Higgins, and it starts with A Tangle of Traitors. At just over 200 pages, and with short chapters, it’s marketed at 9+, although I would suggest it’s for more confident readers. The + is important.. I’m certainly a lot more than 9, and I really enjoyed it! It’s set in the city of Degringolade, where the inhabitants are highly superstitious, and criminals are hung then thrown into the tar pit, where they become Lurids. These are smelly, ghostly entities, bound to the tar pits – unless someone can find a way to free them. We are introduced to four characters, who eventually have to work together. Vincent is an outsider, an expert thief and pickpocket. Folly is a secretive character, living in a burial vault, and very knowledgeable about the Lurids. Citrine is a wealthy heiress who misses her father. Jonah is a harpoonist who keeps to himself after being swallowed by a whale. (There's obviously a lot more to these characters, but that's best discovered whilst reading!) This isn’t the easiest book to get into, hence my comment about more confident readers. Higgins is building a brand new world, where even time is expressed in a different way, and commonplace articles have different names. These are well explained though, but it took a while to adjust to the world, and the writing. Once there though, I fell in love with the setting and the characters, and sped my way through the book. There are certain books I connect with, and this is one of them – I didn’t like finishing it, and will be expectedly awaiting the next. It’s hard to compare this with anything else, but it did remind me of The Edge Chronicles. Ideal for younger readers looking for their next step, but also for oldies like me, who enjoy fantasy and adventure!

Pure had many great reviews, but I was actually not too keen. Again, it could be that I've read too many YA dystopian books.

Breathe by Sarah Crossan (read 2012): Sometimes it's good to wait a while before writing a review, and that's true in this case. Breathe is one of those books which I feel better about a while after reading. I think one of the problems is that there's are similarities to Pure by Julianna Baggott, with privileged people living in a dome, whilst others struggle outside. I kept finding myself thinking back to that book, and that seemed to somehow affect my enjoyment of the book. However, looking back now, there was a lot I liked about Breathe, and I'm sorry to Julianna, but I would recommend this one first. The premise is that the land is now barren, with no trees producing oxygen for us to breathe. A few, thanks to a lottery, are now living in a dome, whilst everyone else apparently died outside. Even within this dome however, there are differences - oxygen levels are kept low, and only the Premiums have the funds for extra oxygen, allowing them to do all they want. When three teenagers go outside the dome, complete with oxygen tanks, they discover that there are some people still alive out there, surviving with older, bulky oxygen tanks. From here, our characters make discoveries, and go through changes. It's the usual dystopian storyline, which is probably why I felt a little under-whelmed whilst reading. However, I've read so many in this genre, that's probably my own personal issue. Other reviewers have mentioned that the book is told from the point of view of the three main characters, and jumps around between them. This is something to be aware of, and it did take me a while to get used to - the chapters are fairly short, so those changes come quickly. At first I found it hard to not settle into one character, but after a while I became used to it. All in all, there's a lot to recommend this book, and it certainly falls into the 'crossover genre' with enough for older readers as well as teens. I will be looking out for the 2nd book.

Review for Ghost Knight (read 2012): To start with the practical aspects, the book is just over 300 pages, but the text is quite large. The chapters average at around 10 pages, and there are line drawings at various places throughout. There is some threat from the ghosts, but it's not particularly scary or gory. I would expect this to be a good transition book, for those moving from illustrated children's books, to longer, more grown up books. It has enough to appeal to some older readers, but it does have a more childish feel to it than some others I've read. The story is about Jon, who's sent off to boarding school, something he blames on his mum's boyfriend. Once there, he immediately starts to have problems with ghosts who wish him harm, and that turns out to be because of his family history. Jon meets Ella, a fellow pupil, who has a good knowledge of the area and of the ghosts, and with the help of her gran, she starts to help him. The history aspects are good, and I like the implication that ghosts aren't always cute floaty characters, but can actually cause harm. It certainly has it's place, but for me, it didn't quite work as well as it should, and I do prefer Cornelia's Funke's writing for older ages.

I finished The Phenomenals, which I really enjoyed - it's the start of a new fantasy series for 9+, but there's plenty to enjoy for us oldies as well. It's hard to describe, but reminded me in a way of the The Edge Chronicles. I'll be looking out for the next one.

Here's the link.. http://bcfreviews.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/the-mammoth-book-of-best-new-horror-23-edited-by-stephen-jones/

Aww, I'm jealous - he comes across so well in the book, I'd love to meet them both.

My mojo has been terrible at the start of the year, none of my books are appealing to me, and the ones I'm trying aren't going that well. I do fear that it's feeling pressured by the review books, so I need to relax a bit about them. I've been sent a couple of kids books, one of which Amy is going to look at for me. I'm going to take a look at The Phenomenals myself, as it might be a good place to start!

The trailer for Life of Pi certainly look good. As for Les Mis, I am dying to see it, but fear I may sing too loudly, and cry too much!

I've recently tried to catch up with the Saw films.. read on Wiki about 2-4, then watched V-VII. They became ridiculously gory, but there were some twists, and I do like the way they continue on from one another, and have twists.

I'll let you off

I think Odd Thomas is one of his good ones.

I most certainly do, I have quite a big TBR pile, but the contents change regularly! I did start that book, but it got lost in a pile somewhere, and I admit I forgot about it. I shall try again, but when my mojo is being nicer to me.

Not a problem - I started this one after yours.

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I just added my kindle reads, because I'd forgotten about them! lol Among Others seems a little slow, but that's probably my mojo's fault - I'll let you know when I've finished it.

Maybe I'll wait to see if you think later books make it worth it.

I made a start on this one a while ago, but didn't get very far. Do you think it's worth another try at some point?

Most of the time I choose which books I'd like to review. However, sometimes they do look much better than they actually are. Sometimes I get sent books I haven't requested, but I don't mind not reading these if they don't appeal.

I really liked Reackless - is there a follow up to that at all? I still haven't reviewed Ghost Knight - it was ok, but definitely written for a younger audience. Added: ooh, there is - I'll add that one to my wish list.

I ended 2012 with a dodgy mojo, so I have quite a few books started. I intend to focus on the following, but who knows! Audio: Dark Tower VI by Stephen King and The Man Who Rained by Ali Shaw Treebook: Among Others by Jo Walton and How To Save a Life by Sara Zarr Kindle: Nicholas St North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce and Quicksilver by RJ Anderson

New month, new year. Tell us your book activity throughout the month - what have you bought, what are you reading?