April Books I'm Excited About

We're a week into April already and the April showers have come out in force. Do I need to go out in a rain coat, or sunglasses? Sandals or snow boots? Is the car going to be covered in blossom or frost? I wish the British weather would make up its mind! Until it does, I think I'll be safest tucked up indoors with some of the amazing books that are being published this month. These are the three I am looking forward to the most.

Scarlett Epstien Hates it Here by Anna Breslaw

{published 19th April}

Meet Scarlett Epstein, BNF (Big Name Fan) in her online community of fanfiction writers, world-class nobody at Melville High. Her best (read: only) IRL friends are Avery, a painfully shy and annoyingly attractive bookworm, and Ruth, her pot-smoking, possibly insane seventy-three-year-old neighbor.

When Scarlett’s beloved TV show is canceled and her longtime crush, Gideon, is sucked out of her orbit and into the dark and distant world of Populars, Scarlett turns to the fanfic message boards for comfort. This time, though, her subjects aren’t the swoon-worthy stars of her fave series—they’re the real-life kids from her high school. Scarlett never considers what might happen if they were to find out what she truly thinks about them...until a dramatic series of events exposes a very different reality than Scarlett's stories, forever transforming her approach to relationships—both online and off. {Goodreads Summary}

Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here is a novel about a girl who starts writing fan fiction about her CLASSMATES. It's an idea so brilliant I sort of wish I'd had it while I was at school. I think this is going to be really funny and I can't wait to start reading it. 

The Rose and The Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

 {published 26th April}

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love. {goodreads summary}

I think I gushed about The Wraith and The Dawn enough in my review for it to come as no surprise that I am very, very excited for the sequel. I'm not really sure where this story is going to go next, but I'm hoping for more magical elements, as well as romance, of course.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

{published 26th April}

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire...

But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most. . .including herself. {goodreads summary}

Bustle described this as "a loose interpretation of the Cupid and Psyche tale woven into Hindu mythology" and the Classics geek in me wanted to pre-order it immediately. Chokshi's Pinterest board for the novel is really pretty too.

Happy reading everyone!

Six of Crows

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone... A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.  A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first. {Goodreads summary}

“Six people, but a thousand ways this insane plan could go wrong.”

Following my initial disappointment that All of the Above wasn't told from multiple perspectives, it was great to be able to move onto one that was! Six of Crows follows the adventures of a crew of criminal masterminds in the making, written from the perspective of five of them. The varying perspectives gave the novel a unique and exciting twist, and I was never disappointed when they switched as they were equally interesting. I'm not entirely sure why the sixth member didn't get chapters of his own (I spent most of the novel expecting him to die at any moment as a result!)  

“Kaz leaned back. "What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?"

"Knife to the throat?" asked Inej.

"Gun to the back?" said Jesper.

"Poison in his cup?" suggested Nina.

"You're all horrible," said Matthias.” 

When I started Six of Crows, I didn't actually realise that it was a companion novel to a trilogy; I'm not sure how, but Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy has managed to completely pass me by, but that's something I plan on correcting very soon. However, I would definitely say that you don't need to have read the previous series to enjoy Six of Crows; the world building is so fantastic that I never felt as though I was missing information or back story.

“How are you finding our country?” “It’s a magical place,” Nina gushed. If you like ice and more ice.”

The writing in this novel is beautiful. Spending a lot of time in GCSE English lessons means that my brain is subconsciously on a constant lookout for 'literary techniques' and there is some beautifully constructed imagery in this book:

“The heat of the incinerator wrapped around Inej like a living thing, a desert dragon in his den, hiding from the ice, waiting for her. She knew her body’s limits, and she knew she had no more to give. She’d made a bad wager. It was as simple as that. The autumn leaf might cling to its branch, but it was already dead. The only question was when it would fall.” 

I could definitely write a PEEL point on the imagery in that paragraph. But literary analysis aside, it's just so nice to read. 

"Being angry at Kaz for being ruthless is like being angry at a stove for being hot. You know what he is.” 

“The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.” 

One of my favourite things about Six of Crows was the relationships between the different characters. Not just romantic ones, but friendships and, with a melting pot of different personalities and beliefs, the tensions. I particularly loved the arguments. 

“It's not natural for women to fight."

"It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.” 

Trying to narrow down quote options for this review was really hard. I could have posted a review entirely made up of my favourite quotes, but at that point, you may as well just go and read the book. 

Go on. You really, really should. 

"Well, we've managed to get ourselves locked into the most secure prison in the world. We're either geniuses or the dumbest sons of bitches to ever breathe air.”

Why We Love... Zoe and Beans

Picture Book Review: Zoe and Beans

I'm going to try and start posting a picture book feature on the blog once a month, about whatever me and my toddler have been enjoying recently, and there was no contest when deciding that the first book (series) to be featured was Zoe and Beans by Chloe and Mike Inkpen. 

I first came across this series in Waterstones just before my daughter was one and loved the adorable artwork and clever stories. Since then, we've bought all of the picture books and one of the board books. 

Zoe is a fantastic character. She's independent, resourceful, and clever, but she's not perfect and can sometimes be a bit grumpy and lose her temper (my daughter's favourite moment in the books is when she shouts her name at the uncooperative parrot in Hello Oscar).

The series is also great on an educational/interactive level as it introduces lots of new vocabulary, with enough repetition for toddlers to join in too. Zoe and Beans are huge favourites in our house and are read on a daily basis. I'm sure we're not going to tire of them any time soon.

The Unmumsy Mum

The Unmumsy Mum by Sarah Turner

*****

The Unmumsy Mum writes candidly about motherhood like it really is: the messy, maddening, hilarious reality, how there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach and how it is sometimes absolutely fine to not know what you are doing. The lessons she's learnt while grappling with two small boys – from birth to teething, 3am night feeds to toddler tantrums, soft play to toilet training – will have you roaring with laughter and taking great comfort in the fact that it's definitely not just you {Goodreads Summary}

Can I give this book a million stars please? The Unmumsy Mum's blog posts and FB updates brighten my days. As it says on the back of the book "This is not a parenting manual. This is real life!" I could relate to so many of the anecdotes in this book and I'm sure I'll be relating to many more over the next few years. 

This book made me laugh, smile and cry (the chapter dedicated to Turner's mum took me a few attempts to get through), but there was also a really serious message inside the book: that it's okay not to love every second of parenthood, because some days are just a bit rubbish, but the good days, the smiles, the giggles and the cuddles make it all so very worthwhile. 

All of the Above

All of the Above by Juno Dawson

*****

When sixteen-year-old Toria Bland arrives at her new school she needs to work out who her friends are in a crazy whirl of worry, exam pressure and anxiety over fitting in. Things start looking up when Toria meets the funny and foul-mouthed Polly, who's the coolest girl that Toria has ever seen. Polly and the rest of the 'alternative' kids take Toria under their wing. And that's when she meets the irresistible Nico Mancini, lead singer of a local band - and it's instalove at first sight! Toria likes Nico, Nico likes Toria, but then there's Polly...love and friendship have a funny way of going round in circles. {Goodreads Summary}

I'm going to start by saying that this book wasn't at all what I expected. From the title and the quote on the back, I was convinced this was going to be told Virginia Woolf 'The Waves' style with multiple protagonists. I got over my initial disappointment that this wasn't the case pretty quickly (I still have no idea what happened in The Waves; I never had a clue who's POV it was). All of the Above had me gripped from the beginning. I loved the style it was written in, the characters, the plot, the unexpectedness. This novel made me laugh and (very nearly) cry. 

"Only Orange smarties don't taste the same. So she picks them all out and gives them to me."

Toria was a fun character. Her desire to fit in at the beginning of the novel was really easy to relate to, and I loved her rules for making friends. I also loved her friends, especially Daisy *sobs quietly in the corner*. I wish Alex, Alice and Freya had been more developed. I would especially love to know more about Freya's backstory, particularly the story behind her outburst at towards the end. Basically, short stories from all the characters in this novel would be greatly appreciated; I'm not ready to let go of Toria and her gang yet! 

"Daisy. I didn't want her to become a cloud when she'd always been sunshine."

All of the Above is a story about growing up and self discovery. But above all, it's about love. It has a really uplifting message for teens who are struggling to fit in or are questioning their feelings. It touches on some difficult topics, like anorexia and self-harm, which would usually be the focus of their own book, but are shown here in the context of everyday life. Mental illness is all around us and All of the Above showed that really well.

"The room was empty now.The world was empty. It was just Polly and I dancing, a little island in a great big ocean."

All of the Above was the first book I've read by Dawson, but it definitely won't be the last. 

War & Peace: Post Two - Too Good To Stop Reading

This epic novel is getting better and better. I am now 28% of the way through. My Kindle gives me roughly fifteen hours of reading time left. I'm reading War and Peace at work (I never took the break I was expecting too as An Ember in the Ashes didn't fit in my work bag but, ironically War and Peace did, in the form of my Kindle) so I'm doing half an hour's reading a day, three days a week. If I keep that pace up, I should be finished in around five weeks. That's actually a lot less time than I expected it to take, which I think is a testament to how much I'm enjoying the novel. 

I think I'm part way through episode two, in TV show terms. Speaking of which, half way through the finale I was ready to give up on the book, unsure I'd be able to keep reading if I knew it was all going to end so bleakly. But then that ending! It was far, far better than I could ever have expected (I'm being as vague as possible to avoid spoilers). It has given me even more motivation to keep going. I will get to the end of War and Peace!

I'm definitely still enjoying the 'peace' more than the 'war', but I'm finding the battles more interesting to read than I expected. There's a lot more detail to them than the TV show went into, so they're the parts of the novel I know least about. 

An Ember in the Ashes

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

****

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
 
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
 
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
 
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
 
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. {goodreads summary}

An electric novel which kept me gripped until the very end. An Ember in the Ashes is a dual narrative, fantasy YA novel split between two very distinctive, but equally interesting, characters: Laia and Elias. 

“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after."

At the beginning of the novel, Laia is weak, nervous and scared. She is almost an anti-heroine in terms YA stereotypes. She behaves in the way most ordinary people would if their world was torn apart and they were forced into a terrifying, deadly situation. As a result, she is really easy to relate to and I found myself rooting for her instantly. 

“There are two kinds of guilt. The kind that's a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. Let your guilt be your fuel. Let it remind you of who you want to be. Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It's damaged but it's there. Don't let them take it from you.” 

Elias is a soldier, trapped in a world of violence and fear that he doesn't want to be a part of. The strongest facet of his personality is his humanity; his desire to get away from the death and destruction his people force him to commit. His motivations are clear to understand, even when he does heart-wrenching, terrible things. 

“All the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.” 

One of the strongest elements of this novel was its antagonist. Keris, the commandant, is almost Umbridge-level horrible. So far, she doesn't appear to care about anyone other than herself and her brutality knows no limits. I really hopes she gets her comeuppance by the end of the series; I'm looking forward to seeing her suffer! There was some really strong characterisation throughout the novel and the secondary characters are all very well developed. Although I have questions and theories about some (like Cook) which I hope are answered in future books. 

“I'd rather die than live with no mercy, no honor, no soul.”

An Ember in the Ashes is very deserving of the praise and accolades it has received so far. It is a brilliantly written book and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next when book two comes out in August.