The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell - Review

My partner read this on his tablet last year and really enjoyed it. I've been encouraging him to read more gothic horror books so he's got quite a collection. Then he saw that I had the book in paperback - it was a present I think - so he said I should read it. So I put it to the top of the pile. I'm so glad I did because I loved it, it really kept me engrossed.

It's set in the 1860s and to begin with we meet Elsie in an asylum. She is unable to speak due to trauma. Her new doctor wants her to write down what happened because he has to give a report to the police about whether she is fit to stand trial. So Elsie does.

So we discover that about a year before, she was newly widowed. Her husband Rupert had been an investor in the match factory Elsie owns with her brother Jolyon. Rupert has returned to his family country seat, The Bridge, in order to make it habitable for Elsie and their coming child. However, while he's there, he dies, so Elsie goes immediately to bury him, with Rupert's cousin Sarah alongside.

Elsie and Sarah stay at the Bridge after Rupert's funeral and strange things start happening. Firstly there are splinters on Rupert's neck before he is buried. Then at night Elsie hears a hissing kind of noise, a sound of wood on wood, and gets up to look for the source. She thinks there's something in the garret, but it's locked, so she and Sarah attempt to get in. While there, they find some wooden painted statue things called silent companions.

Sarah likes them so they bring a couple down, but then the statues start to move and appear at will. They also find a diary, kept by the mistress of the house from the 1660s, Anne Bainbridge. Anne is suspected to be a witch and through her diary we find out what happened in the house to make the local villagers distrustful of the Bainbridges and the house.

I could barely put this book down - I thought it was really creepy and unnerving and really wanted to know what was going to happen next to the women. I loved that there were no men in the house full time; it was so easy for the men to dismiss what was happening as just hysteria. I'm giving this five out of five - if you like horror, do read it!

No Way Out by Cara Hunter - Review

As I enjoyed the first in the DI Adam Fawley series recently, I made a note to read the next two pretty soon. I'm trying really hard to not buy books currently as recently I've had quite a few that I had preordered arrive. Plus of course I already own around 900 books. So I decided instead to not read any of those but to reserve another of Cara Hunter's books from the library. I actually reserved both. This one arrived first so even though it's the third in the series I decided to start it. Often crime novels will hark back to previous books but not give spoilers out so that each one can be read as a standalone, and that's exactly what happened here. I got a bit of the story of the second novel, but that just intrigued me and made me want to read it more!

This book is set just after Christmas, in early 2018. Adam Fawley is called to a house fire in the early hours of the morning. Felix House, on Southey Road in Oxford, is lived in by Michael Esmond and his wife Samantha, and their two children Matty and Zachary. Zachary is found dead in the nursery upstairs. Matty is taken to hospital and later dies of his injuries. Samantha is found in the remains of the house, but Michael is nowhere to be found.

Clearly police are eager to talk to him so they contact his brother, who is on a yacht in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and his employer, the university, who have had a complaint of sexual assault made against him. They don't seem to be getting anywhere very fast.

As before, this story is told from several different points of view. There's first person narrative from Adam himself. I find him a likeable detective who doesn't seem to suffer from the same narcissism that a lot do. There's third person narratives from some of his team - DC Somer, DC Everett, DC Quinn, and acting DS Gislingham. Then there's newspaper reports mixed in which often included members of the public's comments, which are often of the witch hunt variety. Then there's passages about what happened to the family in the months running up to the fire, which often reveal things that you as the reader don't realise are pertinent until later. I like the way these books are written - it feels quite modern and fresh.

I raced through this, finishing it on Friday lunchtime while sitting outside in the grass. I can't wait to read the next one, and I've lent the first one to my mum because I want her to like it too!

These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling - Review

Where did I get it? I bought it for myself. I had it on pre-order and had totally forgotten about it when it arrived! 

What's it about? Hannah lives in Salem, Massachusetts, site of the infamous witch trials, with her mum and dad. She is an Elemental witch, one of the original three witch clans. She can manipulate the elements into doing her magic. The other clans are Casters, who make potions and cast spells, and Blood witches, who use blood from their victim to manipulate them. She has plenty of her coven close by, including her ex girlfriend, Veronica.

It's never fully explained why they split up, except they were in New York City when they met a Blood witch who took over Hannah and scared the both of them. They're both finding it hard to get over the other, but Hannah can't forgive Veronica. 

At the beginning of the book they're at a party when there's a fire. There's an animal sacrifice near by it and Hannah becomes convinced there's a Blood witch in town. A few days later she sees some runes on a wall and her conviction deepens. Her family says there's nothing to worry about, so Hannah tries to put it behind her, but then at another party there's a house fire and Hannah uses her magic to save her friend Benton. This gets her in trouble with her coven but she's desperately trying to find out the truth.

Meanwhile, she has to keep her magic hidden from her best friend Gemma, but Gemma has introduced her to a new girl in town, Morgan, and Hannah discovers she is also queer. 

I struggled to get into this book in the first hundred pages. I thought there was a lot of stuff there that didn't need to be there and which didn't, in fact, get resolved later in the book. I think at least 25 pages could have been cut out. But after that, I got into it and really enjoyed the book. Things keep happening - there's a lot of catastrophes - and Hannah just kind of spins through the book, although there are really sweet episodes where she and Morgan are together, for instance. I hope it's the first in a series - it certainly has that kind of ending and would lend itself to a sequel. I thought the author wrote really well and I'll certainly look out for something else by her. 

What age range is it for? 14+ 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Yes. Hannah is gay and already out at the beginning of the book. Morgan is bisexual and although Hannah reacts badly to this when she finds out, I loved how she apologised and I am always here for more bisexual representation in books. 

Are any main characters people of colour? I don't think so?

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Not exactly. There are some accidents and subsequent trauma, though. 

Is there any sex stuff? No. I would have liked it if there was! 

Are drugs mentioned or used? I don't think so. 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, and some of it is graphic and may be upsetting. 

Are there swear words? No 

What criticisms do I have? As I said, I thought the book was slow to get going. I also would have liked to see exactly what happened to Hannah in New York and why she couldn't forgive Veronica, because I don't think it was clear enough. 

Would I recommend the book? Yes absolutely, it's great. 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? It had just arrived and I'm loving this resurgence of witch based books. 

What do I think of the cover? I like it, I think it's really cute and would make me pick the book up. 

What other books is it like? It's definitely like Undead Girl Gang which I read recently. I thought they were both really good. 

How many stars? Four out of five 

Where is the book going now? I actually lent it to my friend Sarah! I'll have to see what she thinks about it. 

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - Review

Where did I get it? Netgalley. The book is twenty years old but is being republished and I liked the sound of it. Thank you to Hachette Children's Group for granting me access to this book. 

What's it about? Melinda is about to start high school in Syracuse, New York. She used to have friends - Rachel, Nicole, Ivy, some others - but ever since a party at the end of the summer she's been an outcast. Melinda was supposed to be at Rachel's all night, but they snuck out to the party. While there, Melinda was sexually assaulted by an older teenager, so she phoned the police. No one knows why she did it, though, not even her parents, who know nothing about the whole incident and who spend all their time arguing anyway.

Mel manages to make a new friend in her first few weeks of high school. Heather is a new student and is trying out a number of different cliques within the school. Mel also finds a disused janitor's closet that she begins to make her own. She is failing nearly all her subjects, unable to speak or make herself heard, but she likes Art and her art teacher. 

This is in parts a really funny book. I liked Mel's dry sense of humour and how she made herself get through things. I liked how there was some resolution but not in a way that made it feel unrealistic. I think it has aged well for a book that is two decades old, and I think the message about young women being assaulted is absolutely still an important one.

I don't think I've read anything else by Anderson but I would in the future. 

What age range is it for? 14+ 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No 

Are any main characters people of colour? No I don't think so 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? I think Mel's mental health issues count, yes. She just feels totally stifled, in a way that feels extremely relatable. I thought at first that she was literally mute, but she does speak occasionally. 

Is there any sex stuff? Yes, trigger warning for assault 

Are drugs mentioned or used? I don't think so 

Is there any talk of death? I don't think so 

Are there swear words? No 

What criticisms do I have? I wish there had been a little bit more resolution. I wish Mel had confided in someone - a friend, her mum, or a teacher, even her guidance counsellor - but that's probably me as an adult thinking about it. 

Would I recommend the book? Yes 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I had requested four books on Netgalley and was really eager to get to all of them! 

What do I think of the cover? There's a number of covers and they all feature a girl being stopped from speaking and trees, which is a theme in the book, so I like them 

What other books is it like? It reminded me of All the Rage by Courtney Summers. 

How many stars? Six out of ten 

Speak will be re-published in August 2019. I was given a free electronic copy of the novel but was not compensated in any other way for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

My Dad Thinks I'm A Boy?! by Sophie Labelle - Review

I spied this trans positive children's book on Netgalley and requested it immediately. I've read some of Sophie's Assigned Male comic - I backed it on Kickstarter at some point I think - so was intrigued to see this book which is set when Stephie, star of Assigned Male, is around seven years old. The book notes that the doctors thought she was a boy but that as soon as she could speak, Stephie told her parents she was a girl. Her mother Alice accepts this quickly but her dad - from whom her mother is separated - can't.

Stephie likes bugs and books and spaghetti. Her dad thinks she likes wrestling and fishing - but those are things that he likes. He struggles to see who she really is. I really liked how that is placed solely on him, and not on Stephie. Not on the child trying her very best to be who she really is.

I'm so glad to have read this, it was so uplifting and cute. I really hope it gets into the hands of some trans kids! Five out of five.

My Dad Thinks I'm A Boy?! will be published in February 2020 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for a review but was not otherwise compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you!

Catcher, Caught by Sarah Collins Honenberger

Where did I get it? I bought it on Kindle a couple of years ago when it was just 99p as I'd seen it recommended. 

What's it about? Daniel is fifteen at the beginning of the book and has just been diagnosed with leukemia. He lives on a houseboat with his mother and father, who are old hippies, and his younger brother Nick. His older brother Joe is away at college but visits the family a few times. The book is set in Virginia, which I liked. 

Daniel's parents have decided he won't be having any chemotherapy or radiotherapy to try to combat the disease. Their reasons are never really given, but it is obvious that Daniel will die within the year (and I don't think the prognosis is much better for if he had treatment, but it's not obvious). Instead he's being treated with herbal remedies and so on. It becomes obvious in the book that Daniel DOES want treatment, but he at no point argues with his parents about this. He progressively gets iller throughout the book.

His best friend is called Mack, but the two of them grow apart over the course of the book. Mack has his own problems going on. He also has twin new neighbours, twins Meredith and Juliann, and Daniel is interested in Meredith. The two of them start seeing each other - something which was easily the best part of the book for me. 

Daniel is also obsessed with Catcher in the Rye which I haven't read so all the references fell totally flat for me, which didn't help me to love the book. 

I just didn't fully engage with the story, for reasons given below. 

What age range is it for? 14+

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No 

Are any main characters people of colour? No 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? I think Daniel's illness counts as a disability, yes, although it's not really framed that way. Some of the illness stuff is a bit graphic. 

Is there any sex stuff? Yes. There's sex and sexual fantasy. The sex is safe, which I really liked. It's not graphic but is a little explicit. 

Are drugs mentioned or used? Mentioned, but it's not graphic. 

Is there any talk of death? Yes but not really as much as you'd think. 

Are there swear words? I don't think so, not many if there are. 

What criticisms do I have? Okay so firstly the word "spastic" is used about four times in a pejorative way, eg "I'll just look like a spastic." I understand that this word isn't considered the same in America as it is in Britain, where it's a complete slur and isn't used any more. But I did think that its use had slowed in America and it was now recognised as a slur. This book was published in 2010, which I feel personally is late enough for this word not to be used. I found it horrifying, if I'm honest. 

There's also an instance where someone says they used to be "really fat, like a plus size". Okay sure, that sounds REALLY fat to me. I really think that YA has come on a lot in almost a decade... and I'm glad! 

Would I recommend the book? Not overly. I just didn't think the story was that well told

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I was still reading on my tablet while I was away and it was downloaded. 

What do I think of the cover? I actually really like it! I thought it was bright. 

What other books is it like? The romance and cancer aspects reminded me of The Fault In Our Stars. I actually thought the romance was really sweetly done, I'd have liked more of it. 

How many stars? Three out of five. 

Keep Her Close by Erik Therme Blog Tour

I was offered the opportunity to join in the blog tour for Erik Therme's book Keep Her Close, so please do check out the other stops on the tour to see what they think of the book!

I was intrigued by the premise of this book when I heard it:

Then:

Three-year-old Ally was found alone in a parking lot.

She was barefoot and dressed only in a yellow sundress. In the middle of winter.

What kind of person would abandon their daughter?

Now:

Fifteen years later and Ally has a new family. 

But her real father has sent her a letter.

And now Ally is missing. 

So at the beginning of the book, Dan and Holly find a little girl in a parking lot by herself. They end up adopting her when police can't find her family. They divorce when Anna is a little bit older, and Holly remarries Steve.

Ally then goes off to college where she lives with a friend. At the beginning of the book she gets a letter, supposedly from her birth father, asking her to meet him. She's quite impulsive and a little immature for her age so although Dan says the letter is probably a crank, she decides to go and meet "Frank" anyway.

Holly and Dan turn up to see her and end up chasing round trying to find her. There's plenty of twists and turns along the way, some of which I found more believable than others. I did like the book, but felt it wasn't altogether long enough and didn't explain things enough in places for me. I liked Ally as a character and felt for her. I liked Dan's character and his choices even though they were sometimes quite stupid. I'm giving this three out of five.