Romance – Page 21 – My Good Reads

‘The Course of Love’ – Alain de Botton

The Course of Love is a novel that explores what happens after the birth of love, what it takes to maintain love, and what happens to our original ideals under the pressures of an average existence.

A work of fiction that plays with our expectations, this is a love story like no other. We watch Kirsten and Rabih meet, fall in love, get married and have children. We are witness to their thoughts and feelings as they reflect on their relationship and their reactions to each other. Searingly honest, this is an unsentimental exploration of what it means to be in love while coping with daily life and its pressures.

I imagine many readers will find themselves nodding at points during this novel as they recognise an idea or feeling. I certainly did, and I found the philosophical exploration of some of these behaviours fascinating.

It is not a criticism when I say this novel tells a fairly mundane story. To paraphrase the author a little, many of us will live utterly mediocre lives. For me, the enjoyment of this story comes from the exploration of ideas and emotions.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

‘Lady Midnight’ – Cassandra Clare

At a massive 698 pages in paperback, this is a novel you have to be prepared to invest some time in. If you’re a fan of Cassandra Clare’s writing, this won’t seem much of a hardship!

This is the first in a new series, set in the ShadowHunter world but five years after the events of the Mortal Instruments series. It focuses on the Blackthorn family who run the Los Angeles Institute and their investigation into mysterious demonic killings that seem to be linked to the deaths of the Carstairs.

In this novel we are given some familiar characters, but the focus is firmly on Emma Carstairs and her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn. There are plenty of action scenes, some magic, romance – lots of it – and one or two unexpected twists that really suggest this series could be even better than the previous one.

While there were passages within the novel that interested me less than others (which I suppose is inevitable in such a large book), I quickly became absorbed by the events within this book. It doesn’t shy away from some pretty difficult subjects, and the questions posed by some of the events in the novel – along with the consequences for the characters involved – really did have me in knots at times.

There are some wonderful aspects to this novel: the exploration of the parabatai bond and its meaning for those involved; the role love and honour play in our decision-making; one or two interesting discoveries involving some familiar faces; Kieran’s relationship with Mark Blackthorn and the ending. Oh, the ending…

I can’t be the only one cross that I have to wait until April 2017 for ‘Lord of Shadows’, part two in the trilogy.

‘Red Queen’ – Victoria Aveyard

Published in early 2015, I am kicking myself that it has taken me so long to feel in the place to read this debut novel.

‘Red Queen’ is the story of seventeen-year-old Mare Barrow, a Red who is regarded as lesser than the ruling Silver elite simply because of the colour of her blood. Mare is a petty thief who, through some pretty powerful intervention, finds herself living in the Royal Palace. As a threat to the established order – because she has a talent like nothing that has been seen before – Mare is given a whole new persona and so begins a very dangerous game.

From the opening pages of this book I was gripped.

Throughout the book we are introduced to numerous characters and situations that were quite compelling. Mare’s relationship with Prince Cal was an obvious device on which key plot elements hinge…but as you’re reading it, it doesn’t matter. As the characters get caught up in the machinations of the Silvers and the desire of the rebellious Red Guard to overthrow the status quo, it’s hard not to get caught in the intensity of this novel.

Mare, along with a number of characters, is but a pawn in a much bigger game and this novel perfectly illustrates the adage of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.

While I was desperate to finish this book, I was also quite upset at the realisation that there will never again be a first meeting with a new favourite.

‘Truthwitch’ – Susan Dennard

‘Truthwitch’ seems to be a book that is dividing people. I’ve heard lots about it – mostly gushing praise it has to be said – but those who don’t like it seem to really dislike it. I’m not entirely sure why there is such antipathy to it; nor do I really fall into the category of regarding this as an ‘instant classic’.

There is no doubt that there is much about this novel to appeal to readers of all ages. It’s a richly imagined world, with lots of action scenes and there is the obligatory romance, though this at least is bubbling under the surface for most of the novel.

Initially I was a little put off by the relationship between the central characters of Iseult and Safiya, who seemed to be looking for trouble for no obvious reason. One seems to lead the other into trouble and yet nothing is said. However, they are strong characters and I grew to admire them as the novel progresses.

The world in which these two girls live is a little hazy. We’re told that there are three empires in power, and that the end of a truce period is drawing near. Some are doing well under this regime; others are not.

What we’re told from the outset is that there are many types of magic in this world. Each witch has power of a different type. Safiya is a Truthwitch, meaning she could be a valuable commodity in the wrong hands. Iseult is a Threadwitch, meaning she can see the ties that bind people together. From the outset we are given clues that, together, these two girls might be very important. Certainly, their skills put them at risk.

The plot is fairly straightforward. The two girls are being pursued by a number of people, and it’s a desperate battle to get the right people to the right place at the right time. Along the way, we get hints of past intrigues, political events and some interest to come. While it might have been helpful to have this fleshed out little more, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the story.

For me the most interesting characters were Iseult and Aneudin, the Bloodwitch. The scenes where Iseult returns to her family were captivating, and I loved the fact that the bad guy wasn’t quite as bad as we’d been led to believe. I found that the parts of the story featuring these two characters were far more entertaining to read than those involving Safiya and Prince Merik.

At times during reading I have to confess to being both confused and even a little bored. However, on the whole I felt I couldn’t wait to find out more about how these events would be resolved and think this is definitely a series to stick with.

‘The Art of Not Breathing’ – Sarah Alexander

The cover for this makes perfect sense after reading the book, and I feel it evokes the sense of hope that I was left with as things are resolved.

At first, I was not sure what to expect from this story about a family left grieving after the death of one of the children.

When we first meet sixteen-year old Elsie we can sense the raw pain that her family still carry round with them. When Elsie’s twin brother, Eddie, disappeared five years previously it soon becomes clear that there is more to it than Elsie remembers.

Initially, the narrative focuses more on the impact of this event than explaining what happened. We see that Elsie’s parents are not dealing with their grief, and are completely ignoring the signs that their surviving children are also suffering. Each member of the family has secrets that they want to keep, and it was quite painful to see the way the family disintegrated.

In the course of the novel, Elsie learns to free dive and this helps give her the confidence she needs to find out the truth of what happened. A beautiful yet upsetting story, full of hope.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of this novel, due for publication April 2016.

‘The Girls’ – Emma Cline

Due for publication in June 2016, this debut novel is definitely one to watch.

The opening of the novel creates a real sense of desire and perfectly recreates the intensity of being 14.

Evie Boyd is something of a spoiled rich kid, left pretty much alone by her divorced parents and not really fitting in anywhere. When she first sees Suzanne in a park the attraction is evident. Suzanne seems to represent everything that Evie wants but doesn’t have…freedom, confidence, a group etc. Slowly, Evie ingratiated herself into Suzanne’s group and we watch as she gets drawn under the spell of the charismatic cult-leader Russell.

After establishing this almost dream-like setting, Cline shifts her focus into the present. We now see Evie as an adult, alone. Here we learn a little more about what happened to Evie in the summer of 1969, and how her life was intertwined with some truly dark events.

Alternating the focus of the novel between past and present allows the adult Evie the opportunity to reflect on her experiences, but I wonder whether it keeps us just that little too distanced from it all. At times I felt we lost some of the innocence of young Evie as the adult narrator looks back on these times.

The novel is loosely based on the Manson murders, but I think the focus on Evie means this remains at the fore throughout. This was a complex and quite beautifully-written novel, and it seems an assured debut. My only reason for not rating it 5 stars was that I felt the ending was just a little too convenient for Evie.

Thank-you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

‘Read Me Like A Book’ – Liz Kessler

First and foremost, the cover of this novel is beautiful. The clever use of colour symbolised for me the discrepancy between how Ashleigh feels, and how she believes she is meant to feel.

I can’t say whether this is a realistic exploration of coming to terms with your sexuality, but it was certainly a sensitive exploration of a character experiencing an awful lot of turmoil.

Ashleigh was not, initially, a character I felt much empathy with, She was, as her friend points out, incredibly self-centred and I could not believe just how casually she got into the relationship with Dylan. Her refusal to engage with her parents was, however, pretty realistically portrayed.

As the novel progressed I was interested to see how the writer used the characters around Ashleigh to help chart her development. I personally felt a little uncomfortable initially with the focus on the relationship between the teacher and Ashleigh, but there is no hint of anything other than compassion and understanding on Miss Murray’s part.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital copy of the novel.

‘The V Girl’ – Mya Roberts

The first thing that has to be said about ‘The V Girl’ is the subject matter is definitely not going to be to everyone’s tastes. It comes with strong recommendations for over-18s only and although I don’t generally agree with this practice, in this case I think it is prudent.

When I first came across this book on NetGalley I was really intrigued as to how the author would manage the subject matter. The fact that it clearly states this is set in an America of the future where rape and sexual slavery is legal means you go into it knowing it will not be anything other than a challenging read.

It was certainly a challenging read for me, for a number of reasons.

When we first meet Lila we are told that she is desperate to lose her virginity before the soldiers come and she runs the risk of being selected and having her virginity forcibly taken from her. Her attempts to achieve this start with an attempted seduction of her best friend, Rey. The way this was described felt very close to a description of the very thing she was trying to avoid.

From there on in we have to contend with Lila’s obsession with the mysterious Prince Alexsey. I understand that this is meant to be the ‘romance’ of this coming-of-age novel, but I just didn’t get it. I couldn’t believe in either character particularly, and found myself frustrated by their relationship and the way it played out.

While I found the writing about the emotional impact of the situations these characters often found themselves in touching, I really did not like the level of detail given. It’s an unflinching look at a very unpleasant subject, but I felt the writer was taking the theme of voyeurism a little too far on so many occasions. This was particularly noticeable in the scenes involving the characters of Duke and Azalea, and the awful account of the Selection towards the end of the book.

My main grip with the novel though is my view that the writer couldn’t decide if she was writing a hard-hitting dystopian novel or an erotic fantasy. The number of times I was stifling giggles at the over-the-top writing regarding Lila and Alexsey’s sexual relationship undercut the impact of the more sombre focus of the remainder of the novel for me.

Having read so many glowing reviews of this novel I’m really wondering what I’ve missed!

A difficult book to rate.

‘We Were Liars’ – E. Lockhart

The cover for this novel creates a wonderful sense of nostalgia, and I definitely felt that creating this sense of yearning for things that had been was prevalent throughout.

What struck me first about ‘We Were Liars’ was the brusqueness of the narrative voice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past this; I never really felt like I warmed to Cadence as a character, and I think this impacted on my emotional engagement with the book.

As we are told more about the summers spent on the island with her fellow Liars, we gain more of a sense of what drives Cadence. Her inability to remember key details of her past does, however, mean we are left floundering a little as she tries to make sense of the memories she has. The interactions that she describes with the other members of her family give little away.

The focus on the slow deterioration of the family as they squabble over their inheritance was painful to read, but it kept nudging us towards the moment where Cady finally connects her various memories. In the sections where she explores her family, I was reminded of ‘King Lear’ and wondered if these parallels were intentional.

All in all, this was one of those books in which I could recognise the quality of the plotting and writing, but it just didn’t quite do it for me.

‘Crush’ – Eve Ainsworth

I loved ‘7 Days’ when I read it, so when I knew this was due out I was more than a little excited.

The cover is very similar to ‘7 Days’ and I think it gets the reader focused on the idea of looking beyond the surface to try and explain the actions of some of the characters. The striking image also gives a very clear indication of the nature of the relationship that we are going to read about.

When we first meet Anna, her vulnerability is evident. She seems like a fairly typical Year 9 student in this day and age, but her willingness to desert her friends and interests the minute Will, the Year 11 heart-throb, turns his attention to her was really concerning. As an adult reading this, alarm bells were ringing pretty early on and I could not believe that Anna’s friends would have backed away from her in quite the way that they did.

Though he is a thoroughly unpleasant character in so many ways, Will himself is also revealed to be as vulnerable as Anna – perhaps more so. Allowing us these glimpses into his mind during the novel was something that I feel is quite a brave move. I think that having these shades to the characters made them so much more credible, though I wonder whether it will be seen in quite the same way by teen readers.

This was a book that I raced through. It was not what I’d call a comfortable subject to read about, but it was done very much with young adults in mind. It felt like a book that would give someone things to think about. If it manages to get just one person to move away from this kind of toxic relationship then I would say it’s a good thing.