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‘Eleanor and Park’ – Rainbow Rowell

Having recently read a couple of Rainbow Rowell novels, it didn’t take long to sniff out another potential read. Most reviews of this were overwhelmingly positive, gushing even, which put me off a little. I was worried about not ‘getting it’ or not quite feeling as positive about it as I hoped to. Thankfully, I needn’t have worried. This quite hooked me.

I can overlook the fact that Eleanor and Park seem to fall in love overnight, and with virtually no contact, as the pair of them together were so earnest and lovely. Both misfits in their own way, they are great characters who just seem to find each other at the right time.

My main gripe with this novel was that I felt we dwelt on the relationship between Park and Eleanor at the expense of developing our understanding of their home environments/relationships. I can’t understand how all these people seem to know what Richie (Eleanor’s step-dad) is like, but do nothing about the situation. It could also have been interesting to flesh out some of the other characters who see something in both Eleanor and Park. These are not unlikeable teenagers, but they were in their own little bubble for so much of the story and yet there were clearly people who cared about them.

I also found it quite disconcerting to have such an obviously dated setting with regard to tapes and cultural references. I loved this, but wonder if it might be a little off-putting to contemporary readers.

Though the romantic in me hopes the words on Eleanor’s final postcard gave Park hope of them meeting again soon, I admire the fact that Rowell left us uncertain about what happens.

‘Every Exquisite Thing’ – Matthew Quick

With a title that contains a quote from one of my favourite stories ever (The Picture of Dorian Gray), I had a sneaky suspicion that this would be a book I’d enjoy. Sometimes it’s good to get what you wish for.

The story focuses on Nanette O’Hara, an introverted student who has toed the expected line all her life. A good student and a star soccer player, she is popular and comes from a comfortable background. Yet she always feels something of a misfit, and struggles to feel comfortable in her own skin.

This coming of age novel begins with Nanette being given a copy of The Bubblegum Reaper, a cult novel, with which she identifies heavily. When she learns that the author lives in her town she arranges to meet with him, and so begins an unusual friendship.

Booker helps Nanette start to question who she is and the place she will take in society. Her relationship with Booker, but also Alex and Oliver, focuses on them each finding their way.

It’s hard to sum up precisely what made this book work for me. I think the sense of self-doubt is something that many will identify with, and the pages crackle with humour (though sometimes of the dark sort). There are one or two moments that really throw the reader off-kilter, but it was touching and it certainly got me thinking.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘Love May Fail’ – Matthew Quick

‘Love May Fail’ is an unusual book. The title suggests a book about taking a chance, having the courage to take a risk and hoping that it all works out. The main characters are all, in some way, flawed but their lives intertwine and allow us to catch glimpses of the way we can influence those we come into contact with.

There are a number of stories within this novel, some of which are more interesting than others.

The main character is Portia Kane, a rather irritating woman with a good heart who tends to let life pass her by. She has, for years, lived with the fact that her mother is a hoarder and social recluse. Portia finds her husband cheating on her at the start of the novel, so she takes off on some crazy mission to save the one man who inspired her-Mr Vernon, her high school teacher. Things don’t go quite to plan, but Portia does find a new relationship and becomes a writer (albeit one whose novel bombs).

Mr Vernon is a broken man when we meet him. He’s lost that spark his students recall with fondness-but I think that’s inevitable if you’re attacked by a student! He is quite pretentious in many ways, but as we learn more about him he feels a more genuine character.

This is a novel of coincidences. It felt quite manipulative, and I really didn’t feel emotionally connected enough to the characters to be drawn into their worlds. Perhaps the most genuine characters were Portia’s old friend, Danielle, and her brother, Chuck. Unfortunately, even these characters were toyed with in such a way that I lost interest in them.

I can’t help but feel this is one of those novels that on a different day, or under a different set of circumstances, I might have felt a lot more positively about. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC though.

‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ – Sarah J. Maas

This is my first experience of reading Sarah J. Maas, and though I wasn’t sure about it initially it quickly became more entertaining.

When we first meet Feyre she is like Katniss in a new setting-desperately poor, relied on by her family and hunting to survive. When she kills a wolf she is focused on the money and sustenance it will provide. Unfortunately, her kill sets in place a chain of events that quickly become bigger than anything she could have imagined.

Living on the borders, Feyre has been conditioned to hate Faeries so when she is ordered to live in the lands of Prythian to atone for her killing one of them she is resistant. Now surrounded by Tamlin and his court, Feyre has to learn to live in this environment in order to keep her family safe.

As I read this it brought to mind well-known fairy stories, as well as popular contemporary stories. This could have been a rather trite romance, and the presence of other characters -Lucien and Rhysand- kept it interesting. I loved the background story hinting at an epic battle for control of a kingdom/intrigue, and the section where Feyre is trapped under the mountain fighting for her life was powerful.

Part of me still wonders if there is more to the story of Feyre’s mother as there are hints that she might be more closely allied to events than we first think. It would make sense of the decision taken at the end that keeps Feyre in the story.
While this perhaps won’t be classed as one of my favourites, I definitely want to continue reading the series.

‘Chimera’ – Vaun Murphrey

This certainly has an interesting premise.

Cassandra, 13, has spent eight years in captivity having witnessed her parents’ murders and then she is rescued by family that she didn’t know she had.

Upon discovering she is a Weaver – which involves having use of some seriously enviable skills – Cassandra comes to realise that she has talents beyond those she is expected to have. It seems there hasn’t been anyone quite like Cassandra beforehand, though there are plenty of hints that some do know about her and have chosen to keep her ignorant for some reason.

Initially, the setting felt a little confusing. The story also began quite slowly but once Cassandra rediscovers her ‘sister’ and we see her emerging talents things get very interesting.

There are elements of the story that I would have liked further details about, but the way this ends does suggest that we’ll get that information…eventually.

‘Our Endless Numbered Days’ – Claire Fuller

As an adult reader, when we are first introduced to Peggy looking at the picture of her father there is a definite sense of things not being quite right. I read in amazement and horror as Peggy recounted the build-up to her father taking her to live in a remote cabin in the woods. I couldn’t believe that nobody did anything to intervene, and I was also surprised at Peggy’s childish acceptance of her situation.

Her naive acceptance of her father’s claim that there has been a storm which has destroyed the rest of the world is so off-kilter that, from that point onwards, I was reading with a sense of waiting for the awful events that I imagined happening to unravel.

There was a lot in the description of Peggy’s daily life that reminded me of Emma Donoghue’s ‘Room’. It was claustrophobic, desperately unsettling and certainly not something that I envisaged would end well.

I did find the switches from the past to the present day a little disconcerting at times. The book also felt a lot stronger in the final section as we see things slowly build to their inevitable climax. Strangely, I felt that the more interesting story was the one that we can sense building up at the end of the novel when Peggy returns to her family home. A powerful read though, which unsettled me more after I had closed the pages for the final time.

‘The Shrunken Head (Curiosity House)’ – Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester

I know people say not to judge a book by its cover, but the artwork is a major part of this novel and it adds another dimension to what is a well-written and exciting mystery. Perhaps this book is not for everyone, but I think it’s perfect for the 9-12 age range as it delivers on adventure, a great cast of characters and it isn’t patronising to the reader.

The blurb promises something a little different and, in my opinion, firmly delivers.

The story is set in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities and Wonders. It focuses on four extraordinary children – Thomas, Sam, Pippa and Max – whose abilities make them quite unique. Just how special these children are isn’t revealed until later.

Our mystery concerns a shrunken head, a rapidly increasing death count and the childrens’ determination to find out the identity of the killer.

There was a real sense of historical interest in this novel, and, while all the characters were interesting, it is the bond between the four children that stands out.

This first in the series sets up a number of strands that you are likely to be enchanted by. I can’t wait to see where the writers go with part two. The test of this book’s appeal for me will be whether my middle child – a rather fussy reader – will want to finish it. He’s already spotted the cover and read the blurb…the signs are good!

‘Speechless’ – Hannah Harrington

Chelsea Knot starts the book as one of the popular crowd at school. Best friends with Kirsten, Chelsea is used to being able to say what she likes without having to think of the consequences. Unfortunately, she is also portrayed as a completely unpleasant superficial character.

The novel opens with a New Year’s Eve party. Something happens that Chelsea just can’t keep quiet about. The tone at the start is gossipy and fairly lightweight, but from the moment Chelsea opens her mouth to tell people what she saw a chain of events is set in place that has serious consequences.

The symbolism of this taking place at New Year isn’t lost on the reader-this book is about starting anew and changing yourself (or at least coming to accept who you really are).

The characters are, for the most part, fairly stock high-school stereotypes and I think this means it will appeal to its target readership. The crowd that Chelsea finds herself drawn to when she takes her pledge to be silent are one big happy family. They are better developed, and there were some great passages as we watch Chelsea get taken into the heart of this new family and come to terms with who she is and what she wants.

A quick read but one with a serious message to convey. I just wish that Chelsea hadn’t been such a manipulated character at the start as it did make it harder for me to accept unquestioningly her transition.

‘The Loose Ends List’ – Carrie Firestone

There’s no getting away from the fact that we’re all going to die some day. However it happens, we leave behind something of ourselves. This is a book that acknowledges the fact that, sometimes, we want to be able to control our last moments-whether it’s to preserve our dignity, or to minimise the suffering of loved ones.

When the novel opens, Maddie is preparing to go off to college. She is called to a family dinner where her beloved grandma announces she has pancreatic cancer and has booked for the family to spend the summer on a cruise. Only this cruise is all about those on board being allowed to choose their moment to die.

This could have been quite morose given the subject matter, but Firestone works hard to create vibrant characters whose joy of life allows them to focus on what positives remain.

While grandma could be seen as very manipulative, it definitely seems that she is engineering situations for those around her to find the strength to come to accept her leaving. The image of Maddie and Enzo surrounded by phosphorescence when they are kayaking will stay with me for some time, and I don’t think I’ll be able to look at a snow globe without thinking of this novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me access to this before publication.

‘The Many Selves of Katherine North’ – Emma Geen

When we first meet Kit, she’s a fox.

Nineteen-year-old Kit works for the research department of Shen Corporation as a phenomenaut. She’s been “jumping”–projecting her consciousness, through a neurological interface–into the bodies of lab-grown animals made for the purpose of research for seven years, which is longer than anyone else at ShenCorp, and longer than any of the scientists thought possible. She experiences a multitude of other lives–fighting and fleeing as predator and prey, as mammal, bird, and reptile–in the hope that her work will help humans better understand the other species living alongside them.

Her closest friend is Buckley, her Neuro–the computer engineer who guides a phenomenaut through consciousness projection. His is the voice, therefore, that’s always in Kit’s head and is the thread of continuity that connects her to the human world when she’s an animal. But when ShenCorp’s mission takes a more commercial–and ominous–turn, Kit is no longer sure of her safety. Propelling the reader into the bodies of the other creatures that share our world, The Many Selves of Katherine North takes place in the near future but shows us a dazzling world far, far from the realm of our experience.

‘The Many Selves of Katherine North’ by Emma Geen is due for publication in early June 2016. The kinds of scientific advances that are focused on in this novel will, naturally, explore ethical considerations and this is quite a leap into the unknown.

There is just enough of reality to keep the reader engaged and able to see the plausibility of the set-up, but it is quite a leap of faith to accept the reactions of key characters.

There’s a lot of vocabulary linked to the procedure, and I did find myself wondering what was going on at a number of key moments. If I’m being honest, I never felt that connected to the character – possible because we are witness to her jumping in and out of animal bodies and, as such, she doesn’t seem to ever really know herself – and this did make it difficult to settle into the story in the way I hoped I would.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.