The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp - Review

I bought this for my friend Chloe for Christmas and then when she'd read it she lent it to me - I need to give it back to her actually, and not forget! I had bought this on a recommendation from my friend Lucinda, who clearly got it bang on here. Chloe and I are both interested in representations of disability in fiction and her interest is in graphic novels specifically, I would say. She writes a graphic novel herself about two young men who fall in love after meeting when one of them has suffered a spinal injury and become paralysed. So this was right up her street! I don't read a lot of graphic novels but when I do I do enjoy them. 

So, this is set in Gotham City and is a DC novel. I know literally nothing about Gotham City except that Batman lives there, but Lee assures me that Commissioner Gordon is a regular in that universe and so is his daughter Barbara. She is the main character of this book. She's wounded in a shooting and ends up having to use a wheelchair. She goes to a rehab centre which is in a huge mansion, where she has therapy, learns how to manoeuvre her wheelchair, and works out in the gym. She really does not want to be there, so she keeps to herself even though several people try to make friends with her. 

Barbara is a hacker, and has a friend who is also a hacker, but he hasn't really been in touch with her since the shooting. She misses him and she reaches out, and she also reaches out to her dad, because she's convinced that there are weird things going on in the mansion. Her dad doesn't believe her though. But there are people disappearing, aren't there? Even if the system says differently... 

Barbara does learn through the book about things she can't do any longer but also about things that she CAN do now (like play wheelchair basketball!). She comes a long way even in not many pages, and she works on a mystery too. I also really liked the artwork in the book - it's pretty dark and dingy with bright flashes of orange and purple. It felt kind of punk to me. 

I liked this, I'm giving it five out of five. 

Being An Ally by Shakirah Bourne and Dana Alison Levy - A World Book Day Book - Review

My partner and I popped into The Works on a trip into town a couple of weeks ago, and I noticed they had the World Book Day books. I had looked at them all online and knew this was the only one I was bothered about, so I picked it up for just a pound! I read it in less than an hour ten days ago while curled up on the sofa after a busy day. 

It is a tiny book but with such a lot of info in it, I really liked it and would recommend it for anyone aged from about fifteen. There is a warning in the front of the book and it does tackle difficult subjects like racism, ableism, transphobia and more. The book is a collection of seven short essays by a few current authors like Lizzie Huxley-Jones and A J Sass, as well as the two editors. The essays are all about how to be a good ally, how to do it non-perfomatively, how to use your privileges to be an ally to people in minorities, and so on. The essays are all really personal, which I really appreciated. 

I am giving this four out of five - it's very good. 

The Amazing Edie Eckhart: The Big Trip by Rosie Jones - Review

As soon as I reviewed The Amazing Edie Eckhart back in July, someone told me that there was a sequel coming out, so I ordered it immediately. It arrived on the day it came out in mid August, and I picked it up nearly straight away. I'm so glad this is going to be a series - it really deserves to be. As a reminder, Edie has cerebral palsy and she's in Year 7 at high school. Author, comedian Rosie Jones, also has cerebral palsy. Edie lives in Bridlington with her mum, dad, and baby brother Louis.

At the beginning of the book it's Christmas, and then it's back to school. Edie gets given an English assignment where she must give a presentation about herself, where she answers the question 'Who am I?' But she ends up not completing the assignment because she isn't sure who she is! She is questioning herself, and that includes her relationship with Flora. Does she want to be Flora's girlfriend? If so, how should she ask her?

There's a half term drama trip, and Edie persuades her parents to let her go. She is a bit worried about how she'll get on, but she's determind to be independent. But the school ends up going with a different school, who have a very strict teacher, Mrs Hargreaves. She makes them get up at six am every morning to do a run before they start their drama workshops. She also tells Edie that she speaks too slowly to be given a speaking part in the end of week play, which really upsets Edie. She tries to tell Mr Murphy but can't. 

This experience sours Edie's feelings about drama club so she ends up not going after half term. She does spend lots of time with her friends, including Poppy, Georgia and Chloe, and of course Oscar. I love the friendships shown in these books - they're really cute and supportive. Then there's FLORA! We like her. I won't give any spoilers but I did love the book and am giving it four out of five. 

The Amazing Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones - Review

 

My friend Philippa mentioned that the comedian Rosie Jones had written a middle grade book, so I bought it soon after. Rosie has Cerebral Palsy herself, as does Edie! I've seen some of her comedy but don't know her super well, but I was excited to read her book. I am pleased to report that this is a gorgeous middle grade book, almost perfect in its execution. I really hope that there's a series as it would definitely lend itself to it! 

So Edie lives in Bridlington in Yorkshire (yay Yorkshire based books!) with her mum, dad, and little brother Louis. Her dad works long hours but the family is close knit. Edie has a best friend, Oscar, who is Black. Edie has cerebral palsy which makes her a bit "wobbly" on her feet. She often falls over but has quite a sense of humour about it. And Oscar is always there with a first aid kit and a replacement pair of tights.

Edie wants to be a writer so her mum encourages her to keep a diary. Edie and Oscar are about to start secondary school, but when they do, everything starts to change. Oscar joins the football team, then gets a girlfriend, Georgia, who doesn't seem to like Edie at all! Edie feels pretty scared to not have Oscar by her side, but her form tutor encourages her to try out for the school play. Edie tries to get over that she wants to write the school play, but no dice,

She meets a girl called Flora who is painting sets on the play, and the two become friends, and she makes friends with Georgia and her friends, which happens in such a lovely way. I liked how the girls showed a really positive form of girl friendship, instead of being awful to each other. Flora is mixed race too - I think her mum is Japanese - and I loved her. 

I also LOVED the ending, it was SO good, it's why I think there MUST be another book, because I want to see what happens next! Edie is such a good character and I just want more of her. I'm giving this five out of five because I loved it. 

The Secret of Haven Point by Lisette Auton - Review

Where did I get it? A friend on Facebook shared it because their friend wrote it, and I liked the sound of it so bought it when I had a voucher on Amazon. 

What's it about? Alpha Lux was the first of the Wrecklings. She was discovered abandoned in a soap flakes box by Cap'n, an ex boat captain who has made his home on a peninsula somewhere in the north east of England. One by one others arrived. They're all disabled in one way or another. Alpha was burned in a fire and lost one eye and one ear. Her best friend Badger is blind and uses clicks to orient herself. Cap'n has agoraphobia. Everyone lives in the lighthouse, Old Ben, or one of the cottages nearby, and every Sunday the wrecklings have to wreck a ship to bring their supplies in. 

Oh, and there's mermaids. Alpha's adoptive mother - whose name I forget, I'm writing this a few days after I read the book, and I'm sorry - is a mermaid who uses her magic to let Alpha into the depths to visit her and the other mermaids. Mermaids can also go on land, and they also sing a magical song to bring the ships in. This song also keeps Outsiders out. 

But Alpha's mother is keeping something from her, and then Alpha sees something glinting up on the cliff top, and begins to feel the community is being watched. She and Badger make plans to go looking, before anything can threaten their community. 

What age range is it for? 11 plus

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Yeah, there's two women who are getting married in the book, which I liked. I also for the longest time couldn't work out if Alpha was a boy or girl - no one uses any pronouns about her for ages. I get big non binary vibes from her. I do reckon there'll be a sequel so maybe I'll be right! 

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, I think so, but can't remember specifics

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Yes, as I said, the whole community has either physical or mental disabilities. I loved the way these were described, in such a good way as to explain them to a kid. One of the women, Laura, has what sounded very much like ME, and it was described brilliantly. The whole lighthouse and surrounding area have been modified to be accessible to everyone. 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, and it is somewhat graphic, but age appropriate I thought 

Are there swear words? No, but there's loads of inventive ways for Alpha and her friends to NOT swear, which I found really funny and fun. 

 

What criticisms do I have? Almost none, I really liked it 

Would I recommend the book? Yes, especially for a middle grade reader 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I just wanted to get to it soon! I really hope there's more in the series - the ending has Alpha and Badger setting off on a journey and I hope we see it

How many stars? Four out of five 

 

Where is the book going now? I think I'll send it to my friend Lucinda who might like it!

The Year I Didn't Eat by Samuel Pollen - Review

Where did I get it? I bought it recently - the author was one of those featured in NYALitfest so I bought this when I bought a few from there. 

What's it about? Max is fourteen and at the beginning of the book it's nearly Christmas. Max has anorexia. His family all know about it - his parents, who have problems of their own, and his brother Robin - and are trying to help, but can't always. Max has a therapist, who gives him homework like 'eat a chocolate bar'. Max has two friends at school, Stu and Ram, but he feels like his disease is pulling him away from them too. There's also a new girl at school, Evie, who is quite weird but who seems to like Max... 

For Christmas, Robin gives Max a geocache. This is a box that anyone can set up - it's a real thing! - where people visit them by following directions to them and leave little notes. Max begins to receive notes from a friend... 

Obviously, massive trigger warnings for this book for anorexia, anixety, calorie counting, body shame, and so on. I found this a difficult book to read and I'm 37. I think it gets over perfectly how anxiety inducing living with an illness like this is. 

I liked it - I liked Max and I wanted him to be well. I liked how the book was set out and how so much happened in it. 

What age range is it for? I realise Max is fourteen, so maybe it's okay for fourteen year olds - but this is a really tough book. Take care of yourself or your teenage, please. 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No 

Are any main characters people of colour? No 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? I mean yes, obviously. Max is very, very unwell. 

Is there any sex stuff? No 

Are drugs mentioned or used? I think there's a little bit about prescription drugs 

Is there any talk of death? Yes. BE CAREFUL. I can't say this enough! 

Are there swear words? No 

 

What criticisms do I have? Well, first of all, my book was very badly proofread which annoyed me. There were grammatical errors all over and there was an English teacher called Miss French and then the school nurse was called Miss French at one point but then in the same paragraph her name was Miss Finchley. Annoying!

Secondly, I would have liked more exposition at the end. I felt like it ended quite abruptly and there were a couple of story threads (to do with the other people in the book mainly, although somewhat to do with Max too) that I would have liked to know how they were resolved.

Thirdly, I would have liked to know how Max's family found out he was anorexic to start with and how he started getting treatment. 

Would I recommend the book?  Yes, but please be careful 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I have been hearing really good things about it.  

What do I think of the cover? I quite like how it's stylised.  

What other books is it like? The obsessive thoughts part of it really reminded me Am I Normal Yet by Holly Bourne 

How many stars? Four out of five. I did like it, but with caveats 

Gut Feelings by C G Moore - Review

 

I saw C G Moore talk about this book as part of NYALitfest back in January, and I liked the sound of it, so I bought this and three more from that weekend from the bookshop that was part of the conference. I think there was like 10% off RRP - I know I got all four books for around £30. 

Okay, so this book is told in verse, in poetry, like The Black Flamingo and Sarah Crossan's book. I think it'll be compared to both, and I think it's a fair comparison in both cases. It has really, really gorgeous illustrations that I think added a lot to the story, and I think they deserve praise.

I think this book is all a true story. At the conferece, Chris was talking about living with a chronic illness, which is what piqued my interest in the book. The book details his disease - a condition called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis - where polyps form on the large intestine. Chris was diagnosed aged 11. His mum and grandma also had the condition. Chris had surgery to remove the large intestine and had a stoma, and an ileostomy bag. He had this reversed later, but had a bag for five years. At the end of the book he is a student in Dublin. He is gay and has come out to his family by that point - which were some of my favourite although heartbreaking poems within the whole thing. A lot of the poems talk about being disabled, and how that feels, and about having an invisible illness and how Chris sometimes gets abuse for using disabled toilets because he doesn't 'look' disabled. This is obviously something that often happens - it has happened to me! - and I liked that the book highlighted it.

The early poems talked a lot about surgery, and about what being in hospital was like. I thought that the pain and misery really came across here; the poems were really well written.

In all, I liked this book and would read something else by the author. I'm giving this four out of five. 

Unbroken, an Anthology edited by Marieke Nijkamp - Review

I got this for my birthday last year from Lucinda, I think, and around my birthday this year I remembered it, so pulled it off the shelves. I started it weeks ago, and read about half, but then I got stuck on one story and put it down to read something else. However, I then decided to just skip that story and finish the book. I didn't gel with it, and that's fine. I'm not telling you which story it was, because it doesn't really matter - just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean you won't love it. That's the beauty of short story anthologies, really - there's such a mix and there's something for everyone.

So the premise of this anthology is that it is stories starring disabled teens. I think in most of the cases, the authors are disabled too. Many of the teens featured live at the intersection of another minority too, whether they are queer, or teens of colour, or are living in poverty or in other precarious situations. Lots of the stories are really good, it was only a couple that I didn't like and ended up skipping.

The stand out stories for me were one about a girl who is blind and who rides a tandem bike, one about a bipolar kid trying to keep it all together for her family, and one about a daughter of Mother Nature who stands up to her bullies by making it snow. Most of the stories are contemporary, but there's a few that are historical and one that is fantastical in nature. I felt like there was a good scope of disabilities represented, both physical and mental. I'm giving this three and a half out of five.

The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree by Paola Peretti - Review

Where did I get it? I bought it on Kindle a few weeks ago, it was just 98p

What's it about? It's a middle grade book about an Italian girl called Mafalda. She is nine years old and she has Stargadt disease, meaning she is going blind. There are dots in her eyes and degeneration of her macula. I had heard of this disease before, because Kaitlyn in Floored has it too. It turns out that the author of this book, Paola Peretti, has it too, so she's obviously writing from a place of knowledge.

Anyway, Mafalda is going blind faster than she and her parents and her doctors hoped, meaning that is likely to be left in the dark within six months. And like she says, all children are afraid of the dark. 

Mafalda has a list of things she will no longer be able to do, and as she stops being able to do them, she crosses them off. She also watches to see how many steps it is between the cherry tree and when she is able to see it. The tree is outside her school and it means a lot of Mafalda. 

At school, one of the caretakers, Estella, is a particular friend of Mafalda's, and I loved this relationship. We also see Mafalda make a new, careful friendship with a boy in the class above her, Filippo. He is a "bad" boy and at first their relationship is very stilted, but I loved how we got to know him through Mafalda.

This is an almost perfect example of a middle grade book. It deals with some really hard themes in a very simple but never simplistic way. I loved Mafalda, I thought she was a really likeable and relatable character. I also really liked her parents. And her cat!

I thought the ending was brilliant too - I think I stopped breathing at one point. It is hard hitting but done in a really, really beautiful way. I would definitely read anything 

What age range is it for? 9+, I think 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No 

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, and Estella is an immigrant into Italy, I liked how this was deal with. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Obviously. I loved how Mafalda described things, like some things were "fuzzy", or she had to get up really close to things, or how she looked at herself in the mirror. 

Is there any sex stuff? No 

Are drugs mentioned or used? No 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, it is done beautifully. I thought it was extremely age appropriate 

Are there swear words? No 

What criticisms do I have? Honestly, barely none. 

Would I recommend the book? Absolutely. I think this would be a lovely book for a parent and child to read together, too.

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I actually had it earmarked to read on holiday but I didn't have internet connection to download it, so I had to wait until I got home

What other books is it like? Gosh, I can't think of any 

How many stars? Five out of five. Like I said, it is a great example of middle grade contemporary

Floored: A Novel - Review

Where did I get it? Netgalley, so thank you very much to Pan Macmillan for allowing me it 

What's it about? There has been so much hype around this book which really made me want to read it! It is a collaborative novel written by seven of the best voices in UK Young Adult literature - Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson, and Eleanor Wood. I think I've read books by all these authors except for Lisa Williamson, so I knew I had excellent writing in store. 

What happens is that six teenagers happen to meet one day in Manchester. They are all, for some reason or another, at UKB (basically the BBC). Two are there for an internship, one is there to deliver a parcel. They all get into a lift at the same time, and at the last second a postman does too, pushing a trolley. And then, between floors, he dies, and the teens have to work out what to do next. 

We then see the six throughout the next few years as they meet up on the same day each year, and as their lives progress. It is such an interesting concept for a book!

The six teens are as follows: Dawson, who used to be on TV but who isn't "cute" anymore and isn't sure if he'll work again, Kaitlyn, who was a fan of Dawson's and who has just been diagnosed with Stargardt disease which means she will lose her sight, Velvet, who lives in a hotel in Bridlington and is trying her best to fit in, Sasha, who is working for her overbearing dad and also trying her best, Hugo, who is rich, whose dad is an MP, and who is full of himself, and finally Joe, who dreams of more than working in the local biscuit factory. Each author wrote one of the teens each, and then the 7th one wrote the narrator bits at the end of each year, which told us loads more of the action.

I loved each of the characters, I thought they were very distinct from each other and well drawn. I liked that at least three of them came from working class families; I felt like class was a big theme within the book actually. I liked the stuff around disability, both with Kaitlyn and with someone else's family member, which I won't spoiler. I liked the stuff around sexuality, which I also won't spoiler but which I felt was dealt with in a really good way.

I don't have a clue which author wrote each part. I hope we do get to find out! I thought the person writing the narrator parts had the most difficult job, but they were well written parts which sat nicely alongside the other more personal parts. I am talking about writing a collaborative novel myself with a friend, so I really liked to see how Person 1's point of view segued into Person 2's, and so on, and how that was done without a lot of repetition.

I also liked how we first saw everyone at 15/16, on work experience, and then saw them get older, saw them grow into adults. I thought the character progression was shown really well.

What age range is it for? 15+ 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Yes, I am utterly not spoiling it though because I loved the way this unfolded. 

Are any main characters people of colour? Sasha is mixed race - I would have liked a bit more exposition here really, but I did like the descriptions of her relationship with her mother. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Yes, as I've described above 

Is there any sex stuff? Yes, a little. It is slightly graphic. 

Are drugs mentioned or used? I think so, I think there's some mention but not much 

Is there any talk of death? Yes. The death in the lift isn't very graphic but may be upsetting, and there is some other discussion. 

Are there swear words? Yeah. 

What criticisms do I have? Almost none. There were a couple of inconsistencies but honestly I'm putting them down to trying to co-ordinate seven people and their writing! (And they may be ironed out in the final version). Some reviews have said they thought the novel was too superficial. I don't agree. I think it is simple and simply told, but I don't think it's superficial. There was lots of stuff to dig into if you wanted. 

Would I recommend the book? Very much absolutely! It's a really fun book. 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? As I said I'd seen a lot of the hype and I wanted to see if it lived up to it. It does - it most definitely does! 

What other books is it like? I honestly don't know. It is simply told like a lot of Non Pratt's book, but it has shades of all the other writers too. It reminded me a bit of Alice Oseman, too. 

How many stars? Five out of five. Read it, read it now!

Skylarks by Karen Gregory - Review

Where did I get it? The library! I joined a Needles and Pins craft group a few weeks ago which meets every Monday morning for a couple of hours. It's mostly retired women, but there's a nice mix of knitters, crocheters, and people sewing, so I've been enjoying it. To get to it I walk through the children's section of the library, and on my way out last week I noticed this on the "New books" stand. I was the first person to check it out but I really hope I'm not the last. 

What's it about? Joni Cooper is seventeen and at college. She works at the local library. Her family is pretty poor - they struggle for money, especially because her dad can't work, and juggle which bills they're going to pay each month. Her older brother Jamie works at a local pub, where he's friends with someone who says that the estate they live on is going to be sold and everyone will lose their homes. 

Meanwhile, a girl called Annabel starts to work at the library. Her dad is a big funder of the library, and she's extremely well off. She goes to a private school and lives in a big house. Joni is convinced that they have absolutely nothing in common and that Annabel will just mess up everything at work, but there is a spark between them. Joni is already out as gay, but she doesn't know how Annabel feels, and the two start getting closer.

I did see a few of the twists coming in this book, although like I always say, that's because I'm 34 and have read lots of books before. A teenager may not read things the same way I did. I liked the political stuff, I thought it was very well done and easy to understand. I liked the ending, because it wasn't completely happy, and that is how life is - good things happen and bad things happen and you have to cope with that. 

I LOVED Joni's family. I loved that she was both queer and working class - intersectionality exists! I liked Joni - she did daft things at times but they were often easy to understand. I liked how the family tried their best but weren't always right in what they did - but they loved each other enough to get through stuff. 

I liked Annabel, although I would have liked to know more about her. I thought the story skimmed over some stuff that I would have liked to see. It's a simple story and I would have liked a tiny bit more depth, but I appreciate that there's only so much space in one book. 

I liked all the stuff set on the South Downs and I liked the stuff about birds and about freedom. This is something that's quite often used in US YA literature but almost never in UK books, so I really liked that. 

What age range is it for? Anything from 14+ I would think

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Yep, Joni is gay. And Annabel is some kind of something. I actually wish this had been done differently - Joni just seemed to assume Annabel was also gay, and, well, bisexuality exists?! I would have liked more discussion of this and more nuance, but it didn't detract from the book that much for me. 

Are any main characters people of colour? No 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Yes, Joni's dad is suffering from a bad back and there's a lot of stuff about his pain, and also about people's misconceptions about disability and about benefit "scroungers". I liked this aspect a lot. 

Is there any sex stuff? There is a little, it's not explicit 

Are drugs mentioned or used? There's some mention of prescription painkillers but that's all. 

Is there any talk of death? No 

Are there swear words? No, I don't think so? Certainly not many if there are. 

What criticisms do I have? I did think it was too simple in parts, and I would have liked some kind of outspoken statement about Annabel's sexuality. 

Would I recommend the book? Absolutely yes. 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? Because it needs to go back to the library so I don't incur fines! 

What other books is it like? It has a feel of Sara Barnard's books to it to me. I have Countless also by Karen Gregory and I'd be interested to see if it's similar to this. 

How many stars? Four out of five. 

Where is the book going now? Back to the library on Monday!

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr - Review

Where did I get it? Netgalley, thank you so much to Penguin Random House UK Children's publishers.

What's it about? Flora Banks is seventeen and lives in Penzance in Cornwall with her parents. Her best friend is Paige. Flora has amnesia and every day, she forgets who she is. She can remember things from before she turned ten, but can't make new memories. 

Right at the beginning of the novel, Paige's boyfriend Drake is leaving to go to study in Svalbard. He and Flora kiss on the beach and Flora remembers it, the first new memory she has made in years. Soon after, Flora's parents have to leave Penzance to go and see her ill brother in Paris, leaving her with Paige. But Paige isn't talking to her because she found out about the kiss with Drake, so Flora is left by herself. She starts an email correspondence with Drake, and eventually decides to go to Svalbard to see him. 

Because Flora doesn't remember things, she writes things on her arms a lot. She also has a notebook that her Mum has written in. Because of this, the novel is somewhat repetitive which can be annoying but also puts the reader in Flora's head, which must be a frustrating place to live. 

I loved the descriptions of Svalbard, it's somewhere I've always wanted to go and the idea of the midnight sun is really appealing! I've read several of Emily Barr's adult novels - Backpack, Baggage, and Cuban Heels over ten years ago, and Stranded more recently in 2012 - and I've always found them entertaining enough. This novel is certainly in a similar style to those, so if you enjoy that I'd recommend those too. Even though they're for adults, their subject matters are no harder than this one, so you may like them. Even though these novels seem really frothy and dismissable, Emily's style belies deep novels and this is definitely one of them. She's made her first foray into YA literature really well, I think. I was expecting twists and turns because I know that's what Emily does, but I didn't see the exact ones coming which was great!

What age range is it for? 15+

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No

Are any main characters people of colour? No

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Yep, obviously. It's hard to read but worth it and you really sympathise with the character. 

Is there any sex stuff? No, and for which I'm glad. I find it hard to believe that someone like Flora could consent to sex in an informed way.

Are drugs mentioned or used? Yes, prescription medication

Is there any talk of death? Yes

Are there swear words? No, very few 

Would I recommend the book? Yes, absolutely. A great start to my new year!

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I've heard so much stuff about it on other book blogs and Twitter, and I don't regret choosing it now!

How many stars? Nine out of ten. A very convincing book. 

As I Descended by Robin Talley - Review

Where did I get it? From Netgalley, thank you so much to Harlequin UK Children's. This is out on September 6th. I'm three for three on Robin's books now, she is definitely one of my current favourite authors. 

What's it about? This is a modern retelling of Macbeth set in a private boarding school in Virginia. Maria and Lily are a couple in their last year of school. They want to go to Standford University together, but Maria needs to win the prestigious Kingsley Prize in order for that to happen. The thing standing in her way is Queen Bee Delilah, who gets high at the weekend. So Maria decides to sabotage her by drugging her the day before a drug test. 

The novel begins with Maria, Lily, and Maria's best friend Brandon using a ouija board. The spirits start to talk to Maria and the whole thing is incredibly creepy and atmospheric. There's loads of rumours about horrible things that have happened at the school and about the spirits that surround the place. Brandon begins to become

suspicious about Maria's involvement in what happened to Delilah and confides in his boyfriend Mateo. 

The novel changes perspective quite often which I liked because it meant the reader got lots of information that the others didn't know. I liked Maria, even though she's the "baddie" of the novel; she's Macbeth. I really liked Mateo, who's perspective we only get towards the end. A really tense, atmospheric, and cleverly done novel. 

What age range is it for? 15+.

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Yes. I'll trigger warning for some homophobia, but mainly the queer characters are treated very well.

Are any main characters people of colour? Maria and Mateo are both Hispanic; it's mentioned a lot and is used as part of the narrative. I liked it. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Yes, Lily is disabled from an accident when she was younger and again it's mentioned a lot and is definitely part of her story. 

Is there any sex stuff? No, just some kissing and sharing of beds. 

Are drugs mentioned or used? Yes, we see Delilah use oxycontin and then see her high when Maria drugs her. 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, it's sort of a central tenet. Some of it is quite gory. 

Are there swear words? Not many 

Would I recommend the book? Yes, totally. Robin has such a way with words and where her previous novels have been very realistic, this proves that she can move into the world of fantasy quite easily. I loved the setting and the main characters. 

How many stars? Eight out of ten, it's really good. 

One by Sarah Crossan - Review

Where did I get it? Wordery.com as part of my Carnegie medal order. It's only just come out in paperback so it only arrived the week I decided to read it! 

What's it about? Grace and Tippi (named after Hitchcock's heroines Grace Kelly and Tippi Hedren) are conjoined twins, joined at the hip with two legs between them. Their Dad has lost his job so they have to go to school for the first time. Their Mum loses her job too, and their younger sister Dragon is concentrating on her ballet. 

One is written in free verse which I was unconvinced about to start with, but it actually works really well. It makes the book less of a full narrative and more of a collection of vignettes about the family's life. There's a lot that's left out, but it really works. 

I do have to say that I'm a bit over books where people with some kind of disability/difference have to go to school for the first time. I get that school is scary and that's what authors are going for, but I'd love to read a book where someone is already in school and mostly accepted by their peers. Lots of schoolkids have differences that are just part of the class make up and no one really cares. I'd rather see this but I realise that it makes a story less exciting I guess. 

I will say that I really liked that this family had an intersection of problems, like with their dad losing his job and his drinking problem. Too often it feels like the "issue" is the only problem that a family has and that's totally not true. Life doesn't work like that!

I liked Tippi a lot, and Dragon, but I absolutely adored Grace and I'm really glad the book was totally from her point of view.

What age range is it for? 13+ I think, there's nothing too adult in it.

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No

Are any main characters non-white? No

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? While I can understand that being conjoined twins may be seen as a disability, I don't think that the twins think they're disabled. They're understand how their bodies work together. I don't want to label them as disabled when I don't think that's how the twins would see themselves. 

Trigger warning for some eating disorder stuff. 

Is there any sex stuff? No

Are drugs mentioned or used? No

Is there any talk of death? Yes, but it's not graphic.

Are there swear words? Not many

Would I recommend the book? Yes, totally. At the beginning I was very unsure if I'd like the book, but I loved the twins and their friends Yasmeen and Jon. It was a very quick read and I found it a really emotional read. 

How many stars? Nine out of ten. My friend Stacey also read it in one sitting and cried! I have another book by Sarah Crossan and I think I'll pick it up sooner rather than later. 

Where is the book going now? I'll keep it, but I think I'll lend it to my friend Laura first!