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‘Into the Drowning Deep’ – Mira Grant

Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy.
Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.
Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves. But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

Into the Drowning Deep was a book that I was, initially, unsure about as whenever I think of mermaids I can’t shake my deep-seated sense of unease about things that we know little of, and old literary tales that talk of sirens and luring sailors to their death. Coupled with the focus on a group of scientists heading to try and establish whether or not mermaids exist, I really went into this with some reservations.

Initially this was a little hard to get into. The first zone, establishing the characters and the ideas behind their trip, was necessary but it didn’t really engage me as much as I’d hope. I couldn’t help but think this was not a story that was going to end well in some way – be it disappointment in a failed mission, or a truly failed mission that proved what they set out to but ended badly for those concerned. What we got was a mix of these ideas, but as the story picked up I was hooked.

We have an intriguing group on board. There’s a mix of scientists who have their own reasons for setting sail. There’s the company spokesperson who has close ties to someone on board, but who also has his own directives at odds with what many think they are there to do.

Once the ship was out on the water, however, Grant completely captivated me. The writing was tense, and the story was so well-constructed. I loved the creation of mood and the sense of foreboding that permeated everything taking place on board.

It wouldn’t be a monster story without the realisation that the thing you’re hunting might actually turn out to be smarter than you thought. It doesn’t take long before we start to realise that not everyone will survive this trip – and though I wasn’t overly keen on the detailed description as the sirens started their hunt, it always felt in keeping with the story and what we needed to know.

The mix of characters worked well in this for me. Throughout, I had a sense of big-screen action and there were some interesting moments that suggested there may be future exploration of the subject (there’s certainly one or two strands opened up that would allow this).

Having been recommended Feed by a colleague some time ago, I should have realised I was in a safe pair of hands here. I might never look at the sea in the same way, and it won’t make me feel any easier about travelling by boat, but this really would be a book I’d have no hesitation in recommending.

 

‘The Rules’ – Tracy Darnton

Amber has, for as long as she remembers, been prepared by her father to expect the unexpected. As a survivalist he insisted on teaching her how to prepare for the worst. Her key rule was to ensure she followed his rules.

We’re not sure what happened, but we see Amber is in foster care. She is in the UK, and we learn her mother has died. A letter from Amber’s father has arrived from America and it immediately puts Amber on alert. She realises she will have to leave.

We follow Amber on her journey to try and learn more about her father’s plans. She doesn’t trust him, and journeys to familiar places in her attempt to learn what she needs.

For someone who is meant to be so well-trained she seems to make some silly mistakes. She places her trust in another person who used to be in foster care with her, and this results in some crazy decisions being made. Before too long, Amber’s father catches up with her and we start to glimpse for ourselves the extent to which one man’s delusions can impact on the lives of those around him.

Throughout the story I got a sense that things weren’t quite what we thought. Amber made some strange decisions, and the details of her past indicated there may be more to the story that she was telling us.

When we get to the rather explosive finale it seems to justify what Amber had told us, but it also suggested that perhaps Amber was better prepared than she wanted to let on!

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this, and I’m curious to see how this goes down (particularly in light of recent events that may have led people to question the extent to which they are reliant on others).

 

‘Date Me, Bryson Keller’ – Kevin van Whye

I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like to have to think so much about your sexuality, or to be so cautious about your thoughts/feelings. Whatever your views, however, nobody should be forced to come out unless they choose to. Some of the actions in this made me unbelievably cross, and I hate the fact that this will be something people even have to consider.

I’ve read a couple of views criticising this novel for being so similar to some other stories. I can’t comment on that, but I can certainly say how much I enjoyed this story.

Our main character, whose point of view we’re predominantly focused on, is Kai. He knows he’s gay, but hasn’t said anything to either his friends or family. He seems fairly happy in himself, but we learn he’s desperate to head to college so he can be himself. Kai is a character on the periphery of his high school experience, but he finds himself in a rather unusual situation.

This situation involves the school golden boy, Bryson Keller, who’s got himself caught up in what could be a pretty crass scenario. Whoever asks him out on a date each Monday he has to accept, and date them for the week. For reasons I’m still not totally sure about – but it stems from a chance detention and a drama task – Kai ends up asking Bryson on a date. And he agrees.

We follow Kai and Bryson through their somewhat unexpected week. They keep it quiet, and at points I feared this might be because Bryson was going to do something awful. That wasn’t the case, though, and this quickly becomes a tale of two boys finding a mutual love. Almost insufferably cute, it would take a fairly hard-hearted person not to warm to these two.

There’s hints that this will not be plain sailing. I know some might have a worse experience, but when it matters people are generally seen to do the right thing. Kai’s little sister was wise beyond her years and the kind of cheer squad anyone would be proud to have. Plenty to like in this, and I’m grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.

 

‘The Apartment’ – K.L. Slater

A quick thriller that draws you in despite the rather obvious holes in the story. Thanks to NetGalley for the entertainment, and I’d recommend this for anyone wanting an easy escapist read.

It’s clear from the outset that there is something weird being set-up. We don’t know exactly what, and there’s a few attempts to divert our attention until the author chooses to make their revelation.

Our main character, Freya, tells us she’s always been used to relying on herself and that she doesn’t trust easily. So, her decision to trust a random stranger who offers her a cheap apartment in a pretty exclusive area of London seems odd. We are told she’s recently widowed,so perhaps this could excuse her seeming lack of judgment.

Misgivings aside, Freya and her daughter move in. Determined to make it work, Freya overlooks the weird things that happen and the strange behaviour of her landlord. She clings to the friendship of the pleasant old lady who lives below them, and who strikes up a friendship of sorts with the young daughter.

From early on we are aware someone is watching these two. This someone has a plan, and we know it’s linked to a past experiment carried out by someone with the same surname as Freya’s new landlord. We’re suspicious, and I was keen to see just when/how the full story would be revealed.

If I’m being entirely honest this probably wouldn’t hold up to close scrutiny, but if you’re prepared to overlook these elements you’ll find plenty here to entertain you.

 

‘The Kingdom of Back’ – Marie Lu

In some ways I think this is a story that could have been told many times over, that of a talented young woman denied the chance to share her talent purely because of her gender.

Our focus is Nannerl, the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A girl I had never heard of, yet the author’s note suggests her talent was comparable – if not, in some ways, more than that of her lauded younger brother.

We follow Nannerl as she recounts her forays into composition, and her growing frustration at the way her talent is ignored by her father as he touts his young children around the world in an attempt to ensure the name of Mozart is never forgotten.

While the historical element of the story is interesting, I was more entranced by the fantasy elements Lu employs to examine Nannerl’s feelings about the events she lives. We watch as she conjures up The Kingdom of Back, a mystical place, and is persuaded to undertake a number of quests in order to achieve her heart’s desire.

This was, evidently, a story that had captivated Lu and one that seems to have taken her years to finish/share with the world. It will certainly introduce someone overlooked to readers, but it also offers us the opportunity to see an imaginative exploration of two very talented children and how their relationships develops over time.

 

‘Here is the Beehive’ – Sarah Crossan

I’ve loved the YA Sarah Crossan books I’ve read, and couldn’t wait to get into this adult novel.

While the style is unquestionably Crossan, and there are some interesting moments, it didn’t capture my attention in quite the way I’d hoped it would.
Our story is of Ana, a married woman with two children, who has been having an affair with Connor. Over the course of the story we learn how the affair started, how each acted during it, some key moments within it and the part Ana played in it ending.

We focus throughout on Ana’s perspective, and see everyone through her lens. For me this meant I never felt I fully trusted what I was being told because there were so many potential alternative responses/reactions to events.

The fact that we meet Ana as she is talking with Connor’s wife to discuss his will immediately intrigued me. She is mourning someone who was a huge part of her life, but nobody knew. She is grieving, but has to hide it.

Aside from the situation she’s in, which almost compels you to feel sympathy for Ana, there was little to like about her. She befriended someone in order to try and allay her grief, and her conduct throughout the time of the affair seems pretty poor. She seems to have been oblivious to this, caught up in her own perceived suffering.

All in all, this was well-written and definitely had some emotional pull. My own feelings for the narrator unfortunately got in the way.

Thanks to the publishers and edelweiss for granting me access to this prior to publication.

 

‘Clap When You Land’ – Elizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth Acevedo has created another story to shine a light on an experience, and to paint a picture that celebrates a certain place/culture. This is the kind of book you’ll pick up and find yourself reading…then look up to realise time has passed, you have finished and the images in your head are as vivid as the moment you read them.

The story focuses on two characters, both girls. One lives in the Dominican Republic and the other in America. Neither knows about the other. But when their father – on his way to stay with his second family – is killed in a plane crash their lives become intertwined in ways they’re not prepared for.

The verse is quite sparse, yet it conveys precisely the mood and experiences of these two girls. The depiction of grief was sensitive, yet there was a positivity to this with regard to how the girls change that I wasn’t expecting.

This was a genuine pleasure to read, and thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read it prior to publication.

 

‘My Dark Vanessa’ – Kate Elizabeth Russell

My Dark Vanessa takes place over two key years – in 2000, when Vanessa is fifteen and studying at a prestigious boarding school, and in 2017, when Vanessa is working a dead-end job at a local hotel and trying to avoid contact with a former student. The thing that unites them…Jacob Strane, Vanessa’s English teacher.

For her debut Russell takes on a story that is always going to be difficult to present without alienating readers. A sexual relationship between teacher and pupil will, rightly, never be regarded as anything other than wrong – and the attempts to examine the psychological dynamics of this relationship from Vanessa’s viewpoint did little for me other than highlight the manipulative behaviour of Strane and the damage caused to this girl, and others.

Vanessa recalls the relationship from its starting moment with unusual clarity. From the outset there’s a sense that, on some level, Vanessa recognises this is wholly inappropriate yet she seems determined to romanticise her experience of being groomed and raped by the person who was meant to be one of those protecting her. The author allows Vanessa this, but the construction of the novel means we never see it as anything other than a deceptive and manipulative grooming of a rather naive young woman.

The detail given to Vanessa’s relationship was, perhaps necessarily, explicit but it did not make for comfortable reading. Nor should it! There were so many points in this that I wanted someone to dig that little deeper or act on their evident sense of misgiving about the rumours they’d heard or things they’d seen that just felt off. So many people seemed suspicious of Vanessa’s closeness to Strane, yet did nothing. Hiding in the open seems to be quite the feature of such relationships, and it was definitely interesting to note the changes over the two time periods in how someone like Strane was regarded.

Few characters on the periphery of this relationship come out of it well, and to reflect on your own part in such an event is something people have to deal with in these situations. However, it’s Vanessa’s story so hers is the primary focus.

One of the things that I found slightly off-putting about this (apart from what felt like the gratuitous depiction of their sexual relationship) was what felt like the over-reliance on Lolita and the continual references to Literature that purported to mimic what Vanessa experiences. If you look hard enough you can probably find something to support what narrative you want to spin. For me it was just yet another nail in the coffin highlighting the various techniques used by this predatory male time and time again.

Ultimately, I felt myself feeling quite hostile at times towards Vanessa as she seemed so determined to paint herself as powerful within this experience. I’m all for recognising the growing maturity of someone of this age, and there are definitely questions to consider about the extent to which we should ignore a teen’s growing self-awareness. By the end however, as we see Vanessa start to unravel the complexity of her feelings about the relationship that formed such a monumental part of her life, I came to see her in quite a different way.

This was not a hopeful book. It doesn’t particularly resolve anything, but it certainly puts the reader in a position to examine a story they may feel they’ve heard before in a different way. It certainly will get people talking, which I think is a starting point.

 

‘Glass Dolls’ – D.E. White

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for my thoughts. Having just finished, my head is spinning. There are a lot of coincidences in this book, and it’s painful to think such evil could go under the radar so easily, but this was a story that really never let up.

The main focus for our story is Dove, a police officer who has clearly experienced some trauma in the line of duty. We first encounter her as she is called in to examine a body. This body is of a young woman, found entombed in a solid glass case. Immediately we are told that this killing bears many of the hallmarks of a previous case – that has been solved, and the guy responsible is dead. So, who is responsible for this copycat?

It’s important to not have too much detail before reading this. The glass doll case and the links to earlier events are clearly important, and feature heavily. As does the background information about Dove and her family.

It doesn’t take long before we start to realise that Dove and her family are more deeply involved in these events than you might expect. As more and more details are unearthed, we are let into some of the past of the family. Each new revelation ramps up the tension we feel for the current situation. By the end I wasn’t surprised by anything we learned, but I was left with a deep sense of admiration for these women…

 

‘Swipe Right’ – Stephie Chapman

Thank you to NetGalley, Hera books and Stephanie Chapman for giving me that warm fuzzy feeling where you don’t dare hope for that ending…but really really want that ending.

Our two main characters are Ollie and Fran. Both go for an interview. It’s clear, from the off, that these two have a spark. But will it ever be more? When they both end up working in the company we do wonder. Everyone around them seems to think they make a great couple – but each has a partner.

For seemingly ages Fran and Ollie walk the line of friends who quite fancy each other. It’s all very When Harry Met Sally without the annoying leads, a lot more alcohol and no fake-orgasm scene.

There’s a warmth between the two characters that seems very genuine. They open up to each other in a way that you can’t help but envy…but nothing happens.

Hang fire. Don’t get disheartened. Sometimes you just need to wait for the right time to put everything in place. Of course, it might not happen – but that really would have been a miserable read.