The Last of the Spirits by Chris Priestley

The boy had never spoken to the old man before, nor scarcely noticed him. The old man, had he been asked, would have sworn under oath, hand on the Bible, that he had likewise never seen the boy.

But the truth was, over the last few years, they had passed within inches of each other a hundred times. The old man had even brushed the boy aside more than once as he beetled his way to his office. To the old man, the boy was just another tiresome obstacle to be avoided. To the boy, the old man, along with all the other hard-faced strangers like him, was yet another reason to hate the world.

Published by Bloomsbury in November 2014

180 pages in hardback

Summary adapted from Chris Priestley’s own site

“The Last of the Spirits is the last in my trilogy of metafictions - books that have been inspired by, and run parallel to, stories that had a big impact on me when I first encountered them.

It began with Mister Creecher, linked to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, then The Dead Men Stood Together, inspired by Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and now there is this book - a story that takes a sideways step out of the world and characters of Dickens 'A Christmas Carol.”

******

Reviewed by K. M. Lockwood

This is the best retelling of ‘A Christmas Carol’ I have encountered - and I am a great fan of the story in its many forms.

This version reads if Chris Priestley were present at the same time - but filming from a different angle. He’s taken away the worst of the Victorian clutter, and given us a sparer, stronger tale. There’s all of Dickens’ anger and compassion shown through a modern lens -on two unexpected characters.

You know the basic story too well for there to be spoilers - but this does have an alternative take. It is not a contemporary re-imagining, it is firmly set in the19th Century - but it does still resonate with today’s world. It’s rather easier to read than the original - but there still is that recognisable Dickensian ‘look’.

A pleasing and rather humble extra to this relatively short book are two ‘bonus features’ about Dickens and other versions of the story. The production values throughout are also high quality. The only thing that could improve it for me would be more illustrations inside, whether by Zdenko Basic who did the eerily attractive cover art, or Chris Priestley himself.

Highly recommended for any confident reader wanting a ghostly Christmas story with humanity at it heart.

The Haunting of Tabitha Grey by Vanessa Curtis

I look up at the dark, unblinking eyes of the house

and I get the weirdest feeling . . . It’s the feeling of being pulled into something and being unable to stop it happening . . .

Published by Egmont in 2012 

296 pages in paperback - also available as an ebook

Tabitha is used to changing schools and moving house. But when her family move into Weston Manor, something is different. It’s as if the house has been waiting for her. There are lavender smells which come from nowhere and the old servants’ bells ring in the night. She can hear crying in empty rooms. Tabitha’s always been imaginative. Even her best friend Gemma knows that. But this time, could she actually be telling the truth? 

Summary adapted from Hive.co.uk

Set in a sprawling Victorian manor, this spine-tingling ghost story, The Haunting of Tabitha Grey is filled with intriguing plot twists and enough tension to keep 11+ readers on their toes. A classic ghost story from Vanessa Curtis, author of Zelah Green, Queen of Clean and The Baking Life of Amelie Day .

******

Reviewed by K. M. Lockwood

This is a ghost story for people who don’t like ghost stories.

It does have an old house with mysteries at the core of it to suit those who do - but it’s more than just an entertaining chiller. There’s real heart and depth to this story.

Told from the point of view of Tabitha, it is deceptively simple to read. There’s plenty of contemporary family drama as well as possible unearthly goings-on to keep the reader engaged. Ideal for teens and upwards, the cleverness is in the psychology, not in difficult prose. 

It’s told as if everything is happening now - so we can’t know what happens to Tabitha and her family until the end. This makes for more suspense and a better understanding at the moving conclusion. As you get to know her family, you really want things to work out - somehow.

The cover artwork is so effective. It leaves the reader in no doubt that there’s something eerie happening - but allows them to imagine freely. I rather wish there was no pink at all on the paperback. It would be a pity if boys were reluctant to read it because of this - it’s full of twists and turns that anyone can enjoy.

All-in-all, an ideal Halloween read for those who love ghost stories - and even some who don’t.

Run by Gregg Olsen

Cash: $17.00 Dinner: My turn, spaghetti?

Days at this school: 155

Texts from Caleb: 15 so far

Plan: Find a Way to Tell Him the Truth

MY NAME IS RYLEE AND I AM A LIAR, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I WAS RAISED TO BE

I hear the water running in the bathroom sink and I know my mother will bitch at me for leaving it on. Even thought I didn’t. I just got home from school. Mom has been critical of me, while praising my brother, Hayden - despite the fact he doesn’t do much to deserve it. If he remembers to flush the toilet after a late night pee, she practically does handstands the next morning. Mom has always been harder on me. She says that it’s because I have so much potential. Which really means that whatever I’ve done so far has disappointed her.

Published by Hot Key Books - May 2014

Pages - 245

Summary 

This is the story of 15 year-old Rylee’s’s desperate attempt to save her mum. She has come home from school to find her step-dad dead on the floor and the word ‘Run’ written in blood beside him. This is the moment Rylee has been trained for all her life, she instinctively knows that her mum is missing - abducted by the man who has been on their trail all her life.  But until now she’d had no idea he was an evil serial  killer. With no money and no idea whom she’s looking for, Rylee must try to outwit a murderer who always seems to be one step ahead of her - and who, she discovers, has a terrible link to herself.

*****

Reviewed by Elizabeth Dale

When I began to read this, I thought it was going to be another story about a family on the run from a criminal. But Run  is very different - for a start, Rylee is completely on her own, there is no-one she can turn to for help, especially not the police.  But she is tough and extremely resourceful and every step she takes is prompted by an unswerving  desire for deadly vengeance. 

This is a dark and sometimes unflinchingly brutal story - full of very clever twists and turns, and horrifying secrets from the past that shock Rylee to the core. As she discovers that her whole life has been one big lie, but not the lie she thought she had been living, as she learns more about the sadistic evilness of her mum’s captor, and the true, horrifying  motive for his attack, she becomes more determined than ever not only to find him before it’s too late but also to confront the mother who has deceived her at every stage of her life. 

This book is fast-paced and well-written, and Rylee is very much a heroine to admire, as she cleverly  manages to uncover more about the killer and all his previous possible  victims.  She is smart, feisty and spirited and It is easy for the reader to empathise with her. The other characters are well-drawn, as much as we see of them, but the book mainly focuses on Rylee. I had suspected as I read it that I knew how it would end, but I was wrong. It’s always great when a book surprises you to the final page, but I have to say I was slightly disappointed by the final twist. But that’s simply a matter of personal taste, and Run is certainly an edgy, riveting read that will shock and surprise you and keep you turning the page.

The Black Crow Conspiracy by Christopher Edge

Fog clung to the Tower, a cloaking mist that shrouded the fortress in a grey-white gloom, its battlements and turrets ghostly silhouettes against the sky. Beyond the bulwarks and the ramparts, the Thames lapped at the wharf that lay beneath the ancient keep. The distant creaking of ships at St Katharine Docks and the clatter of their cargo were the only sounds that could be heard as dusk gave way to darkness. Even the guttural croaks of the ravens guarding the Tower had by now fallen silent.

Published by Black Crow in 2014

269 pages in paperback edition

Summary from Nosy Crow

It’s 1902. London is looking forward to the new King’s coronation and ignoring the threat of war from across the sea…

Penelope Tredwell, the pen behind bestselling author, Montgomery Flinch, is cursed with writer’s block. She needs a sensational new story or her magazine, The Penny Dreadful, will go under. So when a mysterious letter arrives, confessing to an impossible crime, Penny thinks she has found a plot to enthrall her readers: the theft of the Crown Jewels by the diabolical Black Crow.

Ghostly apparitions, kidnap and treason - this is the stuff of great stories. But what if it’s all true?

*****

Reviewed by K. M. Lockwood

The cover artwork by Eric Orchard reflects the tone of this 1902 set adventure story. There’s a spooky atmosphere with dark hues and period detail, but also plenty to engage the contemporary reader.

We are given a likeable, inventive and patient heroine in the writer Penelope Tredwell who keeps her cool through a sequence of exciting predicaments. There’s an appealing array of early 20th century historical events given a rather different spin and overall, it’s an enjoyable thriller. 

You could imagine it filmed as a serial for Saturday morning cinema once-upon-a-time - full of cliff-hangers and thrilling escapes and mysteries. The relationship between Penelope, Alfie her assistant and the actor playing Montgomery Flinch gives plenty of warmth and humour to the adventures.

This book would suit a wide range of confident readers - the lightness with which it is written means that the perils shown are unlikely to upset even the most sensitive of souls - yet there is a pleasurable frisson from the more ghostly aspects.

You don’t need to have read the two previous stories  - but I expect those who have will find the ending of this one particularly satisfying.

Ideal for when you want a good, fast, escapist read in a less-than-obvious time period.

Sammy Feral's Diaries of Weird by Eleanor Hawken

Friday 3rd April

Hi, I'm Sammy Feral. I've never had a reason to keep a diary - until now. Today my world did a total 180°. I've lost my family, narrowly escaped death and discovered that werewolves are more than just a story made up to scare kids.

Published by Quercus in August 2012

Summary From Quercus

Sammy Feral's life was pretty normal until his entire family turned into werewolves. Now he's on a race against time to find a cure for the virus that has them all howling at the moon! With his dad growing fur and his sister baying for blood, things are getting seriously weird for Sammy…

An action packed adventure that will leave you hungry for more!

*******

Review by Liss Norton

This story is set out as a diary that documents the weird things happening in Sammy Feral's life. Set mostly in the zoo run by Sammy's parents, it's an action-packed danger fest written in a chatty, modern style that will appeal to children aged eight and over who like a fast moving plot. When Sammy's parents and two sisters turn into werewolves, the race is on for him to find a cure before the next full moon. With the help of two people with special powers, he begins a quest that brings him into conflict with his best friend, his teacher, an evil professor and a horde of journalists. 

The book is easy to read, with a few jokey asides from Sammy that lighten the tension. I have to say that I felt the author rather overdid the similes and some of the characters are a bit one-dimensional, but that doesn't detract from the plot which is what this book is all about. I'd certainly recommend it for children who don't like reading much, especially (at risk of sounding sexist) boys who think books are for girls. 

The Sleeping Baobab Tree by Paula Leyden

In a side pocket of my rucksack I have a small red notebook. It's where we (i.e. Madillo my twin sister, Fred our neighbour and me, of course) note down what happens at school. Or more specifically what happens in Sister Leonisa's class. She's our religion teacher. There are three columns on each page: GOD, STORY, WORK. It's different from my small black notebook, where I write down the things that I think about. That belongs to just me.

Published by Walker Books in July 2013

Pages - 240

Goodreads Summary

In a side pocket of my rucksack I have a small red notebook. It's where we (i.e. Madillo my twin sister, Fred our neighbour and me, of course) note down what happens at school. Or more specifically what happens in Sister Leonisa's class. She's our religion teacher. There are three columns on each page: GOD, STORY, WORK. It's different from my small black notebook, where I write down the things that I think about. That belongs to just me.

******

Review by children’s author Liss Norton

This book is thoroughly readable, funny at times, scary at others and with brilliant, believable characters. It's told in short chapters, which makes it perfect for bedtime reading, mostly from the points of view of Bul-Boo and Fred. This actually seemed slightly odd as Madillo (Bul-Boo's twin), who is an important character, only had one chapter of her own, but her slightly dizzy character shines through in spite of this. 

The story's set in Zambia and I was expecting an African flavour from the start. In fact, I felt that the first three-quarters of the book could have been set anywhere but once the children reached Ng'ombe Ilede all that changed. Here was the blending of African landscape, culture and superstition that I'd been anticipating - and it was well worth waiting for! Until that point there had been conflict between Bul-boo's total belief in science and her rejection of the idea of magic, while Fred and Madillo were convinced that magic existed. At Ng'ombe Ilede magic took over, placing the children in danger before leading to an exciting and very satisfying conclusion. 

All in all the book is most memorable for its characters, rather than its plot: scientific Bul-Boo, dizzy Madillo, anxious Fred who exaggerates everything, and, most memorable of all, wildly eccentric Nokokulu and Sister Leonisa. A great read for children of nine and over!

Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley

Two sisters sit, side by side, in the back seat of an old car. Amity and Sorrow.

Their hands are hot and close together. A strip of white fabric loops between them, tying them together, wrist-to-wrist.

...When their mother took them, she ran them from the fire and the screaming...

Tinder Press May 2013

284 pages

Summary from Good Reads

A mother and her daughters drive for days without sleep until they crash their car in rural Oklahoma. The mother, Amaranth, is desperate to get away from someone she's convinced will follow them wherever they go--her husband. The girls, Amity and Sorrow, can't imagine what the world holds outside their father's polygamous compound. Rescue comes in the unlikely form of Bradley, a farmer grieving the loss of his wife. At first unwelcoming to these strange, prayerful women, Bradley's abiding tolerance gets the best of him, and they become a new kind of family. An unforgettable story of belief and redemption, AMITY & SORROW is about the influence of community and learning to stand on your own.

Reviewed by K. M. Lockwood

From the reversed colours of the front and back covers, the barbed wire twisted with faded flowers and the lettering tinted the colour of dried blood, you are not expecting a cheery read.  The physical book feels up-market and subtle - another clue to the contents.

Amity & Sorrow is a literary work tracing the aftermath of the collapse of an isolated religious sect. Generally, it shows the intense relationship of the two sisters and their mother in the present tense, and recounts the story of their mother Amaranth in the past tense. The timeline is complex with multiple flashbacks. There are also changes in perspective from one character to another.

The story is deeply rooted in the mid-western rural landscape - this is shown through some beautiful writing but Little House on the Prairie it most definitely is not. The writer uses some striking imagery and gives a convincing sense of ‘yes, that’s how someone like that would see it’ to the reader. It deals sensitively with some difficult subjects including polygamy and incest. Whilst some scenes and their implications are upsetting, there is nothing gratuitous. 

This work would suit an adult reader who enjoys peeling back layer after layer of meaning from a convoluted tale - the sort of book you need to read at least twice, I would say. It is certainly not a light read, but it does draw the reader into an extraordinary world. Difficult - but deep.

Guest Review by Katy Moran-The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

I’m so pleased to welcome author Katy Moran back on the blog to talk about her favourite book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, a book way ahead of its time and the front runner for the YA market many years ago.

“As I stepped out of the darkness of the movie theater into the brightness of the road, I had two things on my mind; Paul Newman and a ride home…”

*******

This is the first line of the first-ever true YA novel, and I know it by heart. I was one of millions of teenagers who have read this book to shreds over the past half-century. In fact, to write this review I had to buy a new copy - my original was read till it collapsed. That’s right, folks - SE Hinton was a true trailblazer. Every single YA novel we read, review and love or hate today owes a debt of gratitude to a sixteen-year-old girl in Tulsa, Olkahoma: almost fifty years ago, she felt a red-hot urge to write about teenagers as they really are, not how adults think they should be. And yes, I had no idea who Paul Newman was either, and I didn’t care. Of course, there are no mobile phones and no Internet in The Outsiders, so I wonder if teenagers now would have more cultural references to trip over than I did. It’s funny how things have changed so much more in the last fifteen years than they did in the previous thirty. 

But what a gripping first line it is - cool and laconic, yet with clear traces of the vulnerability that makes Ponyboy Curtis such an interesting hero. Pony know he’s in danger the second he steps out of the cinema into the bright afternoon light: he’s a greaser, a kid from the wrong side of town, instantly recognisable to his bitter rivals on their own territory with his James Dean hairstyle and worn out jeans. The Socs have money, they listen to different music, they drive smart new mustangs, and they don’t appreciate greaser kids like Ponyboy Curtis walking alone through their territory. It’s a situation still instantly recognisable today, and you just know it’s all going to go so badly wrong. 

The truth is, I was actually kind of worried about reading this book again in case I didn’t love it any more. I’ve seen the film version a couple of times, which in my opinion veers towards melodrama (the soundtrack doesn’t help), and I wondered if the book too would now seem sentimental or even silly now that I’m thirty-four and a little old and jaded. It didn’t, though - The Outsiders is exciting and emotions definitely run high, but that felt right rather than overdone. What I do owe to the film, though, is a young and very beautiful Matt Dillon playing Ponyboy’s fellow gangster Dallas Winston as what can only be described as a hot mess. Thank you for that, Francis Ford Coppola. Matt Dillon was the Robert Pattinson of my generation, except hotter and more badass. In fact, where are the truly badass heroes of the silver screen in 2013? They all seem a little clean cut nowadays. Anyway, I’m going off-topic: back to the book. 

Apart from being a boy on the wrong side of town, Ponyboy has another Achilles heel - his parents have been dead for just nine months, and he and his brother Soda are allowed by the authorities to live with their older brother Darry only if they keep out of trouble. Darry has foregone a college place, working all hours to keep what’s left of his family together, and his authority frequently rankles with Ponyboy. On the East Side of town staying out of hot water isn’t a viable option, and indeed Pony walks into a whole load of trouble just moments after leaving the cinema, much to Darry’s

irritation. The Outsiders might have been published in 1967, but its themes of love and loyalty, and the bitter, feudal gang rivalry at the heart of the book will render the scene instantly familiar to teenagers now. The sheer youthful energy and life-force just burns off the page, as does Hinton’s anger at the unfairness of Ponyboy’s situation. Pony frequently mentions his family’s poverty, but it’s the throwaway remarks dropped into the narrative that really struck me returning to the novel as an adult reader. Pony shares a bed with his brother Soda, partly due to a lack of money and space, and partly because of the relentless recurring nightmares Pony has lived with since their parents died. As characters, Ponyboy and his brothers are already under unbearable pressure before we even join their story, and we reach critical mass on the first page. 

It’s not till Pony, his buddy Johnny and their scary gangster friend Dallas Winston run in to some Soc girls, though, that the white-hot tension at the heart of this novel really blows up in everyone’s face, and it’s all because Dallas decides to mess with the wrong girl. Now, I’ll have to admit I was a bit worried if the portrayal of girls would annoy me when I returned to this book. I recently read a contemporary YA novel which I felt was misogynistic as a whole, rather than simply a home to misogynistic characters, so I was feeling pretty sensitive to the issue when I picked up The Outsiders. 

It’s true that Pony says some pretty stupid things about those girls of his own class, but even reading the novel with critical eyes, I felt that Ponyboy’s bewilderment, ignorance and even his slight fear of these Greaser chicks was (sadly) pretty realistic for a fourteen year old boy, even if it wasn’t necessarily ideal. One of SE Hinton’s terrific strengths is writing about teenagers as they really are, not as we think they should be, and Pony is just as fallible as anyone else. This immature misogyny is part of his character, but doesn’t stop him forming that crucial bond with Cherry: they really do recongnise each other as kindred spirits. Ponyboy’s attitude towards some girls represents his own lack of understanding, and is not just a small facet of a wider dislike and distrust of girls expressed throughout the whole book in the actions and attitudes of other characters. 

With that in mind, I was ready to be critical of Cherry - she’s pretty much the main female character in the book, and she occupies a perilous position throughout. Still feeling a little bruised from the aforementioned contemporary YA novel in which the girls are unable to resolve any form of conflict without the help of a guy, I was relieved about the fearless way Cherry the privileged Soc princess summarily deals with Dallas at the cinema. He has a reputation as a ruthless and violent gangster, and she really stands up to him. Cherry is tough and courageous - but only up to a point. Cherry might be happy to talk to Pony at the drive-in, but she’s the first person to admit that she’ll probably have to blank him in the corridor at school. I disliked Cherry for this in 2013 as much as I did in 1994, but it now makes me admire Hinton more as an author. YA novels can be little bit idealistic in the way those high school social barriers are magically overcome by the power of love and new understanding. The whole high school clique thing is admittedly a bit alien to me, as I don’t think it’s half so entrenched over here in the UK, or wasn’t when I was at school, but there are definitely quite a few books out there in which those boundaries are overcome with a little too much ease. Hinton tells it like it is, and right till the last minute you are kept wondering if Cherry will stand up and be counted after the explosive and deadly events that unfold.

The Outsiders was the first of its kind, and nearly fifty years later, it is still one of the very, very best YA novels you could hope to read. It’s a scorching hot and furious stream of consciousness, original and wild, and the first thing I did when I finished it all those years ago was to begin to write a story of my own. Many years later, that story became a book called Dangerous to Know. SE Hinton’s voice as an author is so real and so immediate that it made me feel like I could do it too - after all, she sounded just like one of us. Thank you, Susan Hinton. None of us would be reading or writing YA as it exists today if you hadn’t been so angry, so honest and so damn talented. All hail the queen. 

Thank you Katy for a gorgeous review. You have made me want to read Outsiders too now. Katy is the amazing author of Hidden Among Us which was published in March by Walker Books.

Whitstable by Stephen Volk

1971. 

A middle-aged man, wracked with grief, walks along the beach at Whitstable in Kent.

A boy approaches him and, taking him for the famous vampire-hunter Doctor Van Helsing from the Hammer movies, asks for his help. Because he believes his stepfather really is a vampire…

Published by Spectral Press on May 26th 2013

PDF review copy

Summary from Spectral Press

So begins the new novella by Stephen Volk, published by the British Fantasy Award-nominated Spectral Press in May 2013 to coincide with the centenary of the most celebrated and beloved of Hammer’s stars, Peter Cushing.

In Whitstable—which blends fact with fiction into one narrative—the actor, devastated after the recent death of his wife and soul mate Helen, is an inconsolable recluse. In that vulnerable state he is forced to face an evil far more real and terrifying than any of the make-believe monsters he tackled on the big screen. And here he is not a crusader or expert with crucifixes to hand—merely a man. A man who in some ways craves death himself, but cannot ignore the pleas of an innocent child…

******

Reviewed by K. M.Lockwood

In this short yet intense novella, BAFTA winner Stephen Volk tackles a difficult, timely issue through an intriguing mixture of recent historical fact and fiction. His portrayal of Peter Cushing’s awful grief is moving, not mawkish, and he clearly knows a great deal about the Hammer films set-up and the people who worked there.

I loved Hammer films as a teen so I do know the odd thing about the people involved. It was a pleasure for me to see the details worked into the story - I am sure it would absolutely delight any true aficionado.

There are a fair few flashbacks and it is a serious, slowly-paced narrative on the whole - though there are intense moments of action. There are some deeply-felt explorations on the nature of acting and a telling use of a seagull motif. The main focus is the psychology of the central character - and it doesn’t waver from that perspective even after the decisive resolution. The period details are good but largely unobtrusive. I should say the language at times makes it unsuitable for the more sensitive reader- but it is all appropriate in context.

There is an interesting use of an actual film script intercut with the main story: you can tell the author has worked in TV and film. The cover image I’ve seen reflects the haunting tone with its exact sense of place well.

This novella is utterly ideal for those readers with a soft spot for Hammer films, and an admiration for Peter Cushing, who enjoy a serious tale told in a fairly complex way. There is much to interest a reader of thrillers who isn’t a horror devotee as well.

The Icarus Project by Laura Quimby

Image from Goodreads

Review by Sophie Duffy 

Published by Amulet Books, 1st November 2012

293 pages

The computer screen glowed in my dark bedroom like a moon. Mom was late logging on to video-conference with me. My mom was totally into ancient civilisations: Mayans, Incans, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans. She even liked Vikings. Her latest expedition had taken her to the jungles of South America. She had told me that in the jungle nothing dries, that everything stays wet. She said even the moonlight felt damp on her skin, s if she had been bathing in milk.

Good Reads

More than anything, Maya wants to discover something incredible. Her parents are scientists: Her mother spends most of her time in tropical rainforests, uncovering ancient artifacts, and her dad is obsessed with digging up mammoths. When her father gets invited by an eccentric billionaire to lead a team investigating a mammoth’s remains in the Arctic, Maya begs to come along. Upon her arrival at the isolated camp, the mammoth is quickly revealed to be a fake, but there is something hidden in the ice—something unbelievable. Along with a team of international experts, each with his or her own agenda and theory about the mystery in the ice, Maya learns more about this discovery, which will change her life forever.

********

Thirteen year old Maya is a spirited, determined character with a passion for books and learning. With her snow-white hair, she has always found herself on the outside. She is desperate to find her own place in the world of science, like her parents, where she will be accepted for what she does, not how she looks. An unexpected expedition to the Arctic with her father is hopefully the start of this journey.

Quimby writes beautifully and the descriptions of the Arctic are both poetic and atmospheric. She builds a believable setting in which the drama can unfold. And unfold it does.

We soon realise nothing is as it seems at the camp. There is no woolly mammoth buried in the ice. It is something quite different. Something that will be life-changing for all involved.

Maya is the first-person narrator and her voice is authentic and inviting. We navigate the new, unknown landscape of snow and ice through her eyes, emotions and thoughts, feeling the biting cold as she does, and sensing the wonder of it all. When she teams up with Kyle, the son of an anthropologist, they become a dynamic duo, intent on uncovering the intrigue that they know is going on. Their friendship is based on fun, discovery and doing what they think is right - no hint of a romance (which is refreshing!). They have no agenda, just empathy with the mysterious creature that comes from the ice.

What I really liked about ‘The Icarus Project’ is the way Quimby makes this world of mythology and fantasy also very real, based in science, and with a believable strong female lead, a girl on the cusp of womanhood, finding her place in society and full of hope for her future and her desire to do good. The fast-paced adventure is balanced satisfyingly by the beautiful language and the emotional depth of Maya.

A fabulous read.

Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen

Reviewed by KM Lockwood

Published by Bloomsbury in February 2012

287 pages

No one really knows ‘bout me. I’m Rob’s secret, I’m his informant, I’m his shadow in dark places. No one takes me for more than a knockabout lad, a whip of a boy. They never really see. And I don’t mind that they don’t see. Like, when you walk through a room full of big men drunk off their skulls, it ain’t so bad to be ignored.

Summary by GoodReads

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and

sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

*********

In this debut YA novel, A.C. Gaughen uses Scarlet’s distinctive voice throughout. She reveals herself as an active, brave heroine with a great deal of attitude - and a hidden history which is gradually unravelled. Her emotional story focuses on a relatively small group of central characters, and particularly on a love triangle which is not resolved until the end. And even then, there is a possibility of further developments.

Though the tale is set in a medieval context, it is full of cheerful anachronisms. Do not expect an historically accurate book, think rather of films such as ‘A Knight’s Tale’ or ‘Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves’ and enjoy the exuberance. Clearly written for an American readership, it uses a spirited mixture of contemporary language and the author’s take on Nottinghamshire dialect. This gives Scarlet a memorable voice which pervades the whole book.

I do wish someone had pointed out that ‘Trent’ is the name of a river, not a place, but it’s not that important. I also thought that the cover looks more Edwardian than medieval - and Scarlet not much like a boy, but that’s fairly minor. However, I should point there are moments of violence - but nothing gratuitous. I must add that the fate of one very important character is left in the balance - so for those who want to know what Scarlet did next, it looks like a sequel is possible.

This book will suit those readers who want a romance with plenty of action, a distinctly fiery heroine and who enjoy a setting reminiscent of the Hollywood films of Errol Flynn.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Review by KM Lockwood

This edition 364 pages

published by Vintage Classics 2012

(originally published in 1911)

‘People never like me and I never like people, Mary thought.’

Good Reads Summary

A ten-year-old orphan comes to live in a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors where she discovers an invalid cousin and the mysteries of a locked garden. Burnett's classic story of a disagreeable and self-centred little girl and her equally disagreeable invalid cousin is as real and wise and enthralling now as it was when it was first written over 100 years ago. The strength of her characterisations pulls readers into the story, and the depth inherent in the seemingly simple plot continues to make this sometimes forgotten story as vital to the maturation of young readers as Tom Sawyer and Little Women. A reissue of an old classic to be treasured by a new generation of children (and their parents)!

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I will be completely honest - when I was asked to pick one of Random House’s new editions of Vintage Classics, I jumped at the chance of reviewing ‘The Secret Garden’. It has been one of my absolute favourite books for years.

There was a certain anxiety too - would my adult self still find it a delight?

Well, I laughed in the same places, cried in the same places and finished it with a big teary grin. I was also aware from a writer’s point of view what a cracking good story it is.

I don’t think I am in too much danger of spoiling it for anyone when I say that our heroine at first is a thoroughly unlikeable little girl. Mary Lennox is not in the slightest ‘aspirational’ to start with, but it is the gradually unfolding development of her character and action that captivates the reader.

The theme of growth and new life pervades the entire book. There is a lovely sense of place throughout - though I will cheerfully admit to a passion for the moors myself - so I may be biased. Which came first though - did Mrs Hodgson Burnett’s book inspire me?

I also loved the dialect. To me, it was wonderful to read my own Yorkshire speech in the mouths of characters you could love- Martha and Dickon and their Mother. They weren’t funny sidekicks or coarse villains and they spoke pretty much how I did. A grand thing for a Yorkshire lass.

Now it has to be said that both the dialect and some of the other vocabulary is a bit tricky at the distance of a hundred years. Random House have very thoughtfully provided a glossary at the back if you get stuck - but I’d have to say many words you can work out with a bit of a think. Just enjoy the wonderful story.

It is also true that the reader is told what to think rather more than a contemporary author would judge necessary but it’s easy enough to see that as part of its historical appeal for the older reader. The basic story is still deeply moving - there have been at least half a dozen film or TV adaptations.

The modern reader will appreciate the bonus material in the extra pages that Random House publishers have added - and the cover is both colourful and appealing (though I do think Mary’s outfit looks more 1941 than 1911). I would recommend it to any confident reader over eight years old: boys might very well enjoy having it read to them as both Dickon and Colin are such central characters.

I’ve loved the even the minor characters for over forty years - I’d encourage more readers to enjoy the company of the Robin Redbreast; Ben Weatherstaff; the wonderful wuthering moorland and the Secret Garden itself. Read this story and find the Magic for yourself.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

Reviewed by Caroline Hodges 

Pages - 256

Published by Vintage Children's Classics on 2nd August 2012

Can you go a little faster? Can you run?

Goodreads Summary

Wicked wolves and a grim governess threaten Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia when Bonnie's parents leave Willoughby Chase for a sea voyage. Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. The servants are dismissed, the furniture is sold, and Bonnie and Sylvia are sent to a prison-like orphan school. It seems as if the endless hours of drudgery will never cease.
With the help of Simon the goose boy and his flock, they escape. But how will they ever get Willoughby Chase free from the clutches of the evil Miss Slighcarp?

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The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is set in an 18th century England different to our own, where wolves frequent the countryside, adding an immediate hint of danger and excitement to an already action-packed novel. The main story of the book revolves around Bonnie, the wealthy daughter of a Lord and the grand old house of Willoughby Chase which comes under threat from an ambitious and greedy relative. Despite her genteel upbringing, Bonnie is a heroine to win over any young reader; plucky and with a strong sense of moral fibre, she stands up to the wicked governess introduced to her home, protecting family and servants alike. To temper this fire-cracker, we have Sylvia, Bonnie’s kind-hearted and gentle cousin, and for young male readers, we have Simon, the boy who lives by himself raising geese, protecting our heroines from wolves and rescuing them from evil old women.

The governess Miss Slighcarp is the perfect villain and has us hooked from the start as she physically lashes out at a servant, much to Bonnie’s outrage. Our revulsion increases as she takes to wearing Bonnie’s sick mother’s beautiful gowns and sacking all of Willoughby Chase’s loyal and hardworking servants. All this before she really gets going personally on poor Bonnie and Sylvia! Miss Slighcarp and her evil sidekicks are so horrible, you actually, somewhat guiltily, start enjoying them; what vile thing will they come up with next?!

First published in 1962, the book is obviously somewhat dated in language and sentence structure; there is much happy crying and talk of petticoats and doll’s houses. But the storyline is so classic it will survive the ages - Children versus evil governess fight to preserve home and family -always a winner! The characters are also so out of the ordinary for their time that their personalities and actions will resonate with today’s children, Bonnie’s father for instance, has allowed her to break the social norms of embroidery and piano-playing and instead she is a whiz with a fowling piece (gun!).

The new edition by Vintage is highly engaging for young readers. The cover I think is edgy but neutral enough to appeal to both a male and female young audience and the ‘What Character Are You?’ quiz at the back takes me back to the days of similar quizzes in magazines which I know when I was younger I absolutely loved. The other facts and extras are absorbing and a really nice addition. I also really liked the little bookplate on the first page.

Even as an adult, I had trouble putting this fun and engaging novel down - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is as fast-paced as the wolves within it. I wondered why the character Simon felt so familiar and realised I read the follow-up novel Black Heart’s in Battersea as a kid and adored it, so if you enjoy The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, as I’m sure you will, don’t forget to look this one up too!

An Inventory of Heaven by Jane Feaver

Review by Sophie Duffy 

Published by Corsair in Hardback in May 2012

Pages-320

Last night I slept deeply and dreamlessly, the sleep of angels. When I woke, I woke like Sleeping Beauty, as if I’d been quietly relieved of all the empty years. Mavis, my name came to me quite easily, but for a while I had no sure idea of my age. I might have been no more than a child, or as old as Auntie who lived in this cottage before I did. She was called Mavis too, incidentally, and a Gaunt by birth, as I am. Mavis Gaunt.

Goodreads Review

The few years Mavis Gaunt spent in the village of Shipleigh, Devon, as a wartime evacuee - away from London and her parents' loveless marriage - were sufficient for her to conceive of the place as a heavenly retreat. But it is not until her twenties, with nothing left to keep her in the city, that Mavis decides to head back. Frances, Tom and Robert Upcott are reclusive siblings from a local farm.

When Mavis returns to the village, she and Frances strike up an unlikely friendship. As they grow closer, Mavis is drawn into the sequestered life of the farm and begins at last to enjoy a sense of belonging. But a tragic sequence of events one winter's day is set to turn her heaven into a living hell. Mavis is seventy when Eve and her young son Archie turn up unexpectedly in the village. The tentative friendship that develops between them prompts Mavis to put together a collection of memories and treasures: her inventory. In revealing the truth of what happened at the Upcott farm, she is able to answer Eve's questions about the past, and in summoning them, finally to lay her own ghosts to rest.

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An Inventory of Heaven is an exquisitely crafted and beautifully written novel. Narrated by 70 year old Mavis, we are deftly taken into Mavis’s claustrophobic world and see things mainly through her eyes. Sometimes a more authorial voice takes over and we are given access to other people’s thoughts but this is done smoothly and with subtlety.

Mavis has always been an outsider, even when with other people. She is awkward and socially inept. She keeps her head down and tries not to be seen. Yet she is never sorry for herself, just accepting of her loveless life. When she becomes friends with Frances Upcott, her life shines with yearned for but unexpected brightness.

Mavis takes us back and forth in time, to the war, to now, to the sixties and back again, in a way that is realistic of how memory works. The plot unravels with great skill but you have to work a little as the reader to fully appreciate this - a good thing as it engages you with the novel and makes you want to discover exactly what happened on that winter’s night at Upcott Farm many years ago. The section headings (poem titles of Larkin etc) give you a breather from this insular life in a small cottage in Shipleigh, a village so tiny and remote that no Sat Nav can find it. The imagery of the stuffed bird in its glass dome beautifully and macabrely reflects Mavis’s existence.

Being a Devonian I particularly love Feaver’s drawing of the landscape, the narrow lanes and high hedgerows, the all important weather, the wildlife, birdsong, smells, colours, textures. And her description of life in a rural community is Hardyesque in its other-worldly way. Her language and imagery are poetic, vivid, precise and rooted in nature. She chooses unusual verbs which make complete sense in the way she uses them. An original voice.

Frances, Mavis’s longed-for friend, is a great pianist. When she plays, Mavis is captivated. But Frances has to look after her fathers and brothers on the farm and her potential is limited. Frances, too, is trapped like Mavis. But Mavis, although her name means ‘songbird’, has no obvious talent apart from her typing.

This is a story of spurned love and humiliation set against a backdrop of boarding school, the sick room and the typing pool before Mavis hides herself away in deepest Devon. However, even the central dramatic tragedy is understated in such a way that we are left without being shocked, but with acceptance. This is life. And Mavis, finally, in her later years, is finding a way of dealing with this, through an unexpected connection to the next generations.

A book that will stay with me for a long time.

Snow White and the Huntsman by Lily Blake

Reviewed by Georgina Tranter

Published by Atom Books on 1st June 2012

Pages 240

Who will you be when faced with the end?

The end of a kingdom,

The end of good men,

Will you run?

Will you hide?

Or will you hunt down evil with a venomous pride?

Rise to the ashes,

Rise to the winter sky,

Rise to the calling,

Make heard the battle cry.

Let it scream from the mountains

From the forest to the chapel,

Because death is a hungry mouth

And you are the apple.

So who will you be when faced with the end?

When the vultures are circling

And the shadows descend.

Will you cower?

Or will you fight?

Is your heart made of glass?

Or a pure Snow White?

Book Summary

SHE IS DESTINED…EITHER THE QUEEN WILL KILL HER OR THE HUNTSMAN WILL TRANSFORM HER INTO A WARRIOR.

Ten years ago, the stunning and vengeful Queen Ravenna murdered her king the same fateful night she married him. But controlling the now desolate kingdom has begun to take its toll on the evil Queen. To keep her magic and beauty from dying, she must consume a heart that is pure. And the only one that has been under her cruel watch all along belongs to the king’s daughter.

Ravenna calls for the imprisoned Snow White, but the young woman escapes from the castle and seeks refuge in the Dark Forest. Because the forest is enchanted with magical flora and deadly fauna the Queen sends for the only man who has ventured into the woods and survived; a tortured Huntsman called Eric.

With his hope long forsaken, the Huntsman agrees to bring back the girl. But when Eric finds his prey, he hesitates. Will he kill her?

Or will he train her to become the greatest warrior the kingdom has ever known?

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I have to admit I leaped at the chance to review this book. This is one of the first films I remember going to see and it still holds a magical quality for me so I was interested to see how the traditional tale was to be re-worked for a modern day audience.

Firstly, it’s not a difficult read. The synopsis has remained much the same - evil Queen wants rid of beautiful step-daughter. Only this time she needs Snow White in order to maintain her strength and beauty forever. Unfortunately for Ravenna, Snow White escapes and heads blindly into the Dark Forest from which no man has returned to tell the tale. Of course, there has to be an exception to this rule and this is where Eric the Huntsman comes into the tale. A drunk, miserable man who has nothing to live for following the death of his beloved wife, he is charged by the Queen to find Snow White and bring her back to the castle alive. When they meet there is an instant dislike of each other, but as the tale progresses, this changes and Eric questions whether he should uphold his promise to the Queen.

With beautiful descriptions and imagery it is not hard to picture how this must appear on the big screen. It truly is a visual novel. I think it would certainly appeal to younger teenagers as it stays clear of strong violence and language but still maintains a tension throughout. Will Snow White defeat the evil Queen and bring happiness back to the kingdom, or will Eric trick her into being returned to the castle in order for him to collect his much desired promise? There’s only one way to find out - read the book!

The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones,

                                                         Review by K. M. Lockwood 

263 pages

Published by Corsair 2012

Spring 1924

It was because of the yellow dress. She was wearing a yellow dress and her

arms were bare. It was slightly tart, the colour of lemon curd. He couldn’t

remember seeing a dress in that shade before. It was pleated silk and sleeveless,

with a low waistband and a square neck that was slightly too low, perhaps only

by half an inch

Good Reads Summary

Everyone has to make decisions about love... Wilfred Price, overcome with emotion and a yellow dress, on a sunny spring day, proposes to a girl he barely knows at a picnic. The girl, Grace, joyfully accepts and rushes to tell her family of Wilfred's intentions. But by this time Wilfred realized his mistake. He does not love Grace.

**********

The title immediately suggests this will be period novel with a sprinkling of gentle humour, with both the actions and speculations of the central character presented centre stage. It does not disappoint.

The cover also truthfully conveys the delicacy of the writing though it can’t indicate the essential Welshness of the storytelling voice. It’s not a caricature but a measured evocation of the setting and people portrayed. There is a mixture of charm and realism - both poverty and narrow-mindedness in 20s Narberth are clearly and convincingly shown, as well as a deep sense of community.

It would be a hard-hearted reader that didn’t feel some sympathy for Wilfred and the pickle he gets himself into; though there are times you may wish to shout at him, it’s only fair to say. I should also point out that there is a darker element to the story, which is sensitively handled, but which means the novel would not be suitable for younger readers.

You would enjoy this book if you like family dramas set in a distinct historical location told with a mixture of compassion and a touch of comedy.

Geekhood by Andy Robb

Review by Caroline Hodges

Published by Stripes Publishing in June 2012

Pages - 352

Goodreads Summary

If you haven't worked it out yet, girls don't do this. They don't come to the Hovel. They don't like goblins and dragons. They don't paint miniatures. They don't play role playing games or re-enact fictional battles. And they don't talk to Geeks like me especially if they're pretty. And this girl is pretty. What do you do if you're a fourteen-year-old Geek, and a Beautiful Girl has appeared in the midst of your geeky world? And she seems to like you... For Archie, the natural reaction would be to duck and cover ... run for the hills ... buy a new model elf... Anything but risk stepping into the Real World. But even Geeks have to put their heads above the parapet at some point. With his mum barely able to contain her excitement that her son is about to join the human race, and his step-father, Tony the Tosser, offering crass advice, it's time for Archie to embark on a daring Quest to win the Beautiful Girl's heart and shake off his Geekhood for good...

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One Sunday afternoon it was time to choose a new book to read. With some barely disguised glee, I had finished a somewhat confusing book on my kindle - seriously, I’ve never been so close to not finishing a book! - and was on the prowl for a new adventure. I have a lot of unread books around my house. A LOT. Luckily my partner can’t see the other unread books on my kindle though I suspect he knows they’re there. ‘Gollum-like,’ to steal a slice of Geekhood, I prowled my shelves. There were two books in particular that I’d been itching to read. I seized one and settled down. Meh, it just wasn’t grabbing me. Flinging it behind the sofa, I reached for the other (that’s for dramatic effect, I actually replaced it lovingly on the shelves, who could harm a nice new book??!). Again I was disappointed! This isn’t to say that these are bad books, I’m sure they’ll prove awesome, but I think because I’d just finished something kind of mediocre, I just couldn’t bear to be reading anything else that wasn’t immediately seizing my attention.
Enter Geekhood, with its bright orange cover and a slogan nodding to that cult movie all geeks adore. Within a few pages, I was thrown into my younger days, but with a slightly more masculine element. Where it’s RPG gaming for our hero Archie, I had World of Warcraft and competing with model horses. Where Archie and his friends spend their weekends hidden in the Hovel deciding which miniatures to buy and paint up next, I spent mine lodged in book shop aisles figuring which I should choose to buy with my oh so valuable - and limited - funds.
It’s a stunning portrayal of a young male teen geek. It doesn’t take itself seriously - there’s more than the fair share of self-mockery in there that one can’t help thinking is too accurate to possibly not stem from real life author experience. And undoubtedly that’s what makes it both believable and frustrating for an older reader - I wanted to say ‘hey, Archie, relax! When you grow up, people are more forgiving - they’ve got over their own inadequacies and ego’s and moved on to more important things.’ But for a young reader, this book will have them saying ‘wow, it’s not just me.’
The true beauty of this book lies in its supporting cast; Archie’s fellow geeks remind us to thank God for friends who will forgive and forget when we’re acting dumb and ground us when we forget who we really are - where would we be without them? Matt in particular, shows true maturity in the level of peace he has reached with himself and what he is. Stepfather Tony is also a gem - don’t get me wrong, if I were Archie, I’d definitely think he was a “Tosser™” - but as an outsider looking in on Archie’s story, he seems like a good guy, making the best effort he can. Surprisingly, the object of Archie’s affection does nothing for me throughout the book, but then I think ultimately this just goes to show the depths of a geek - or indeed any - mind when it’s in love for the first time.
Three-quarters of the way through the book I got angry with Mr Robb. I was overtaken by righteous betrayal by Archie’s apparent transformation into non-geek! I mean, what’s wrong with being a geek? I took it like a personal insult! I mean I know plenty of geeks who have grown up just fine decent people, and yes married, with kids, all that ‘normal’ stuff. Was the author trying to suggest Geekhood was wrong?! What’s going on here?!
Luckily, and with a huge sigh of relief, normality was resumed and I was very pleased with the way the relationship between Sarah and Archie was left by the end. Not because Archie’s a geek and it was ‘inevitable,’ but because that’s life and very few first loves work out. After all, it takes time for true soul mates to find each other, and I’m really hoping there will be future books when we can see Archie fall in love with the girl he really deserves.

The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock

Reviewed by KM Lockwood

Published by Walker Canongate July 2011
327 pages

‘My name is Catherine Rozier, please don’t call me Cathy. If you do I’ll jump. Don’t think I’m bluffing. It’s a 3000-foot drop and even though I’m fat, I’m not fat enough to bounce. I’ll dive headfirst into ye ancient Guernsey granite outcrops and then my mashed-up body will be washed out to sea. of course if I get the tides wrong I’ll be stranded on the rocks with seagulls eating my eyes. I know for a fact they’ll eat anything.’

Good Reads Summary
Life on the tiny island of Guernsey has just become a whole lot harder for fifteen-year-old Cat Rozier. She’s gone from model pupil to murderer, but she swears it’s not her fault. Apparently it’s all the fault of history.
A new arrival at Cat’s high school in 1984, the beautiful and instantly popular Nicolette inexplicably takes Cat under her wing. The two become inseparable: going to parties together, checking out boys, and drinking whatever liquor they can shoplift. But a perceived betrayal sends them spinning apart, and Nic responds with cruel, over-the-top retribution.
Cat’s recently deceased father, Emile, dedicated his adult life to uncovering the truth about the Nazi occupation of Guernsey from Churchill’s abandonment of the island to the stories of those who resisted in hopes of repairing the reputation of his older brother,
Charlie. Through Emile’s letters and Charlie’s words recorded on tapes before his own death a confession takes shape, revealing the secrets deeply woven into the fabric of the island . . . and into the Rozier family story.

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This first novel from Mary Horlock is a dark and complex tale. There are two time lines: a first person account by a teenage girl in the 1980s and events from the WWII occupation of Guernsey by the Nazis revealed through transcripts and letters from the 1960s.
There is a great deal of emotional to and fro as the central character Catherine attempt to cope with the demands of adolescence and the death of her father. The passionate intensity of friendships and school life at that period are evoked in detail, and with empathy.
Catherine has a strong individual voice and through her eyes we uncover many of the lies, secrets and comforting half-truths that have so poisoned the world she lives in. Similarly we learn about the back story through the voices of Charles and Emile, her uncle and father respectively. There are several revelations which make the reader see how characters acted in a different way.
One reservation I have is the use of Guernsey patois. Much of this enlivens the storytelling by giving a local edge to the voices - but there are few translations and the reader is left wondering if they have missed anything important. On the other hand, the footnotes add credibility and interest.
This is not suitable for younger readers as it features psychological bullying, alcohol abuse and age-appropriate swearing. It could appeal particularly to adult readers interested in the legacy of WWII. This is a book for those who like intricate dramas centred on the consequences of lies and secrets, and who enjoy engaging with recent history.

The Village Vet by Cathy Woodman

Reviewed by Sophie Duffy 

Published by Arrow in May 2012.

Pages - 400

It isn’t every day that I get to ride in a Rolls Royce, bowling along the Devon country lanes in the bright April sunshine with my dad at my side, singing ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’ in his rich baritone voice. His enthusiasm is infectious and I’m not sure which of us is most excited, me or him.

Goodreads review

From the bestselling author of Trust Me, I'm a Vet, this is Cathy Woodman's fifth novel about love, animals and the countryside.

Swept up in a whirlwind romance, Tessa is about to marry, but on the day of her wedding when one of her oldest friends, Jack, interrupts the ceremony, she changes her mind. Her doubts about her groom are confirmed later when she discovers the extent of his debts and that he has been sleeping with her close girlfriend.

Tessa is a vet nurse with no job and no home, and it appears that she will have to live with her parents for the rest of her life, until her aunt, Fifi Green, offers her a position managing Talyton Animal Rescue's Sanctuary. The committee of Talyton Animal Rescue fall out with Fifi who did not consult them, the charity's assets are frozen, there is a shortage of volunteers and too many animals turning up at the door.

How will Tessa cope with these challenges? How will she deal with her changing feelings for Jack, who as well as ruining her big day, is the local animal welfare officer?

*********

I met Cathy Woodman at a Harry Bowling Prize evening in London in 2008. She was a previous winner from 2002 and was very encouraging of the prize which launched her new career as a novelist. She grew up in Devon, like me, and her vet series, of which The Village Vet is the latest, is set in the fictional market town of Talyton St George in East Devon.

The Village Vet can be read alone as the characters, although previously introduced in earlier novels, now take centre stage. Tessa, the heroine, a vet nurse, is a down-to-earth young woman who falls helplessly, and too easily, in love with the men who come into her life and with the rescued animals that are brought to The Sanctuary.

Woodman draws you immediately into the village setting which she describes with zest, affection and a lightness of touch. Her witty, accessible style makes

the book a fast read as you sail along with it, gunning for Tessa as she goes on her journey of love with hero, Jack, whose job as animal welfare officer means their daily lives continually collide.

It is a very romantic, heart-warming, will-they-won’t-they tale. With lots of endearing rescued animals. Woodman’s career as a vet shows in her writing which has an authentic feel to it when she describes these ponies, dogs and deer.

She’s been compared to a mixture of Katie Fforde and James Herriot which seems accurate to me. Essentially this book is a rural romance and would make a great television series... As would the whole of her Talyton St George series. Now who would play Tessa and Jack?

Guest Review: The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

I ran a competition to win an ARC copy of The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke a few weeks ago and the lovely Caroline also known as Musing Dragon won it. She really enjoyed the book, but as she doesn't write reviews on her blog, I asked her if she would like to post one here, which she kindly sent to me. So here is Caroline's review of the The Assassin's Curse which will be published by Strange Chemistry in October.

Goodreads Summary 

Ananna of the Tanarau is the eldest daughter of a highly-ranked family in the loose assortment of cutthroats and thieves in the Pirate's Confederation. When she runs away from the marriage her parents have arranged for her, they hire Naji the assassin to murder her.
When a mysterious woman in a dress shop offers her magical assistance for dealing with the assassin, Ananna accepts. She never went in much for magic herself -- she lacks the talent for it -- but she's not quite ready to die yet, either. Unfortunately, the woman's magic fails.
Fortunately, Ananna inadvertently saves the assassin's life in the skirmish, thus activating a curse that had been placed on him a few years earlier. Now, whenever her life is in danger, he must protect her -- or else he experiences tremendous physical pain. Neither Ananna nor the assassin, Naji, are pleased about this development.
Follow Ananna and Naji as they sail across the globe, visiting such mysterious places as the Court of Salt and Waves, in their desperate effort to lift the curse. Soon they will discover that only by completing three impossible tasks will they be able to set themselves free.

********

I’ll start off by saying I’m not a book reviewer, this is my first attempt. My reading also extends far and beyond young adult novels, though I do read a fair few of them.
Having won an ARC of The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clark through Serendipity Reviews and publisher Strange Chemistry, I felt that I should give something back with a review... so here goes!
Firstly, the cover of The Assassin’s Curse is stunning, it will stick out from the sea of Gothic pretty-girl covers a mile off at the book shop. It was the cover and synopsis that actually got me to enter the give-away (I’m not really an enter-everything kinda gal, I figure if I’m not that fussed and I happened to win, I’d be disappointing someone who did really want it!). I am a sucker for pretty covers, but hey I’ve discovered some fantastic books this way and The Assassin’s Curse is no different.
Onto the story itself, I was nearly bowled over at the word ‘tits’ two pages in, but then our heroine is a pirate, so what did I expect? I’m just so used to the niceties of most YA novels, it was actually quite refreshing as I sure as hell hear worse from real life kids standing at a bus stop.
The start was maybe a little lacking on emotional background, almost like the author was eager to start on her heroine’s adventure - why is Ananna so against marrying Tarrin of the Hariri? Throughout the book she seems so in love with her family, the sea and life as a pirate that it seems a bit ‘out-there’ to do a runner in a town slap bang in the middle of a desert with no supplies or cash. But it’s soon apparent as an impulsive act, one which is key to Ananna’s character throughout the rest of the book. It sets her apart from most YA heroine’s who, with the same use of first person perspective, treat us to an endless stream of over-analysing teenage angst when decision making. In true pirate style, Ananna sees a problem, acts and bares the consequences.
The hero is slightly on the moody secretive side, but you can’t help liking him as he gets a pummelling through the book. To stop you dismissing him as weak however, there’s a great part on board ship where he reminds the crew (and the reader)not to underestimate him and his profession.
I think I was expecting more seafaring action, but what I actually got (and was by no means disappointed), was to delve into a city reminiscent of Arabia - markets selling pots of gold make up, bolts of fine fabrics, the scent of roasting goat meat skewers on the air. We get to experience the desperate heat of a desert, the cool relief of finding water and through their journey, the growing respect and trust between our initially suspicious hero and heroine.
Both lead characters by profession can handle themselves in a fight, but ultimately it is Ananna that gets them through the book with her upbringing as a pirate, intuition and negotiating skills. It’s such a pleasant change for a female lead to do the rescuing - if you’re a fan of the age old ‘knight in shining armour’ fantasy, prepare to be turned on your head. Personally, I hope The Assassin’s Curse sets a new standard for YA heroines!
I initially thought this was a stand alone novel but am overjoyed that it looks like the characters will be returning. The Assassin’s Curse is a true stand out in today’s YA market.