Take a photo of a barcode or cover
patchworkbunny's Reviews (2.12k)
When Rory’s parents get work at the University of Bristol, she convinces them to let her go to boarding school in London. Used to living in a Louisiana town (or swamp) where everyone knows everyone, she can’t wait to get to the big city. But her arrival coincides with the start of brutal murders in the East End, mimicking those of Jack the Ripper. As Rippermania spreads across London once more, the police are at a dead end. They have CCTV footage of the crime scenes but they show no suspects.
It’s one of the few books that actually manages to nail an American teen in the UK. Rory is aware of the things that she should and shouldn’t say and there is even a whole paragraph on explaining the difference between England, Britain and UK. There’s lot of little funny titbits poking fun at habits from both sides of the Atlantic and it’s always raining. I love Maureen Johnson a little bit for this.
For the most part, the teenagers just happen to be located in the centre of all the crimes rather than them running off and getting involved in an unrealistic manner. The school, Wexford, is a sort of boarding sixth form college, which explains away some of the leniencies. It’s only when Rory sees a strange man on the night of one of the murders that she becomes a witness and things start to seem a little weird. For what might sound like a straight young adult thriller, has a supernatural twist. I will leave it at that (or you can read my review of the sequel, The Madness Underneath, tomorrow).
Gripping, funny and just the right amount of clever, with characters you’ll adore. Maureen Johnson has just elevated herself to a must read author. This is exactly the kind of young adult writing I want to be reading.
It’s one of the few books that actually manages to nail an American teen in the UK. Rory is aware of the things that she should and shouldn’t say and there is even a whole paragraph on explaining the difference between England, Britain and UK. There’s lot of little funny titbits poking fun at habits from both sides of the Atlantic and it’s always raining. I love Maureen Johnson a little bit for this.
For the most part, the teenagers just happen to be located in the centre of all the crimes rather than them running off and getting involved in an unrealistic manner. The school, Wexford, is a sort of boarding sixth form college, which explains away some of the leniencies. It’s only when Rory sees a strange man on the night of one of the murders that she becomes a witness and things start to seem a little weird. For what might sound like a straight young adult thriller, has a supernatural twist. I will leave it at that (or you can read my review of the sequel, The Madness Underneath, tomorrow).
Gripping, funny and just the right amount of clever, with characters you’ll adore. Maureen Johnson has just elevated herself to a must read author. This is exactly the kind of young adult writing I want to be reading.
The Madness Underneath is the sequel to The Name of the Star and therefore this review will contain spoilers for the previous book.
Rory is stuck in Bristol following her close-call with the Ripper copycat. She can’t tell her therapist what really happened and she’d rather not be in therapy at all. She’d rather be back in London, with her friends and the people who know what really happened to her. When she tries to reach out to the ghosts of Bristol, she finds something odd and scary happening; the ghosts are vanishing. So when her therapist suddenly decides it would be beneficial to return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to go back to school.
Whilst the first book was a gripping thriller, this second instalment is much more about Rory coming to terms with her mixed feelings and anxieties and how her life has been completely turned upside-down. She’s incredibly isolated whilst her parents are trying to keep her safe, understandably for them. Yet back in London, the Shades (a supernatural ghost-busting police force, top secret, hush hush) are reluctant to let her get too involved with their work. Except that she has new found powers which they really need. So she also becomes frustrated being back in London and her schoolwork starts to suffer as well.
Of course, there is plenty of ghosty goings on and suspicious things to be investigated; it is overall a much slower and more thoughtful novel. I didn’t really believe Rory’s sudden trust in her new therapist and the quite clearly dodgy set up they had going on. She just seemed to be uncharacteristically naïve all of a sudden.
But the ending! Oh how my heart breaks. There’s something about the quietness of it all that makes so much more of an impact. It’s also a cliffhanger ending that feels like a conclusion but leaves you desperately wanting to read more. The wait will be a long one…
Rory is stuck in Bristol following her close-call with the Ripper copycat. She can’t tell her therapist what really happened and she’d rather not be in therapy at all. She’d rather be back in London, with her friends and the people who know what really happened to her. When she tries to reach out to the ghosts of Bristol, she finds something odd and scary happening; the ghosts are vanishing. So when her therapist suddenly decides it would be beneficial to return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to go back to school.
Whilst the first book was a gripping thriller, this second instalment is much more about Rory coming to terms with her mixed feelings and anxieties and how her life has been completely turned upside-down. She’s incredibly isolated whilst her parents are trying to keep her safe, understandably for them. Yet back in London, the Shades (a supernatural ghost-busting police force, top secret, hush hush) are reluctant to let her get too involved with their work. Except that she has new found powers which they really need. So she also becomes frustrated being back in London and her schoolwork starts to suffer as well.
Of course, there is plenty of ghosty goings on and suspicious things to be investigated; it is overall a much slower and more thoughtful novel. I didn’t really believe Rory’s sudden trust in her new therapist and the quite clearly dodgy set up they had going on. She just seemed to be uncharacteristically naïve all of a sudden.
But the ending! Oh how my heart breaks. There’s something about the quietness of it all that makes so much more of an impact. It’s also a cliffhanger ending that feels like a conclusion but leaves you desperately wanting to read more. The wait will be a long one…
Jason Prosper had lived a charmed life until the year his best friend Cal, committed suicide. Jason blames himself, and his wealthy father, wishing to hide away the shame, sends him off to Bellingham Academy; a prep school on the New England coast. Whilst he soon makes friends, Jason struggles to come to terms with his loss, walking away from the very thing he and Cal loved so much; sailing. The night the hurricane hits, brings fresh tragedy and forces Jason to re-evaluate his friendships.
One of the things I didn’t enjoy about the book is the very thing that makes it effective as a story. I really disliked Jason’s so-called friends at Bellingham. Preppy, privileged, arrogant, whatever you want to call them, they are the epitome of spoilt rich kids. There's a lot of name dropping of artwork they own or people they are connected to. But the fact that Jason is lost at sea amongst them says something about his character. There are times when he appears to fit in; to comply and feel at home. Then there are these glimpses of the real Jason which break your heart.
The story of Jason and Cal is told in glimpses. There’s a tenderness underneath the harsh exterior of the superficial world. He did come across a bit passive throughout. He appears to let people get on with things and his feelings seemed dampened. The story is set in the 80s, with Black Friday making an impact on many of the families. The economic crash also marks a turning point for Jason, his loyalties, already being stretched, seem to start to change when he sees how the follies of the few can affect good people.
I normally love coastal settings but I found the rather functional descriptions of sailing a bit boring. There are words I recognise well enough, but without a real interest in competitive sailing, they didn’t conjure up scenes or emotions. There are a few moments, when Jason is looking back on times he sailed with Cal, which get across what sailing meant to them, but mostly, the detail got in the way. It’s probably of much more interest to sailing geeks.
It's also one of those books that mentions several other, well-known books or authors during the text. Presumably things the students read but it does act as a roadmap of sorts for what Amber Dermont likes and it's maybe not surprising that they are not amongst my shelves. It's a good book but too many things not to my tastes.
One of the things I didn’t enjoy about the book is the very thing that makes it effective as a story. I really disliked Jason’s so-called friends at Bellingham. Preppy, privileged, arrogant, whatever you want to call them, they are the epitome of spoilt rich kids. There's a lot of name dropping of artwork they own or people they are connected to. But the fact that Jason is lost at sea amongst them says something about his character. There are times when he appears to fit in; to comply and feel at home. Then there are these glimpses of the real Jason which break your heart.
The story of Jason and Cal is told in glimpses. There’s a tenderness underneath the harsh exterior of the superficial world. He did come across a bit passive throughout. He appears to let people get on with things and his feelings seemed dampened. The story is set in the 80s, with Black Friday making an impact on many of the families. The economic crash also marks a turning point for Jason, his loyalties, already being stretched, seem to start to change when he sees how the follies of the few can affect good people.
I normally love coastal settings but I found the rather functional descriptions of sailing a bit boring. There are words I recognise well enough, but without a real interest in competitive sailing, they didn’t conjure up scenes or emotions. There are a few moments, when Jason is looking back on times he sailed with Cal, which get across what sailing meant to them, but mostly, the detail got in the way. It’s probably of much more interest to sailing geeks.
It's also one of those books that mentions several other, well-known books or authors during the text. Presumably things the students read but it does act as a roadmap of sorts for what Amber Dermont likes and it's maybe not surprising that they are not amongst my shelves. It's a good book but too many things not to my tastes.
Is Sherlock Holmes a genius or just a man with a well-trained mind? In Maria Konnikova’s popular psychology book, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, she compares the Sherlock system to the Watson system, using examples from the original stories to illustrate the methods.
It’s an odd combination of fact and fiction, one which works for me. You either have to go in with the idea that Sherlock and Watson are real people and they are being used as a case study. Or, you see it as a very detailed character analysis. Sherlock is so ingrained in our minds and culture, that it’s easy to forget he’s fictional, especially the way Konnikova describes him. Yet, it’s also quite interesting to look at it from a literary analysis view, if you forget the parts that are aimed at self-improvement.
Let’s face it, this book is not going to turn you into a mastermind overnight, however there are many aspects that I can completely relate to and I found myself going “I do that” several times. Sherlock’s brain attic is explained and the way we store memories. We need to be motivated at the point of learning in order to access those facts easily later on. Apply this theory to me; we have a daily music quiz we do at work and I am useless at it. It’s not that I don’t know any of the facts (although some have never even gone near my attic space) but I’m not that fussed about music. I will listen to it, I know enough to go and buy the right album when I want to, but I have no motivation to learn the details. So often I struggle to get the answer but when someone else says it, I know that I did have that knowledge. It just wasn’t to hand in the attic space. Yet I remember lots of things I read in books, because I want to review them and discuss and I generally find these random facts interesting. Incidentally, I read Fuse shortly after Mastermind and noticed a passage which described Pressia going through her mental attic for clues.
Watson is used throughout to illustrate the normal, untrained mind (that would be us) and also the fact that minds can change. Sherlock’s mistakes are also used to show that unless you keep exercising your mind (like a muscle) it will weaken. I would warn anyone who hasn’t read the Sherlock Holmes books, that Mastermind is riddled with spoilers, but it would mostly be aimed at fans of the canon. Whilst I know bits and pieces of the stories (so this didn’t bother me), it has instilled a desire to go back and read more of them.
It’s an odd combination of fact and fiction, one which works for me. You either have to go in with the idea that Sherlock and Watson are real people and they are being used as a case study. Or, you see it as a very detailed character analysis. Sherlock is so ingrained in our minds and culture, that it’s easy to forget he’s fictional, especially the way Konnikova describes him. Yet, it’s also quite interesting to look at it from a literary analysis view, if you forget the parts that are aimed at self-improvement.
Let’s face it, this book is not going to turn you into a mastermind overnight, however there are many aspects that I can completely relate to and I found myself going “I do that” several times. Sherlock’s brain attic is explained and the way we store memories. We need to be motivated at the point of learning in order to access those facts easily later on. Apply this theory to me; we have a daily music quiz we do at work and I am useless at it. It’s not that I don’t know any of the facts (although some have never even gone near my attic space) but I’m not that fussed about music. I will listen to it, I know enough to go and buy the right album when I want to, but I have no motivation to learn the details. So often I struggle to get the answer but when someone else says it, I know that I did have that knowledge. It just wasn’t to hand in the attic space. Yet I remember lots of things I read in books, because I want to review them and discuss and I generally find these random facts interesting. Incidentally, I read Fuse shortly after Mastermind and noticed a passage which described Pressia going through her mental attic for clues.
Watson is used throughout to illustrate the normal, untrained mind (that would be us) and also the fact that minds can change. Sherlock’s mistakes are also used to show that unless you keep exercising your mind (like a muscle) it will weaken. I would warn anyone who hasn’t read the Sherlock Holmes books, that Mastermind is riddled with spoilers, but it would mostly be aimed at fans of the canon. Whilst I know bits and pieces of the stories (so this didn’t bother me), it has instilled a desire to go back and read more of them.
Aberystwyth is searching for her estranged mother who was banished from her underwater parish when she pointed out to her parishioners that their religion is all lies. Just stories, and that living on dry land isn’t a sin; that having the ability to exist both underwater and in air is a blessing. The rust is about to set in and Aby still believes that if her mother dies with air in her lungs, her soul will never find peace.
I really benefited from this being a book group choice. Whilst I enjoy Andrew Kaufman’s style, I felt the stories were a bit disjointed and I got to the end not feeling I’d missed the point. So during the discussion, when someone mentioned it was all about grief, it all clicked into place in my head. He somehow manages to convey very real issues in an unreal way.
Rebecca compartmentalises her feelings into boxes. Actual, physical boxes which she keeps in a storage unit. When an emotion is too much for her, she boxes up something related and it dampens them. Her actions throughout the book cause her to lose herself because our past emotional responses are part of what makes us, us.
Lewis, mourning the death of his young wife, does a runner. Just gets on planes so that he is physically away from his grief. He’s staying in a hotel run by a slightly green woman (who technically is squatting) and there are rainmakers in town. Then he meets a woman who claims to be God.
I loved Aby. She emerges from the water and steals a white Honda. She has never driven before but she had been given some basic tips for what she had to do on dry land. Including stealing cars. Her driving is hilarious. She’ll be on the wrong side of the road and just close her eyes, it’s amazing that she doesn’t get killed. And yes, she is an amphibious being but I think it helps to use a made up culture to question religion as it stops people getting offended.
I was really quite surprised that most of my book group enjoyed The Waterproof Bible. It’s not our usual fare and I don’t think it’s Kaufman’s best. But only 3 people disliked it and wouldn’t read anything by him again. It’s full of his usual quirky style and worth a read if you’re already a fan but there is a lot going on for such a short novel.
I really benefited from this being a book group choice. Whilst I enjoy Andrew Kaufman’s style, I felt the stories were a bit disjointed and I got to the end not feeling I’d missed the point. So during the discussion, when someone mentioned it was all about grief, it all clicked into place in my head. He somehow manages to convey very real issues in an unreal way.
Rebecca compartmentalises her feelings into boxes. Actual, physical boxes which she keeps in a storage unit. When an emotion is too much for her, she boxes up something related and it dampens them. Her actions throughout the book cause her to lose herself because our past emotional responses are part of what makes us, us.
Lewis, mourning the death of his young wife, does a runner. Just gets on planes so that he is physically away from his grief. He’s staying in a hotel run by a slightly green woman (who technically is squatting) and there are rainmakers in town. Then he meets a woman who claims to be God.
I loved Aby. She emerges from the water and steals a white Honda. She has never driven before but she had been given some basic tips for what she had to do on dry land. Including stealing cars. Her driving is hilarious. She’ll be on the wrong side of the road and just close her eyes, it’s amazing that she doesn’t get killed. And yes, she is an amphibious being but I think it helps to use a made up culture to question religion as it stops people getting offended.
I was really quite surprised that most of my book group enjoyed The Waterproof Bible. It’s not our usual fare and I don’t think it’s Kaufman’s best. But only 3 people disliked it and wouldn’t read anything by him again. It’s full of his usual quirky style and worth a read if you’re already a fan but there is a lot going on for such a short novel.
The human race is heading toward extinction. A deadly virus wiped out most the population and now those that survive, live together isolated on Long Island with one main aim; to repopulate. Only no babies live more than a few days. Their immune systems are no match for the virus that is within them all. Kira is an intern at the hospital and can’t stand watching the babies die, day after day. The mothers, young women, are legally obliged to get pregnant to do their bit for humanity even if there is no hope. Then Kira comes up with an idea. To catch a Partial and bring it back to study. For these genetically engineered soldiers are the reason they are dying.
Partials is action packed, intelligent and emotional story-telling. It’s a dystopian world with strong, well thought out politics. Whilst the enforced pregnancies are horrific to our minds, they make sense in their desperate world. Their location on Long Island makes sense, an easily defended area. There is civil unrest as well as the threat of the Partials, because everyone knows the Partials are the enemy, even if they have never seen one. It is a world in which teenagers will do jobs above their experience, solely because there are so few people left and they must pull their weight.
I also liked that their beliefs weren’t necessarily completely overturned. So often it’s the clichéd “your world is a lie” approach to dystopian fiction but not here. There are exaggerations and half-truths; and yes, there are things that Kira learns about her view of the world but it isn’t overdone. There is a definite ambiguity left at the end.
I do get a little bit bored with excessive descriptions of guns and other weapons. I personally don’t think that detail is really needed but it does mark is out as a more action-based story that may appeal to more boys. Overall my only fault was in the action scenes which aren’t really my thing and therefore felt a little drawn out in parts. But that’s minor and personal, it was mostly an unputdownable read.
Partials is action packed, intelligent and emotional story-telling. It’s a dystopian world with strong, well thought out politics. Whilst the enforced pregnancies are horrific to our minds, they make sense in their desperate world. Their location on Long Island makes sense, an easily defended area. There is civil unrest as well as the threat of the Partials, because everyone knows the Partials are the enemy, even if they have never seen one. It is a world in which teenagers will do jobs above their experience, solely because there are so few people left and they must pull their weight.
I also liked that their beliefs weren’t necessarily completely overturned. So often it’s the clichéd “your world is a lie” approach to dystopian fiction but not here. There are exaggerations and half-truths; and yes, there are things that Kira learns about her view of the world but it isn’t overdone. There is a definite ambiguity left at the end.
I do get a little bit bored with excessive descriptions of guns and other weapons. I personally don’t think that detail is really needed but it does mark is out as a more action-based story that may appeal to more boys. Overall my only fault was in the action scenes which aren’t really my thing and therefore felt a little drawn out in parts. But that’s minor and personal, it was mostly an unputdownable read.
Myfanwy Thomas has just woken up with no knowledge of who she is. She is soaking wet and surrounded by dead people in latex gloves. She has two letters in her coat pocket addressed to herself. She is given a choice; claim a new life or discover Myfanwy’s secrets and carry on her life. When she is attacked again on the way to the bank, she must rethink her decisions and learn who, and what, she really is.
The Rook is a fantastic fantasy debut, centred around a special branch of the British Secret Service; The Checquy. The Checquy is populated by people with special powers with a hierarchy based on chess pieces. Those not in the Court who still have powers are Pawns and there are normal humans who work as Retainers. It is crucial that their hidden world stays hidden from the general public. Myfanwy soon learns that her previous self had earned a place in the court through her excellent administration skills.
Myfanwy left herself a series of letters and a thick purple binder to guide her way. These form an effective method of relaying back-story, all with a wonderfully humorous tone. It’s gripping and genuinely amusing in places. We learn that Myfanwy was shy and timid, but through her writing you see a different person. Indeed, I think her memory loss helped her embrace her true self. Yes, Myfanwy ends up impersonating herself (if that’s even possible), raising a few eyebrows and muddling through. I love that she has a somewhat normal job; the genre is full of kick-ass heroines that are PIs or assassins. Myfanwy is just a very special office worker. Her PA, Ingrid is pretty fantastic too, taking everything in her stride, just as any good PA should!
There are some fantastic supernatural powers thrown into the mix. Gestalt is one person with four bodies; a huge asset out in the field as it knows what’s going on from each body’s perspective. But he is creepy. There’s sinister purple mould and a wealth of other weird and wonderful things to look forward to.
I can even forgive the occasional lapses into American-English. There is no such thing as downtown Stoke-on-Trent! At least Myfanwy manages to use lifts instead of elevators (except for one slip-up). The ending, however, relied on what I call the Bond Villain Approach; you are about to die therefore I will tell you everything. I don’t mind this to some extent but this went on for pages. And to top it off, after that was over, another character did a similar thing. An inelegant end an otherwise fantastic novel.
The Rook is a fantastic fantasy debut, centred around a special branch of the British Secret Service; The Checquy. The Checquy is populated by people with special powers with a hierarchy based on chess pieces. Those not in the Court who still have powers are Pawns and there are normal humans who work as Retainers. It is crucial that their hidden world stays hidden from the general public. Myfanwy soon learns that her previous self had earned a place in the court through her excellent administration skills.
Myfanwy left herself a series of letters and a thick purple binder to guide her way. These form an effective method of relaying back-story, all with a wonderfully humorous tone. It’s gripping and genuinely amusing in places. We learn that Myfanwy was shy and timid, but through her writing you see a different person. Indeed, I think her memory loss helped her embrace her true self. Yes, Myfanwy ends up impersonating herself (if that’s even possible), raising a few eyebrows and muddling through. I love that she has a somewhat normal job; the genre is full of kick-ass heroines that are PIs or assassins. Myfanwy is just a very special office worker. Her PA, Ingrid is pretty fantastic too, taking everything in her stride, just as any good PA should!
There are some fantastic supernatural powers thrown into the mix. Gestalt is one person with four bodies; a huge asset out in the field as it knows what’s going on from each body’s perspective. But he is creepy. There’s sinister purple mould and a wealth of other weird and wonderful things to look forward to.
I can even forgive the occasional lapses into American-English. There is no such thing as downtown Stoke-on-Trent! At least Myfanwy manages to use lifts instead of elevators (except for one slip-up). The ending, however, relied on what I call the Bond Villain Approach; you are about to die therefore I will tell you everything. I don’t mind this to some extent but this went on for pages. And to top it off, after that was over, another character did a similar thing. An inelegant end an otherwise fantastic novel.
When Gabriel steps off the train in a small Breton town, he is a complete stranger. Nobody knows where he came from or who he really is. Yet his small acts of kindness make an impression on the locals and he is soon welcomed into their community. But Gabriel may not be as straight forward as he seems, for he is troubled by his past.
The Panda Theory is a charming little French novella which might just err on the side of being a thriller. The publishers may categorise Garnier’s books as “noir” but I found the characters much more engaging than I would normally in noir fiction. Gabriel is a friendly man and the majority of the book shows how he touches the lives of several people in small but meaningful ways. All the characters seem real and remain feeling French throughout the translation. Gabriel’s past troubles are revealed in short flashbacks, slowly building up a picture of what he was running from.
The panda in question is a large stuffed toy Gabriel wins from the fair. He didn’t really want it but it seems to hang around. The panda welcomes everyone with open arms and a cheery demeanour. Is Gabriel like the panda? I’m not telling, although I really didn’t see the ending coming.
The Panda Theory is a charming little French novella which might just err on the side of being a thriller. The publishers may categorise Garnier’s books as “noir” but I found the characters much more engaging than I would normally in noir fiction. Gabriel is a friendly man and the majority of the book shows how he touches the lives of several people in small but meaningful ways. All the characters seem real and remain feeling French throughout the translation. Gabriel’s past troubles are revealed in short flashbacks, slowly building up a picture of what he was running from.
The panda in question is a large stuffed toy Gabriel wins from the fair. He didn’t really want it but it seems to hang around. The panda welcomes everyone with open arms and a cheery demeanour. Is Gabriel like the panda? I’m not telling, although I really didn’t see the ending coming.
The human race is evolving. Across the world, super powers are manifesting in ordinary people. But the US government has deemed many of these powers to be illegal. Lieutenant Oscar Britton is a loyal army man, even working alongside the Supernatural Operations Corps to police the new law. Selfers, those who choose to run, must not be allowed to live. When SOC murder a teenage girl after she had been subdued, Britton starts to doubt his duty. Then the unexpected happens; he manifests a rare and prohibited power. He can either run or choose to die.
This might seem a bit out of my comfort zone, and you’d be right, but I was intrigued by the idea of a supernatural military. It jumps straight into the action at the beginning and whilst there is a glossary provided at the back, I found all the military jargon went over my head and found the action hard to follow. If I were ever in a real combat situation, I’d be all “What? I don’t understand!” just before getting shot. I am willing to concede that action-based books aren’t really my thing but Control Point shifts its focus about a third of the way through.
The probes (that’s people with prohibited magic powers) are sent off to a magical military school. So we know one character is definitely a teenager, but does that explain why all the recruits sound like them? Including Oscar, who was definitely introduced as a full-grown man. He suddenly seems to be acting like a sullen boy. I could have easily lifted out a section and presented it as young adult. The whole situation is classic YA dystopian; kids ruled under an iron fist by unfair and prejudiced leaders (that would be the military officers). But I really don’t think they are meant to be kids. And Oscar repeatedly saying “She’s just a kid” gets rather annoying.
So, you’re probably wondering why I carried on reading. Around half way, it starts to settle into some common ground between military and magic school and a goal is introduced. Finally, something to aim for! Plus there are several interesting minor characters. The passages with Marty the goblin healer were the best bits and I’d seriously read a spin-off series about him and his fellow goblins. Scylla, locked away in her box, also piqued my interest although she never panned out to be a complicated enough character for my taste. Indeed, many of the characters are a bit obvious.
Each chapter is headed by a faux quote from a person of authority, official document or the media. These are actually pretty good and shouldn’t be skipped over (unless you’re all about the action). They form a sort of oral history of the world post “re-awakening”, which in turn makes up for the lack of world-building within the main text. There are some valid points in there and I’d liked to have more of a political slant. If you strip away the magical elements, it doesn’t paint a rosy picture of how the military can handle things. I got to the end not really understanding why they were at war and with who, something that unfortunately happens in the real world.
I am calling Oscar Britton by his first name as that’s more natural for me, but most the time he is referred to as Britton. I’m pretty sure this is a military thing and the formality around a lot of the characters is a bit hard to get past. Maybe that’s why Marty and Scylla appealed. Also some of the characters are referred to as their power, eg. the hydromancer, instead of their names. I found this very confusing, especially as a lot of the powers had been glossed over.
I wouldn’t run to read Fortress Frontier straight away, but there was enough of an improvement in the second half that I would consider picking it up in the future.
This might seem a bit out of my comfort zone, and you’d be right, but I was intrigued by the idea of a supernatural military. It jumps straight into the action at the beginning and whilst there is a glossary provided at the back, I found all the military jargon went over my head and found the action hard to follow. If I were ever in a real combat situation, I’d be all “What? I don’t understand!” just before getting shot. I am willing to concede that action-based books aren’t really my thing but Control Point shifts its focus about a third of the way through.
The probes (that’s people with prohibited magic powers) are sent off to a magical military school. So we know one character is definitely a teenager, but does that explain why all the recruits sound like them? Including Oscar, who was definitely introduced as a full-grown man. He suddenly seems to be acting like a sullen boy. I could have easily lifted out a section and presented it as young adult. The whole situation is classic YA dystopian; kids ruled under an iron fist by unfair and prejudiced leaders (that would be the military officers). But I really don’t think they are meant to be kids. And Oscar repeatedly saying “She’s just a kid” gets rather annoying.
So, you’re probably wondering why I carried on reading. Around half way, it starts to settle into some common ground between military and magic school and a goal is introduced. Finally, something to aim for! Plus there are several interesting minor characters. The passages with Marty the goblin healer were the best bits and I’d seriously read a spin-off series about him and his fellow goblins. Scylla, locked away in her box, also piqued my interest although she never panned out to be a complicated enough character for my taste. Indeed, many of the characters are a bit obvious.
Each chapter is headed by a faux quote from a person of authority, official document or the media. These are actually pretty good and shouldn’t be skipped over (unless you’re all about the action). They form a sort of oral history of the world post “re-awakening”, which in turn makes up for the lack of world-building within the main text. There are some valid points in there and I’d liked to have more of a political slant. If you strip away the magical elements, it doesn’t paint a rosy picture of how the military can handle things. I got to the end not really understanding why they were at war and with who, something that unfortunately happens in the real world.
I am calling Oscar Britton by his first name as that’s more natural for me, but most the time he is referred to as Britton. I’m pretty sure this is a military thing and the formality around a lot of the characters is a bit hard to get past. Maybe that’s why Marty and Scylla appealed. Also some of the characters are referred to as their power, eg. the hydromancer, instead of their names. I found this very confusing, especially as a lot of the powers had been glossed over.
I wouldn’t run to read Fortress Frontier straight away, but there was enough of an improvement in the second half that I would consider picking it up in the future.
Mallory killed her boyfriend. She doesn’t remember much of what happened, just the fear, but the authorities agree it was self-defence. However her parents decide that she would be better off finishing her education away from the town where everyone knows. Arriving at boarding school, Mallory hopes for a fresh start, but she can’t escape the feeling of fear. The other students aren’t welcoming and she starts to wake up in the night; convinced there is someone in her room with her. Is she losing her mind or is someone out to get her?
Hysteria is a fantastic pacey thriller for young adults. It treads a fine line between reality and supernatural, keeping you guessing right to the end whether or not she’s just going crazy or if there’s something else at play. So often books that take this approach will make it all too obvious is it’s one or the other. There’s lots of edge of your seat tension and I found myself staying up late to finish it.
The word hysteria might conjure up images of Victorian ladies getting a bit emotional but it is a real mental condition. The story plays with Mallory’s paranoia and anxiety and how easily our minds can play tricks on us. We are doubting Mallory as she starts to doubt herself. If she killed one person, isn’t she capable of killing more?
The events of the night she killed her boyfriend are revealed in flashbacks, little glimpses as she starts to recall things and puts the pieces together. The present day story is much more convincing; I struggled to really understand her relationships or feel her terror in the flashbacks. It kind of came across as oh well you killed someone but never mind. When she remembers, it’s not like I felt the actions of others justified what she did. I thought they were a bit harsh on Brian’s mother, her grief has obviously pushed her over the edge, but her son has been killed and justice has not been carried out in her eyes. What do they expect?
Hysteria is a fantastic pacey thriller for young adults. It treads a fine line between reality and supernatural, keeping you guessing right to the end whether or not she’s just going crazy or if there’s something else at play. So often books that take this approach will make it all too obvious is it’s one or the other. There’s lots of edge of your seat tension and I found myself staying up late to finish it.
The word hysteria might conjure up images of Victorian ladies getting a bit emotional but it is a real mental condition. The story plays with Mallory’s paranoia and anxiety and how easily our minds can play tricks on us. We are doubting Mallory as she starts to doubt herself. If she killed one person, isn’t she capable of killing more?
The events of the night she killed her boyfriend are revealed in flashbacks, little glimpses as she starts to recall things and puts the pieces together. The present day story is much more convincing; I struggled to really understand her relationships or feel her terror in the flashbacks. It kind of came across as oh well you killed someone but never mind. When she remembers, it’s not like I felt the actions of others justified what she did. I thought they were a bit harsh on Brian’s mother, her grief has obviously pushed her over the edge, but her son has been killed and justice has not been carried out in her eyes. What do they expect?