Category: LGBQTIA

‘All the White Spaces’ – Ally Wilkes

All the White Spaces forces its characters to confront their fears as they struggle to survive a seemingly doomed expedition to Antarctica.

Our main focus is young Jonathan Morgan, left behind during the War, who follows famed explorer Randall on his journey to Antarctica. From the outset things seem tense, with certain members of the party resentful of some of those invited. When their ship is burned, the men are forced to strike out for an unchartered space. As they prepare to overwinter in this inhospitable area, it becomes clear that someone – or something – is threatening this group.

The book opens in the early stages of the journey, with Jonathan stowed away and full of excitement at the thought of proving their worth. Though slow, the opening allows us the opportunity to get to know each of the key characters within the expedition party. We see a little of their background and learn that there are many secrets on board, with all having a vested interest in keeping these secrets hidden.

When the ship is found on fire we know someone has done it. We don’t know why, but it forces the men into a situation that is fraught with danger. Slowly, details are revealed that show just how dangerous this area can be…and the creeping sense of horror was well-conveyed.

Once the men are in the abandoned huts, wondering what happened to the German party that passed this way a year earlier, I found myself more invested in the story. The underlying tensions within the party are exacerbated by the events surrounding them. Voices are heard. People find themselves lured into the open, following something they believe. Strange things start happening. Who, or what, is behind this soon becomes our focus.

What we soon realise is that the worst ghosts are those we conjure for ourselves. Haunted by the War and their own experiences, each member of the party has to confront their own ghosts if they are to survive this.

A haunting exploration of identity and historical attitudes, this was an intriguing story. I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this prior to publication.

 

‘The Grimrose Girls’ – Laura Pohl

The Grimrose Girls makes for an interesting story…death, secrets and a boarding school with a history tinged with odd events. When the book begins we learn that Ari, a student at the school, has recently died. The general consensus is that she committed suicide, but her best friends – Yuki, Rory and Ella – are convinced that she would not have done this and there is more to the story.

Upon their return to school the girls decide to try and investigate. They have to broach some dark secrets and try to address some of the things about themselves they would prefer to keep hidden. It’s unclear who can help them and who might have something to gain from keeping them in the dark.

New girl Nani is given Ari’s place in the school and it’s no surprise that she finds it hard to settle. She has her own secrets and is reluctant to trust others. Determined to find out exactly what caused her father to leave before he got her the place at the famed school, Nani offers to help the girls try to discover what happened to Ari.

Once Nani finds a mysterious book the girls start to realise that there are some disturbing links between Ari’s death and other strange deaths of students that have taken place in the last few years.

I enjoyed the natural way in which we learned about each of the girls and the details of the mystery of the school. Some of the finer points of the story weren’t always explained, but I wonder whether this might be because there’s more details to come in the next book.

 

‘Still Life’ – Sarah Winman

The book begins with English soldier Ulysses Temper meeting Evelyn Skinner, an art historian. Their time together in Florence is brief, but there is a connection between them that permeates through much of the novel even though they don’t meet again for years. This relationship serves as a framework for many of the other relationships within the novel.

After the war Ulysses returns to England a changed man. He picks up with those who knew him before the war though everything has changed for them. As the decades pass, we are allowed to see what is happening to each of the characters. Some are, naturally, more engaging than others and there were occasions when I found it hard to establish the exact dynamics between each of the characters.

However, being allowed a glimpse into their lives was – on the whole – a delight.

I found the relationship between Peg and Ulysses rather odd, but their love for one another was evident. Ulysses ends up being bequeathed an inheritance from a man he saved in Florence, and he goes to live there with Peg’s daughter Alys. This section of the book was probably my favourite as we saw the effect place has on people, and how these characters blossomed when pushing themselves to do something different.

While Ulysses is a character whose life engages us throughout, the character I found myself most affected by was Cress. A substitute father-figure, but one whose quiet demeanour hides a lot. Uprooting himself as he did was a surprise, but watching how his life changed when he moved to Italy was beautiful.

Still Life really does read like a novel that each and every reader will have a different reaction to. While there’s lots of events referenced in its pages, the novel is character-led and this might not be to everyone’s tastes. However, the cast of characters is engaging and the minutiae of life captured with ease. The final section outlining Evelyn’s personal love affair with Florence was necessary to explain her for us, but it felt a little too much after the emotional impact of what had just happened.

 

‘If This Gets Out’ – Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich

If This Gets Out takes on what I’m fairly sure is an age-old issue (the manipulation of young singers by their management) and turns it on its head while delivering a sweet romance.

Our focus is a boyband called Saturday, formed after a summer camp and at a high point in their careers. Two years after they formed, the boys are starting to find the relentless grind and excessive management stifling. Relationships are strained and all four feel they are struggling to be true to themselves when their every public moment is monitored and choreographed.

Ruben, Zach, Jon and Angel were great friends and things began well. Somewhere along the way things have started to feel less fun, and as their success grows they are under increasing pressure to toe the line.

The book focuses on the relationship that develops between Ruben and Zach, but it also explores attitudes to sexuality, the mental health issues such a high-pressure existence creates, the way friends and family can sometimes be part of the problem and the role the media/fans play in such situations.

Perhaps this is a reflection of my age, but I found the romance element of the story the least engaging as I was more fascinated by the behind-the-scenes look at this fictional boyband. I can only imagine this story may have been influenced by events surrounding some of the highly successful boybands over the last few years, but the issues it explores are probably age-old. The lack of resolution may have been an attempt to show the growing empowerment these boys felt they had, but it also left it a little too open-ended for my liking.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

 

‘Iron Widow’ – Xiran Jay Zhao

Iron Widow did take a little time to get going, and the world-building was not as developed as I’d have liked. However, once we get underway this is a compelling narrative and definitely a series I’d like to continue reading.

Our main character, Zetian, is determined to become a co-pilot and use this as her opportunity to avenge her sister’s death. She wants nothing more than to fly, and to show her capabilities. But few want her to, and her plan is not without consequences.

We follow Zetian as she finds herself fighting for her people, and showing her worth. Those in power are reluctant to let her show her capabilities, but this was a great idea.

There’s plenty of action, a cracking focus on the role of women and a love triangle that didn’t have me shouting in anger at the book.

While I don’t really feel I gleaned a lot of info about how things came to be, the ending suggests that this lack of world-building might be quite deliberate. It certainly wasn’t anything I saw coming.

 

‘The Gifts that Bind Us’ – Caroline O’Donoghue

I enjoyed book one, but hadn’t loved the book as much as I’d hoped to. However, this was a much more engaging read. Darker in tone, focusing on a range of concerns and the magic felt more natural in this.

Moving on from the events surrounding Lily, the group are practising their magic and preparing to move into the next phase of their lives. They’re all looking forward, and a substantial part of the book focuses on how it feels when something so momentous starts to fragment.

Maeve is the one most affected. Unsure of her academic potential she seems destined to stay in their town, and is struggling to understand why the others are so determined to leave. She fears losing Roe and her friendships with Fiona and Lily come under pressure.

When events begin it wasn’t clear where we’d end up. The girls head back to school and are shocked to see signs of the Children returning. This toxic group has worked their way into school, trying to establish a hold on those susceptible to their message. However, it soon becomes apparent that they’re after something much bigger.

As events unfold we learn more about Maeve and her friends, their skills and the way groups such as the Children operate. There’s some unexpected developments regarding some familiar figures and it was lovely to see certain elements developed more fully here. Dramatic moments, plenty of witchy action and a wonderful focus on friendship.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this before its scheduled February 2022 publication.

 

‘The Coldest Touch’ – Isabel Sterling

Our main character, Elise, has been struggling to find happiness after her brother’s death. She blames herself, and ever since this accident Elise has not wanted to touch anyone as she can foretell a person’s death if she does.

Initially, it was hard to tell what was going on with Elise. However, there is a young woman following her. Claire seems to know more about Elise than she should, but we don’t get to know much initially.

What we eventually learn is that Claire is a vampire. She has a vested interest in getting to know Elise…but there’s someone else trying to get to Elise. Someone who has the potential to make things very difficult for her.

The story of two sides battling one another for control is not a new one. The humour and developing romance offer us something to get interested in…and there’s definite hints that this is far from over.

Thanks to NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this before publication in exchange for my honest thoughts.

 

‘This Poison Heart’ – Kalynn Bayron

This Poison Heart is the first in what promises to be a most exciting series. I’m grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication, and am genuinely wondering what will happen next.
Our focus for this story is Briseis, a character with a most unusual talent. She has an affinity with plants and is able to bring anything back to life and help it bloom. This skill comes in very handy in the florists her mums run, but the fact she has seemingly no reaction to poisonous plants suggests there’s more to this than Bri realises.
Introducing us to Bri’s talents early on is a great way to get our attention, but her lack of knowledge about what she can do means many of our questions are not answered. We are given time to get to know Bri and her mums. Their relationship and interactions are warm and caring, and spending time with them means we genuinely care when we learn of the financial pressures they are under.
Bri is adopted, and when she is told that an aunt has bequeathed her an estate just outside New York we – like Bri – have questions. They travel to what can only be described as a spooky mansion, to find over-run vegetation, mysterious people hanging round their property and a run-down apothecary filled with strange ingredients. People turn up requesting help, and it is soon obvious there is more to this arrangement than we might expect.
Naturally curious, Bri wants to find out more about her family. She unearths letters from her aunt and learns that she appears to have immunity to deadly poisons. There is talk of her lineage being traced back to the ancient Greeks, and though this would be exciting enough…there’s more.
Bri meets all manner of people in her new town. Her position lends her some respect, but it also brings great danger. For what is clear is Bri’s natural family have been guarding a great secret…something that some will stop at nothing to learn.
From the beginning I found myself really caught up in this. I loved Bri and her characterisation. The introduction to mythology lent an interesting element to the story, and there are a few characters that definitely pique your interest as you try to figure out their link to Bri and the repercussions for any friendship developing.
My only criticism of the book was how the pace picked up in the last quarter and was then relentless. We had a lot of info thrown at us, and – on occasion – it didn’t feel as if it made sense. The dramatic end to this book was, naturally, not an end at all and that is highly frustrating…but a very good incentive to have me racing to pick up book two when I can.

‘The Taking of Jake Livingston’ – Ryan Douglass


Jake Livingston is one of the only black kids in his school. The other is his popular older brother. Jake is reserved, finds it hard to interact with others and when a lot of your time is spent seeing dead people I imagine it’s hard to deal with the real world. This alone would make Jake’s high school experience a challenge, but Jake is also having to come to terms with being gay, and when we later learn about how his now-absent father responded to this years earlier his reticence is understandable.
From the outset we were encouraged to get into Jake’s head and try to understand his experience. We watch the micro aggressions in school, and we see how these are affecting him. This seems quite familiar territory, but the book is very far from familiar.
With its focus on spirits and the main character being a medium, this was always going to be something a little different. Alongside Jake’s experiences, we are also given chapters by a character called Sawyer. This is a character who is receiving treatment for potential depression and who seems to have little support around him. We may be tempted to feel some sympathy for him, particularly later in the book when he experiences some deeply concerning events, but he was a character I found it hard to feel anything positive about as he is so skewed in his attitudes to others. As we also have Jake’s experience alongside we learn that Sawyer is – in the present – actually a ghost, a malevolent force who in life gunned down several of his peers, killed himself and now appears to be haunting those who survived.
Learning that Sawyer is determined to cause trouble, and Jake is going to be the vessel through which he achieves this, lent a much darker tone to the book than I expected. When we get into scenes of possession, I admit to being not only spooked by the events described but also very very confused. There were considerable sections where I really could not say with certainty what was happening.
I may be wholly off in my reading of this, but the spirit possession and the scenes towards the end seemed (at least they did at the time of reading) to be some form of symbolic representation of Jake’s struggle to come to terms with his self-identity. Perhaps this was not the case, but by the end I did feel Jake had found some clarity about himself and how he might be in the future.

 

‘Can’t Take That Away’ – Steven Salvatore

This was a book that I picked up out of curiosity and feeling the need to raise my own awareness. As a teacher I am, more than anything, struck by the difference this shows educators can make to the experience of those in their care and am horrified that such bigoted views as those expressed by Mr Jackson and Max could be tolerated and supported. It certainly made me think about how each of us can play our part in creating a community where everyone within it feels safe enough to be themselves.

The main character of Carey Parker is one that engaged and infuriated me in equal measure. I felt so angry on their behalf that they would have to endure some of the things they experienced, pride that they found the strength to be themselves and allow others to support them and utterly exasperated by their inability to be honest at times with those who meant so much to them.

The story is quite straightforward. Carey is genderqueer, and in a bid to regain some of the power they feel they have surrendered they audition for a part in their school musical. This sets up a quite remarkable chain of events culminating in a nationally-noticed protest about the discrimination evident in their school and a ‘treat’ of meeting their heroine Mariah Carey. Along the way we focus on their shifting friendships and some major life events involving their grandmother.

I’d love to say this book isn’t necessary, but that isn’t the case. It was informative, engaging in showing a young person coming of age and developing in confidence and certainly one to get people talking.