Latest Posts – Page 108

‘The 5th Wave’ – Rick Yancey

Aliens. Immediately people have certain ideas in their heads about what that means and how we’d react as a race if we were to see aliens come to earth. Yancey plays with that idea a little.

In this novel, aliens have been amongst us for thousands of years, watching us and learning about our race. They have developed a way of implanting their consciousness inside a human embryo. It then exists alongside the human when it is born, slowly assimilating. This idea is downright creepy, and I think the concept behind the waves of attack when they finally come is carefully set-up.

The aliens have a plan to eradicate the human race. The initial four waves of attack have culled the weakest, and so starts the fifth wave. Cue a brash action-packed novel.

From the outset I can see the movie appeal of this novel, and I found this an entertaining read for the most part. I loved the relationship that develops between Cassie and Evan, and think Cassie is a great main character. I’m not sure quite how credible some of the behaviours are from the younger characters in the novel, but my son – very much the target audience for this novel – justified this by saying that humans would have to adapt, and we never know what we’re capable of until we’re forced into that situation.

I felt that the way the narrative was told from different viewpoints was a good way to maintain an air of tension. As we slowly piece elements of the story together it becomes pretty nail-biting. Unfortunately it all felt a little predictable at times, but there’s no doubt about the fact that if you like this sort of thing you will enjoy it.

‘The Sudden Appearance of Hope’ – Claire North

Listen.
All the world forgets me. First my face, then my voice, then the consequences of my deeds.
So listen. Remember me.

My name is Hope Arden, and you won’t know who I am. We’ve met before – a thousand times. But I am the girl the world forgets.

It started when I was sixteen years old. A slow declining, an isolation, one piece at a time.

A father forgetting to drive me to school. A mother setting the table for three, not four. A teacher who forgets to chase my missing homework. A friend who looks straight through me and sees a stranger.

No matter what I do, the words I say, the people I hurt, the crimes I commit – you will never remember who I am.

That makes my life tricky. But it also makes me dangerous . . .

The Sudden Appearance of Hope is the tale of the girl no one remembers. But this gripping story – of love and loss, of hope and despair, of living in the moment and dying to leave a mark – is novel that will stay with you for ever.

From this I was expecting a very different story to the one we got; not bad, but it took me a while to adjust to what was happening.

Hope Arden is our narrator. We’re told that moments after meeting her, people forget her. This started when she was in school, and I got the impression some considerable time had elapsed since then, though this is never explicitly said.
Having realised that many of the things we take for granted are not an option for someone who is forgotten the moment they walk out of a room, Hope turns to criminal activity to survive. We meet her during a fairly audacious theft, and it’s clear that this time she has tangled with the wrong people.

Hope’s story is intertwined with what sounds like a very plausible, though terrifying, app called Perfection. This in itself could have made for a fascinating book, but it is intertwined cleverly with Hope’s story.

Throughout the novel I felt myself fascinated by the character of Hope and her relationships with some of the people that she meets time and time again. Though it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, this was an entertaining read.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Prey’ – Tom Isbell

In the start of a trilogy that seems perfectly suited to the big screen, ‘The Prey’ lands us in the Republic of the True America. Rumours abound of radiation sickness, Crazies and mutated animals that everyone is warned about. Sometimes, though, those closest to you are the ones to be most afraid of.

We are introduced to a number of characters, each with their own stories (some of which get developed). We meet Hope and Faith, twins on the run with their father. When he dies, he urges the girls to separate. What does he know that makes this the best choice? We meet Book, a studious boy who seems haunted by his past. There’s also Cat, a mysterious boy running from his own demons.

These characters end up together, where they hatch a daring plan to escape the danger from within the camps they are contained in.

If I’m being honest, this was full of exciting action though it had the sense of scenes written with an eye on movie rights being obtained. I liked the characters and there was enough focus on them developing to keep me engaged. My main gripe is that I cannot imagine that, having been through what they had endured during this book, they would willingly turn their backs on their chance of freedom in order to return from where they came in an attempt to rescue the others.

‘The One-in-a-Million Boy’ – Monica Wood

104-year-old Ona Viktis has lived a fairly quiet life. She has something of a reputation for being a little awkward, but generally she keeps herself to herself. However, we learn that recently she has been visited by a young boy fulfilling the requirements of a Scouting badge and he has – with his curious passion for the Guinness World of Records – awakened something in Ona. The two have formed an unlikely friendship, but one week he fails to turn up; his father, Quinn, arrives instead.

What Quinn fails to reveal to Ona immediately is that his son has died. Quinn is doing his duty by his son, and finishing what he started.

Through a combination of methods, the relationships between the boy and those who loved him are laid bare. We see, in varying ways, the effect loss has on people and how they deal with it.

A curious read, with some poignant moments, that left me with a warm glow.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy received in exchange for an honest review.

‘Glass Sword’ (Red Queen 2) – Victoria Aveyard

‘Glass Sword’ picks up straight after the events of ‘Red Queen’, and we are thrown quickly into the bloody aftermath of the escape.

This novel focuses a lot more on the emotional impact of events on our key players, which might irritate some readers. It’s not that there isn’t action – there’s a fair few skirmishes – but it’s all part of a much bigger picture so in the grand scheme of things you could argue that not much happens.

That’s what my detached head response says. But as Aveyard keeps pointing out, anyone/anything can betray anyone. My heart has a much stronger response to this novel and I lapped it up whole-heartedly.

Without giving plot details away, this novel focuses on the attempt to find the Newbloods, those Reds with powers, before Maven can get to them. We get to see some interesting new characters, and there’s a definite sense of a strategic pulling together of various threads. Mare develops in ways that aren’t always welcome, but I felt for her as she struggles to become what people want her to be. Her changing relationships with Cal and Kilorn have me totally clueless about which way this romantic element will play out. There’s also a small part of me that would love Maven to be redeemable. I teared up at the loss of some favourites (and, no, I won’t spoil it by saying who) and was more than a little intrigued by the appearance of some new characters.

There’s been some criticism of the revelation that there are to be four books in this series. With an ending like this, however, I personally can’t wait. A powerful, yet ominous, final image that has me desperate to know what comes next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy (sorry to not get round to reading it until a lot later than publication)

‘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.

‘Paperweight’ – Meg Haston

This was a difficult book to get into. It tells the story of seventeen-year-old Stevie who has dealt with her mother’s disappearance and the death of her brother in increasingly self-destructive ways. When the novel begins we learn that Stevie is awaiting the anniversary of her brother’s death as this is the day that she plans to kill herself.

A lot of the details that see us come to understand Stevie are revealed slowly throughout the novel. This meant that, initially, I found the character selfish, obsessive and quite unpleasant at times.

We are witness to Stevie being checked into a treatment clinic where she is receiving support for an eating disorder. It seems an odd thing to notice, but her frustration at being diagnosed bulimic rather than anorexic was a chilling alert to just how mentally fragile she was. This was a quite intriguing insight into someone living in the grips of a mental disorder, though I was taken aback by the level of detail given about some aspects of her experience.

For me, the most interesting parts of the novel were either the developing relationships between the girls in the clinic, or the relayed sessions Stevie has with her therapist where we see her growing self-awareness and willingness to engage with the problems she has tried to escape.

‘The Imaginary’ – A.F. Harrold

‘The Imaginary’ is a curious book; intended for children, but definitely one that adults will love.

It tells the story of Amanda Shuffleup and her imaginary friend, Rudger. Amanda, an only child, has a vivid imagination and her utter belief in the existence of Rudger was great fun to read. At times, she is very self-absorbed and her behaviour towards Rudger was almost cruel. She shows little regard for his feelings, and this was a fascinating look at how children make sense of their world.

One day the sinister Mr Bunting appears at Amanda’s door. He has caught the scent of Rudger and needs to feed off him in order to keep alive. This character is more than little creepy, but in the ‘Coraline’ sense rather than out and out scary. As Mr Bunting and his own imaginary friend pursue Rudger, we witness some fairly harrowing events.

For me, one of the most satisfying parts of the experience was looking at the illustrations by Emily Gravett. They perfectly complement the events and ideas within the novel, and make us address our own fears about growing older and losing the people important to us.

‘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.