Book Review – Page 23 – M J Mallon YA Author and Poet

My Kyrosmagica Review of Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Goodreads Synopsis:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance.

At twenty-two years old, Sydney has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter’s cheating on her–and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by Ridge, her mysterious neighbor. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…

Original music created for Maybe Someday by musician Griffin Peterson can be accessed through the website listed in the ebook and paperback.

My review:

I’ve been meaning to read a Colleen Hoover novel for some time, so when I visited my daughter recently and she offered to lend me Maybe Someday I didn’t deliberate and say Maybe, no sir, I jumped at the chance. Maybe Someday literally sent shivers up and down my spine. This is my first New Adult novel and I sense it will not be my last. If I could sum up the strengths of Maybe Someday I would say that Colleen has a way of writing that gets the reader immersed into the private thoughts and emotions of the characters. It’s almost as if I’ve been guiltily eavesdropping on a developing love affair. I found myself really seeing this dilemma from two differing points of view, which alternate giving you a male and a female perspective (the novel is written from both Sydney and Ridge’s viewpoints.) I was amused to see that Ridge got the last word, but his final sentence was worth it, so that’s ok!

Sydney finds out that her flatmate boyfriend, Hunter, (very cheater sounding,) is cheating with her best friend Tori, on her birthday of all days. Hunter fits the typical male cheater profile, he’s just out for sex rather than love. Poor Sydney, it’s not really the birthday surprise she was hoping for.

The hurt of this revelation leads her to staying in a flat with three people that she doesn’t know, Ridge, the musician, Warren, the funny prankster, who they like to take pranking tips from, and Bridgette, the bitch. Again, I like this, because it suggests Sydney’s hurt is so profound that in her current state of confusion she would go anywhere, even to a strangers flat, to escape the two people who had hurt her so much. Warren and Bridgette are both interesting characters but of the two I would say I preferred Warren. I think more emphasis was placed on Warren’s part in the novel rather than Bridgette’s and this is as it should be. There is also Brennan, Ridge’s younger brother, who is the voice for Ridge’s lyrics in their band Sounds of Cedar. Sydney hasn’t met Warren and Bridgette before, but she has seen Ridge out on his balcony playing his guitar, and has been drawn to his marvellous guitar playing, and of course to him! Ridge learns that Sydney has a wonderful gift for writing song lyrics, and their relationship develops from this shared interest.

There are so many ironies in this novel.

Ridge struggles with his conscience when he learns of Hunter’s infidelity with Tori, eventually he decides to tell her and texts Sydney about Hunter’s infidelity, but later he is tempted himself to be unfaithful with Sydney. Sydney is the victim of infidelity and then becomes a possible instigator of infidelity. So we see the whole problem from the viewpoint of both the hurt party, first Sydney, and then Maggie, and the “cheaters,” and the point to be made is both parties are hurting. This is where Colleen scores, please forgive the pun, she shows the emotions of the “innocent” and the “guilty” parties and this is such an interesting way to go. These kind of heightened emotions aren’t that simple to define, they don’t just flow in a straight controlled line, rather they zigzag all over the place causing a sense of deep hurt and chaos.

Will Sydney and Ridge become cheaters? If they do, how will they feel when they cross this forbidden line? Sydney and Ridge are basically caring people who don’t want to upset Ridge’s lovely girlfriend Maggie by falling in love. Yes, falling in love, this isn’t about a sexual attraction without love, no if it had been it would have de-valued the plot. But, and this is a big but, the emotion of love has no off switch, it isn’t something that we can turn off easily, once the fire of love is lit it is so hard to extinguish. So there are good intentions, and all in all they do well to keep their desires in check, particularly for a New Adult novel I guess, but a single kiss is enough to set their hearts aflame with longing. In my experience this is true, if you love someone a kiss will tell you all you need to know about that person and Colleen gets this so right, as this quote illustrates: “Kisses like his should come with a warning label. They can’t be good for the heart.”

A Disney tornado of a kiss! WOW!!!

Yes, Disney figured out the power behind the simple kiss! Even in the Lady and the Tramp, this is so obvious and cute!

Link:

Top 15 Disney Kisses/Kiss Scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxOHmJalt2w

I loved that Colleen chose a male character that was different, Ridge is deaf, so this enables the reader to see him communicating his emotions in a way that a hearing person wouldn’t normally be able to. I think this is so interesting, particularly as guys tend to hold their emotions in check more than girls. Ridge can’t hear so he uses his other senses to experience life in full. To begin with Ridge and Sydney communicate with each other by texting, (a large proportion of the novel is in text speak,) but when texting and computer messaging isn’t enough to convey Ridge’s emotions he manages to utter a few precious words. When Ridge and Sydney practice songs together he has to lie close to her or lean against her chest to feel the reverberations of her voice. “His head is against my chest, and I can feel his hair brush my neck. He’s pretty much sprawled across me in order to reach his guitar with both arms.” It’s no wonder that a deep connection grows! It takes Ridge a long time to discover that his love for Sydney and Maggie is not the same love, one is born out of a sense of wanting to protect someone, (and Ridge is a caring type of guy,)whereas the other is a less complicated love, which is yet another irony. Finally, Ridge comes to a decision. It takes him a long time to get there and I just wanted to grab him by the scruff of the neck and shake him and say, come on Ridge, what are you waiting for, make a decision, stop procrastinating!

I enjoyed the reveal towards the end of the novel, that was an interesting way for the novel to go. Another point I would like to make about Maybe Someday is the action is contained within a very small area. So if you like books with rich descriptions of places to add depth to a story you probably will find this lacking. It’s almost as if the characters are in a bubble, a bubble of emotion, but maybe this is a conscious decision on Colleen Hoover’s part. Possibly she wants the reader to focus one hundred percent on the character’s feelings, and emotions, slightly to the detriment of a sense of place.

There have been criticisms of this book, some reviewers have been turned off by the cheater theme, but in my opinion books are here to make us question moral dilemmas, and the feelings and emotions of people caught up in such a scenario. I sympathise that this book would most probably be a difficult one to read if you’ve just suffered a break up, and we’ve all experienced these at some point in our lives, but let’s not pretend cheating doesn’t happen, it’s best to write about these painful issues, give them voice, and I think to her credit Colleen Hoover does this very well indeed. So read the whole novel, if you read the first half you might be quick to assume that Ridge is a typical guy doing his best to hide the fact that he has a girlfriend so he can get some action! In fact I would say that in Maybe Someday Colleen overthrows the typical stereotype of the cheater and argues that sometimes cheaters can be nice people, (who have some flaws,) caught up in a very difficult situation, which they would much rather never have found themselves in.

Overall rating is so close to five out of five, this one has been so hard to rate but I’d say: 4.5 stars.

Highly recommended for readers of New Adult, YA, Romance, Contemporary, and readers who like to deliberate about the complexities of relationships, this book is most definitely for you. Oh, and for lovers of music, I just found out today there is a soundtrack for Maybe Someday, how awesome is that!

I’ve been following Colleen on her author page for sometime, and now I am so glad that I am!

www.facebook.com/authorcolleenhoover

She’s also on Twitter and Instagram: @colleenhoover

Colleen hosts a book-a-day giveaway on her Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.

My Favourite Quotes:

“How ever, I’ve learned that the heart can’t be told when and who and how it should love. The heart does whatever the hell it wants to do. The only thing we can control is whether we give our lives and our minds the chance to catch up to our hearts.”

“Hey, heart. Are you listening? You and I are officially at war.”

“I failed miserably at trying not to fall in love with you.
…
I failed first.”

“To me, lyrics are harder to write when you have to invent the feelings behind them. That’s when lyrics take a lot of thought, when they aren’t genuine.”

“Never in all my life and in all my years of living in a world of silence have I wanted to hear something as much as I want to hear her sing right now. I want to hear her so bad it physically hurts.”

“Hurts to see you everyday
Cupid shuts his eyes and shot me twice
Smell your perfume on my bed
Thoughts of you invade my head
Truths are written, never said
And if I can’t be yours now
I’ll wait here on this ground
Till you come, till you take me away
Maybe someday
Maybe someday”

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Have you read Maybe Someday? Do leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you.

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My Kyrosmagica Review of Summertime by Vanessa Lafaye

Goodreads Synopsis:

Horrifying and beautiful, Summertime is a fictionalised account of one of the most devastating natural disasters in US history.

Florida Keys, 1935. Hurricane Season.

Tens of thousands of black and white men scarred by their experiences of war in Europe return home to find themselves abandoned to destitution by the US government.

The tiny, segregated community of Heron Key is suddenly overwhelmed by broken, disturbed men with new ideas about racial equality and nothing left to lose.

Tensions flare when a black veteran is accused of committing the most heinous crime of all against a white resident’s wife.

And not far off the strongest and most intense hurricane America has ever witnessed is gaining force.

For fans of The Help and To Kill a Mockingbird, this is the story of the greatest tragedy you’ve never heard of.

Summertime is the title of the UK edition of Under a Dark Summer Sky.

My review:

I was lucky to win a free copy of Summertime from Holly at Bookaholic Confessions. I have to say that I was thrilled when my copy of Summertime arrived, I hadn’t realised that I’d won a hardback copy! I sensed this would be a good book, and in this I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, not only did I enjoy Summertime, I would say that I loved Summertime.

It is an excellent debut by Vanessa Lafaye and I would highly recommend it.

Summertime is a fictional story based upon the labour day hurricane of 1935. It is set in Heron Key in Florida during the nineteen thirties. In this fictionalised account the storm takes place after the 4th July celebrations. There is an annual beach party in which racial tensions are set to explode, like lit fireworks, but the celebratory fireworks hold back, refusing to light. The habitual fight between white and black is engrained into the very fabric of this society ravaged by a deep and destructive racial divide.

I loved the sense of place, which is conveyed so vividly in the opening paragraph: “The humid air felt like water in the lungs, like drowning.”

The characters – there are so many and yet Vanessa Lafaye details them all in a way that makes them so real, and engaging. There are so many elements to this novel, it touches upon racial tensions, an attempted murder, the far-reaching effects of abuse, even magical spells play a part!

The developing love story between Missy and Henry is so endearing. The reader senses that Henry will do anything to protect Missy, and Missy will wait for Henry forever if needs be. Missy loves the white baby boy that she cares for, and wants only to protect him from harm. Henry arrives back in Heron Key but he is not the same man who left, war has left him in a state in which : “He felt like a ghost, haunting a former life where he didn’t belong any more.” Missy has grown from a child into a strong young woman who will fight against the forces of nature to get what she wants: “She was tired of being blown around like a leaf, with no say in anything that mattered. Anger rose up her spine like a column of molten steel and her back straightened…… By God, I will not fail at this.”

The way in which Vanessa Lafaye transports you to the very eye of the storm, make this in my opinion a must read novel. The two main characters Missy and Henry are without doubt my favourites. Henry is so drawn to Heron Key, even though he knows Heron’s Keys terrible shortcomings. Henry has experienced a sense of freedom in a culture of non-discrimination in his time in the battlefields of France, but is this a country he wants to call home? Vanessa Lafaye uses a rubber band analogy to suggest how drawn he is to Heron Key: “It was like he was attached to the place by a long rubber band that was now stretched to its absolute limit.”

The war veterans are all different, some are good men, some are not, but none of them are welcomed in Heron Key. These hardened men don’t seem so tough when they encounter the force of the hurricane. It is as if the sheer force of the destructive natural elements of the hurricane are so much more fierce and terrifying than the atrocities of war. In a war, I suppose you have a sense of when the battle is over but in a hurricane, no such certainty exists, just when the winds quieten you realise that the hurricane is playing with you, it is deceiving you, readying itself to deliver its final fatal blow.

” There was a collective moan, which quickly rose to an awful, haunt-ing cry. It sent a stab of dread right through Trent’s heart. He knew that noise, had heard it before: it was the sound men make when they realise they are about to die.”

Not only can the winds get you but the rising water can too: “So this is what it feels like to die in a washing machine!”

The aftermath is devastating: “In the quiet left by the wind, he noticed the complete absence of birds. No gulls, no pelicans, no buzzards, even with the carpet of death below him.”

The carnage that the hurricane leaves in its wake is every bit as devastating and shocking as a war zone. The hurricane strips everyone bare of their possessions, their clothes, and ultimately their human dignity. Survival becomes paramount, petty quarrels, and racial hatred are stripped away for that tiny moment in time. Yet, there are always those with hatred in their hearts, who instigate fear and hatred in others, and this is demonstrated so clearly when white people ask the black folks to leave the apparent safety of the shelter when there is not enough room: “Traitorous stars shone within a circle of swirling cloud.”

The epilogue ends with the words, “Time to begin,” suggesting a new life will start, this new life won’t be without its trial and tribulations but it will be filled with a new-found sense of hope.

I tend to get so involved in books. This time I was so deeply affected by Summertime that one night I dreamt that my bed was filled with hurricane winds! I could feel myself being lifted, and buffeted on a bed of sheets, and thrown up and down in the air. Luckily my dream carried me gently up and down as if I was on a trampoline of buffeting air, but sadly in this book, and in real life many people die in hurricanes, white and black alike, the interesting and emotive point that Vanessa Lafaye makes is this: the hurricane doesn’t discriminate. There are so many poignant moments, family members choose death rather than be separated from their loved ones, mothers save their children instead of themselves. Life is such a precious treasure, why waste it by hating other people just because they’re different?

My rating:

It couldn’t be less than 5 stars.

Holly’s wordpress: https://bookaholicconfessions.wordpress.com/

Author Vanessa Lafaye wordpress site: https://vanessalafaye.wordpress.com/

Taken from the authors notes – There are fifteen pages detailing the real hurricane on the Keys History Website and the final page, page fifteen has a link at the bottom of the post to a fascinating video of some of the survivors:

http://www.keyshistory.org/shelf1935hurrpage15.html

Have you read Summertime? Do leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you.

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My Kyrosmagica Review of These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Goodreads Synopsis:

Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive — alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth.

The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

This February I joined in the Booksplosion Readathon, book of the month, These Broken Stars, Starbound#1, moderated by book tuber Jesse (JesseTheReader) on Goodreads.

My review:

Major Tarver Merendsen war hero, is stationed on the Icarus, the “Newest, fanciest ship to come out of orbital dock.” Tarver approaches Lilac, a girl who he’s attracted to, but his well-intentioned attentions to Lilac LaRoux are rebuffed, in a very nasty manner. Tarver doesn’t know who Lilac La Roux is, to him she’s just an attractive young woman that he’d like to date. Later Tarver finds out why. Lilac happens to be the spoilt brat daughter of the wealthiest man in the universe. Lilac expects everyone to recognise her, and everyone normally does, no exceptions. Even though Tarver is a war hero, he is not someone who Lilac would socialise with. Her friend Anna warns her: ” Who cares how many medals the major managed to wrangle in the field? He’s still just a teacher’s son.”

When the Icarus suddenly develops problems with its hyperspace engines, Tarver is all too aware of the danger. Even though Lilac treated him appallingly Tarver can’t help but be a soldier hero. He jumps after her to help her escape the riot of panicking crowds. He escorts Lilac to an escape pod.

Tarver expects to sit beside her on that pod whether she likes it or not. Who can deny him this? Stuck up Lilac isn’t too keen on the idea of Tarver frequenting the same pod as her, but Tarver isn’t about to listen to her: “The soldier lifts both eyebrows. Miss LaRoux, there are five seats in that pod, and I mean to use one of them. We may not have five minutes. It seems like something’s pulling the ship out of hyperspace before it’s supposed to.”

Lilac and Tarver crash-land on a deserted planet. Lilac initially seems more concerned with her, “Two thousand Galactics’ worth of shoes,” than with anything else, but it turns out that Lilac isn’t just a pretty, empty headed spoilt brat. She knows a lot of technicalities about “interdimensional travel,” hot-wiring, and electrical circuitry. They soon realise the shocking truth that they are the sole two survivors stuck on this strange planet. Will Tarver and Lilac be able to stand each others company? Will they survive and make it home?

These Broken Stars is a blend of sci-fi, dystopian, paranormal and romance all in one. The book has a lovely cover that just matches the endearing contents inside. I particularly liked the romance in this book, the characters grow and develop so much as the novel progresses. The romance unfolds slowly, and this makes it all the more heart-warming and believable for the reader.

I love the romance!!!!

Lilac changes from a stuck up spoilt brat daddy’s girl, to a young woman who appreciates that life is precious, much more so than her previously prized material possessions. The friendships that she had aboard the Icarus were built on snobbery and hollow values. Those expensive shoes, and dresses may look lovely but are worthless on this planet. She finds out some shocking truths about her dad, reveals a new-found strength of character, and discovers that her father can’t manipulate her any more.

Tarver remains pretty solid throughout, there are no massive surprises with this guy, apart from the fact that this soldier has suffered heartbreak in his family life. This human side adds depth to his character. He isn’t just the perfectly trained soldier equipped to deal with every crisis, he has emotions, and feelings too. I loved how the book allowed us to see the thoughts of both Tarver and Lilac through dual points of view. These Broken Stars relies heavily on these two characters as we spend practically all of our time with them so Tarver and Lilac have to be engaging and interesting to carry this of.

The Icarus reminded me of the Titanic of the Sci-Fi world. The space ship that should never had crashed but did, killing so many people. “But who names a starship the Icarus? What kind of man possess that much hubris, that he dares it to fall?”

Lilac starts seeing ghostly images, hearing whispers, and simple life forms such as a flower, start resurrecting. There is a touch of the paranormal in this novel which adds another element of interest that readers will enjoy.

Throughout the book, and before the start of each chapter there are transcripts of single page interview sessions being conducted with Tarver after his rescue. I found these an interesting way to break up the chapters but at times I felt that they revealed a little too much about the plot.

The emphasis in These Broken Stars is on the developing romance and growing love, understanding and respect that slowly develops between Lilac and Tarver. That suited me! But possibly Sci Fi fans may be a little disappointed at the lack of detail about the space ship Icarus, and the planet that they crash-land on.

It works well as a standalone novel, as the story comes to a very satisfactory conclusion. I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

I would recommend it for readers of Young Adult, Sci Fi, Dystopian, Paranormal, Aliens, Fantasy, and of course Romance.

My rating:

Favorite Quotations:

“Abhorrent though it may seem to you, we are going to have to spend a night together. Brace yourself.”

“And there it is, against all hope, like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. The smallest hint of a smile.”

“For a moment the image before us is frozen: our world, our lives, reduced to a handful broken stars half lost in uncharted space. Then it’s gone, the view swallowed by the hyperspace winds streaming past, blue-green auroras wiping the after-images away.

Until all that’s left is us.”

“Where will I sit?” Sit? Why, on this comfortable chaise longue I’ve carried here for you in my pocket, Your Highness, so glad you asked. I clamp my mouth shut, struggling not to say it aloud.”

“I reach for her hand and wind my fingers through hers, turning them so the rain patters down onto her palm. I trace a circle there with my thumb, smoothing the water in her skin. I want to show her there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“You’re you,’ he repeats, his eyes full of grief. ‘You’re the same girl who crashed on this planet with me, who I dragged through forests and over mountains, who climbed through a shipwreck full of bodies to save my life. You’re the same girl I loved, and I love you now.”

Have you read These Broken Stars? Do leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you.

Bye for now.

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My Kyrosmagica Review of The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

Goodreads Synopsis:

Bestselling novelist and Holmes expert Anthony Horowitz will bring the great man to life again for a new generation of readers. As the creator of Foyle, recently voted the nation’s favourite TV detective at the ITV Crime Thriller Awards 2010, Anthony has already displayed his talent for plotting and characterisation. Having been a lifelong fan of Conan Doyle’s novels, he was the perfect choice to return to the original stories and create a new mystery for Holmes and Watson. Interest in Holmes has never been higher than right now. A blockbusting movie adaptation has coincided with the BBC’s intriguing modern update and both successes are to be repeated this autumn. Horowitz says: ‘I fell in love with the Sherlock Holmes stories when I was 16 and I’ve read them many times since. My aim is to produce a first-rate mystery for a modern audience while remaining absolutely true to the spirit of the original.’

THE GAME’S AFOOT…
It is November 1890 and London is gripped by a merciless winter. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are enjoying tea by the fire when an agitated gentleman arrives unannounced at 221b Baker Street. He begs Holmes for help, telling the unnerving story of a scar-faced man with piercing eyes who has stalked him in recent weeks.
Intrigued, Holmes and Watson find themselves swiftly drawn into a series of puzzling and sinister events, stretching from the gas-lit streets of London to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston and the mysterious ‘House of Silk’…

Author info on Goodreads:

Anthony Horowitz, OBE is ranked alongside Enid Blyton and Mark A. Cooper as “The most original and best spy-kids authors of the century.” (New York Times). Anthony has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty.

In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he is also the writer and creator of award winning detective series Foyle’s War, and more recently event drama Collision, among his other television works he has written episodes for Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. Anthony became patron to East Anglia Children’s Hospices in 2009.

On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.

My Review:

Antony Horowitz is without a doubt an excellent crime writer, one just has to look at his writing resume to see that. But moreover, he has an obvious love of Conan Doyle’s original stories. The House of Silk is a novel devoted to an accurate portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, Horowitz’s enthusiasm shines through, in a voice that speaks with great fluidity. In fact I’m quoting him here from his conception, inspiration and the ten rules of writing The House of Silk: “When I was asked to write the House of Silk, I realised that this would be the key. I had to become invisible. I had to find that extraordinary, authentic voice.” Well, in my opinion Horowitz does that and more, he invisibly keeps the fun factor in Sherlock, keeping us quietly smiling all the way through.

I loved reading crime novels as a teenager and reading The House of Silk seems to have taken me back to my teenage self, and my love of this genre. I was a huge fan of Raymond Chandler, and Agatha Christie, so it takes no Sherlock deduction to know that this love has been well and truly rekindled!

The House of Silk is told from the perspective of Sherlock’s trusted friend Dr. Watson. An air of secrecy surrounds the case of The House of Silk with many notable and powerful people wishing that its horrific and secretive nature remain forever hidden. Even though Sherlock Holmes is warned in no uncertain terms by his brother to stay out of it, Holmes disregards this advice, thriving on yet another challenge. The nature of the investigation is so horrific that it was recorded by Watson at the time, but is only revealed a century after the death of his esteemed friend Sherlock Holmes.

The year is 1890, the case begins with the familiar surroundings of 221B, Baker Street, with Sherlock enjoying, “a large plate of scones with violet honey and cream, along with a pound cake and tea,” all very familiar and nice, but in stark contrast with a crime of such gruesomeness, as you will see, if you read the novel.

Mrs. Hudson’s tea, scones, pound cake, honey and cream sounds wonderful, we all need a Mrs Hudson I reckon!

At a later point Mrs Hudson ushers in Edmund Carstairs, an troubled Art Gallery owner, with a nervous disposition, who is disturbed by the sudden appearance of an Irish gang member that in the past damaged his paintings. Edmund Carstairs believes that this man, a member of the flat cap gang, is out to get him. Holmes calls upon his young street urchins, including Wiggins, to assist him in his investigations, and is shocked to find that one of them is brutally murdered too.

Be aware that Horowitz loves killing off people, its one of his self-confessed fortes!

Holmes shows a touch of remorse at allowing the young lad to get involved, in fact he is so disturbed by this turn of events that he becomes even more determined to bring the killer to justice.

This ultimately leads to Holmes arrival at an Opium Den, his framing, and arrest on suspicion of murder himself. Watson has to come to his friend’s rescue, he must be the one to get him out of prison, so that Holmes can find the killer, and solve the mystery of the ailing Carstairs family. In comparison to the superior intellect and keen wit of Holmes, Watson feels overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy. I will not tell you how, or if, Holmes manages to escape that’s for you to find out!

The nature of the crimes committed at The House of Silk are so shocking that even the most hardened of criminals wishes to help Holmes, and then Watson to solve the case. In the meantime, Carstair’s sister is suffering from some strange malady, poison is suspected, and the two stories begin to intertwine, and the final result is both shocking and gripping. Watson’s deep affection for his friend, and Holmes witty, dry, repartee, and amazing powers of observation and deduction, are all there to delight, and enthrall the reader. There is a deep sense of the social concerns, and shocking depravities that were allowed to exist at this time, making this a Sherlock Holmes novel with a different standpoint, a modern social conscience.

The book is longer than the original Conan Doyle stories but still manages to keep the reader entertained throughout. The House of Silk covers two interconnecting cases, The Man in the Flat Cap and The House of Silk. The Flat Cap appears to be a more traditional Conan Doyle type story, whereas the House of Silk, reads more like a modern day crime story, but the two work brilliantly well together. With some stunning reveals at the end of the case.

The usual characters make an appearance giving validity to the story: Mrs Hudson, Wiggins, Inspector Lestrade, Mycroft, the Baker street irregulars as well as a whole host of new characters, including Mr Carstairs, Carstair’s American wife, Carstair’s sister who hates Carstair’s wife, Cornelius Stillman, an American millionaire, The Boston gang, led by the O’Donaghue twins, The reverend and his wife who run a home for orphaned, unfortunate boys, and a brief spell with Moriarty. There are plenty of exciting moments to keep the reader on his or her toes, I particularly loved the travelling fun fair episode.

There is a sequel, Moriarty, that I very much look forward to reading too.

My rating:

4.5 stars. Loved it!! Highly recommended to readers of detective, crime, mystery and thriller.

Links:

http://www.conandoyleestate.co.uk/index.php/house-of-silk-anthony-horowitz/

http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-61113-689-0

http://www.richardandjudy.co.uk/books/The-House-of-Silk/208

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/27/house-silk-anthony-horowitz-sherlock-holmes

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-house-of-silk-by-anthony-horowitz-6262618.html

Favourite Quotations:

“Show Holmes a drop of water and he would deduce the existence of the Atlantic. Show it to me and I would look for a tap. That was the difference between us.”

“Childhood, after all, is the first precious coin that poverty steals from a child.”

“He had entered a veritable miasma of evil, and harm, in the worst possible way, was to come to us all too soon.”

“I think my reputation will look after itself,” Holmes said. “If they hang me, Watson, I shall leave it to you to persuade your readers that the whole thing was a misunderstanding.”

“It was quite elementary,’ returned the detective with a languid gesture of one hand.”

Have you read The House of Silk? Do leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you.

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My Kyrosmagica Review of Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with colour once more?
In Brandon Sanderson’s intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage – Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

I joined in Jesse the Reader’s Booksplosion Readathon of Mistborn via Goodreads, THE FINAL EMPIRE // MISTBORN | BOOKSPLOSION READ-ALONG] JANUARY BOOK OF THE MONTH!

So, my thoughts. Mistborn was slow to start. There seemed to be so many facts to pack in, so much information to absorb. There’s even an appendix at the back of the book to explain the various terms that the author uses. But, I’m so glad that I discovered this novel because when you get to grips with the magic system this is one AMAZING book.

What did I love about it?

The short answer would be everything! Well the characters are so well crafted, and considering there are so many of them Brandon Sanderson does an incredible job of bringing them to life. I have a soft spot for Vin, aka Lady Valette. She and her half-brother Reen have had a hard life. They are part of a thieving crew with no true alliances. Her brother Reen beats her, but this is his way of toughening her up, teaching her to survive in a world that treats Skaa like animals rather than people. Being a Skaa female is the worse fate of all, especially if you are pretty, one of the noblemen could sleep with you, and then you are put to DEATH. No mercy, serious stuff, no half measures here, no mingling of Skaa blood with nobility, this is just not allowed. Though it does happen…..

When Reen runs off and leaves Vin alone she feels deserted. But she has an ability, a gift of Luck that she doesn’t quite understand, that makes her survival in a thieving crew all the more likely. She meets Kelsier who teaches her about this gift, and joins his crew. A crew much different from any she has known before. A crew built on friendship, trust, loyalty, and above all else good men. Given her background she finds it hard to believe that such men exist. Kelsier rises up against the terrible atrocities directed at the Skaa populace. He inspires men to follow him to rebel against the ruler and Vin joins him in this task. He becomes like a father figure to her, a man she trusts and admires. A true friendship and respect grows, one that warms the heart and inspires hope. Her place in this uprising is to act as a spy, to attend parties and balls in Luthadel to spy on the nobles. A task which she finds hard given she has lived the life of a street urchin, and now has to behave like a noble woman. She learns etiquette and manners and is accepted into a society in which terrible truths about the nobles’ cruelty are hidden behind a veneer of supposed respectability.

Kelsier enjoys stirring up trouble, in fact he seems to thrive on it. He’s a survivor of the mining Pits of Hathsin, where atium, the most powerful metal used for Allomancy, is mined. When his wife Mare is killed on a heist the grief and trauma of the event make him “Snap” to become a Mistborn with superhuman powers. His pain and suffering at the loss of his wife is great and her alleged betrayal of him makes him suffer even more. Kelsier is determined to bring down the Lord Ruler, who controls the Skaa, and treats them like slaves.The Lord Ruler’s right to do this is never challenged. He controls and dampens down the populace with his ability to control their thoughts.

Is the Lord Ruler a God, an immortal being, or is he able to die?

Is Kelsier’s reasoning driven by pure revenge, or does he really care for the Skaa?

Is Vin the most powerful Mistborn of all? Can she be the one to save them?

Characters:

Breeze is known as a Smoother. He Pushes on emotions. This guy soothes the emotions of others, making them trusting. Believe me this ability is needed in this rebellion! Pulling on emotions has the opposite effect making a person less trusting and more determined.

Dockson “Dox” is a skaa plantation runaway, he is Mr Organiser, the space and supplies officiando.

Ham is a Thug. This tough guy handles security as well as training their army.

Clubs is a Smoker. No he doesn’t smoke cigarettes! He stops the bad guys sensing what the rebellion crew are up to, and stops them being discovered by Inquisitors.

Lord Renoux is an imposter. His role is to procure armaments and supplies. Vin pretends to be his niece. Later he becomes a kandra, a sentient mistwraith, a creature that absorbs bodies and replicates the person who originally inhabited the body. Yuk!

Sazed is a Terrisman, a Keeper who specialises in religions and languages. He is a eunuch who has been bred to work as a Steward. His role is to teach Vin and protect her, a job that he does admirably. He is a Feruchemist, who is able to store metals and uses up their attributes later.

Marsh is Kelsier’s brother, a Seeker, and the former leader of the rebellion.

Spook… is a guy with a weird pattern of speech, who develops a crush on Vin/Valette.

Master Elend Venture, son and heir of House Venture. A romantic diversion for Vin/Vallette! His character develops from a rather uncertain young man to a much more enlightened fellow as the novel progresses.

Lord Straff Venture is his horrible, uncaring father. His family’s source of wealth is the mines in which the Lord ruler’s Atium is mined.

Yeden is the rebellion’s financer who has hired Kelsier to supply him with an army to make the rebellion possible.

Obligators witness contracts and events, and enforce the Lord Ruler’s law.

Inquisitors are talented mistings, “unmatched warriors”, who maintain law and order for the Lord Ruler.

A Misting has the ability to use one of the magical system gifts. Skaa can be mistings but this is rare. Skaa can only be mistings if they have noble blood. Vin’s father is a high prelan obligator in the steel ministry.

Mistborn means that you can use all the magical system gifts and are entitled to wear this amazing cloak! Loved the cloak!

Brandon Sanderson’s novel delivers several genres together in an almighty extravaganza: a thriller, political intrigue, a coming of age story, as well as a fantasy, martial arts, and romance.

Brandon Sanderson delivers the intricacies of the magical system in a way that made them accessible and understandable to the reader. He names the metals as they are being used so we could see their amazing effects in action, and boy do I mean ACTION. There is a lot of Amazing Action in this book, and a bit of gore too so be prepared! This is one superb magic system. It kind of made me imagine a martial arts kind of magic system, so controlled, awe inspiring, and visually stunning. A big high five kick for that! There is so much originality in this novel, wherever did Brandon Sanderson come up with all of his ideas? Just when you thought he couldn’t possibly think of anything else to add into his magical mix he came up with burning metals to enhance powers, and the whisperings of another unexplored metal….. the eleventh metal.

Here are the reasons why I think you should read this book:

Excitement: An army of men hidden from the soldiers, Inquisitors and the Lord Ruler.

Incitement: Create rumour, chaos, and uncertainty in the Great Houses to overthrow the Government.

Disruption and Confusion: Of the economic wealth of the great houses, and the Garrison.

Threat: To the all powerful Lord Ruler himself.

Intrigue: Who is the Lord Ruler? Is he good or bad?

Magic System: Awesome, clever, imaginative. Loved it. Kick Ass Martial Art Amazing.

Characters: Wonderful

Dialogue: Absorbing

Plot: It just got better and better as the novel progressed.

Trust and Sacrifice: The nature of trust, love and the willingness to make enormous sacrifices for the good of all.

Hope: A wonderful sense of hope against all the desperate odds for the downtrodden Skaa.

Ending: Great twist in the tale.

An almost impossible task but can the rebellion be accomplished?

Is it a fool hardy dream? Is the Skaa rebellion doomed to failure? Read the book and find out!!

I am looking forward to reading more in this series, this is Book one of The Final Empire series.

My rating:

Well Victoria Schwab gave it 5 stars, I tend to agree! So I’m giving it 5 Martial Arts High Fives!

This book was recommended by two fellow book bloggers:

K H Lim, a guy who just likes to read, read, read! http://jbbreads.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-mistborn-series-01-final-empire-by.html and my eldest daughter, Tasha Mallon who is studying English Literature at University and is an excellent source of advice on what to read. She likes to read, read, read too! http://www.definebookish.com

Favourite quotes:

“But you can’t kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that one thing you’ve never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.”

Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.”

“How do you ‘accidentally’ kill a noble man in his own mansion?”
“With a knife in the chest. Or, rather, a pair of knives in the chest…”

“The right belief is like a good cloak, I think. If it fits you well, it keeps you warm and safe. The wrong fit however, can suffocate.”

“Women? Women are like…thunderstorms. They’re beautiful to look at, and sometimes they’re nice to listen to-but most of the time they’re just plain inconvenient.”

“Honestly, for an evil god of darkness, he certainly can be dull.”

“And Vin liked solitude. When you’re alone, no one can betray you”

“Are there any religions on your list that include the slaughter of noblemen as a holy duty?”

For more information, author annotations, deleted scenes, and expanded world information:
www.brandonsanderson.com

Have you read Mistborn? Do leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you.

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My Kyrosmagica Review of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Goodreads Synopsis:

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends — one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena — Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

My review:

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and The Olympians #1) is the first novel in the Percy Jackson and The Olympian series. The series consists of five novels: The Lightning Thief (2005), The Sea of Monsters (2006), The Titan’s Curse (2007), The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008) and The Last Olympian (2009). It has since been followed by a sequel series of five books titled The Heroes of Olympus.

The Lightning Thief received mostly positive reviews and won awards including the School Library Journal Best Book of 2005.

The Lightning Thief has all the elements to make me purr like a kitten but somehow it left me slightly disappointed. I enjoyed The Lightning Thief but I didn’t love it and that surprised me.

So, a little recap of the story, as I see it. Percy is always getting into trouble. Typical twelve year old boy if you ask me! He thinks his problems are caused by his dyslexia and ADHD playing up. But this isn’t the case, Percy is no ordinary guy, he’s a demigod. He sets off on a quest with a disguised satyr, and the half-blood daughter of Athena, to settle a feud between Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. Poseidon has been accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt, and unless Percy can return the bolt, there will be a war between the gods. Along the way Percy discovers who his father is, no ordinary mortal of course, and Percy and his companions meet the Furies, Medusa, the motorcycle thug Ares, and various other immortals….

REASONS Why I should have loved it:

Greek Gods.

I just love myths, and legends. But somehow at times this just seems too far-fetched. Can I say that? When I’m talking about fantasy? Well, I just did! Greek Gods in the 21st Century – Some of it works and some of it fell short of perfect. Can you envisage a modern day Mount Olympus on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building? The door to Hades right there at DOA Recording Studio, somewhere in LA, really? I see what Rick Riordan’s trying to do, giving Greek mythology a modern day voice to entice the younger reader into an awakening interest in Greek mythology. I applaud him for that but maybe for me it was a bit too much…… modernising.

Characters and Narrative Voice.

I struggled to get emotionally involved in Percy’s quest. He’s had a hard life but I’m just not feeling it. Sometimes (not always) he sounds older than a twelve year old. To be fair maybe demigods abandoned by their fathers grow up too quickly, that would explain it.

Parallels to Harry Potter

There are many parallels between The Lightning Thief and Harry Potter, and I’m a huge fan of Harry Potter, so this kind of irked me a bit.

Here are some of the similiarities:

Percy’s closest friends are a girl, the half-blood daughter of Athena, Annabeth, and a boy, Grover, a disguised satyr, rather like Hermione and Ron, but in costume.

Percy goes to Camp Half Blood were he trains, this reminded me of Hogwarts, but just different setting.

The camps are divided into different houses which compete against each other in a Capture the Flag tournament. Percy realises his powers in water, and how water can heal him. The Capture the Flag tournament is a dead ringer for Quidditch. Of the two I preferred the fast pace and excitement of Quidditch.

One of the houses has kids who Percy doesn’t get along with, so Slytherin.

Percy and friends use an invisibility cap – invisibility cloak in Harry Potter.

********Spoiler************ Look Away.

***At the end Evil Kronos might be returning – kinda like Voldermort.***

The aspects of the story I liked:

Incorporating dyslexia into the storyline. This is great. This makes dyslexics cool! Dyslexics can read and understand ancient Greek. It’s about time that dyslexics get the attention and recognition they deserve.

The ADHD. Again. Clever. Stop slagging off those kids that can’t concentrate in class. They have advanced reflexes, and are battle ready!

What else did I really enjoy?

The humour. Made me chuckle. Humour rating, 5 crazy stars :

Medusa. I loved this part. Stop staring! Serves you right haven’t you heard it’s rude to stare. Medusa grabbed me by the scruff, while I clamped my eyes tight, shut. You would wouldn’t you? Medusa rating 5 stars !

The Three Furies, especially Mrs Dodds.

The nasty step dad got his comeuppance. Enjoyed this. He deserved it.

The twist in the tale at the end. Of course I saw this coming but nice twist.

My overall conclusion:

This first book in the series is middle grade fiction. I sense that as the story develops the characters will grow older, and find their emotional voice and depth. I would be interested in reading more of this series to see how it progresses. If I don’t I’ll be in trouble as my daughter is a huge Percy Jackson fan!

Highly recommended for readers of Middle Grade, YA, Fantasy, Mythology, Adventure and anyone who enjoys a good laugh. Oh, that’s me!

My rating:

Difficult to rate. I’m going to settle for 3.75 stars…………

Author Website:

http://www.rickriordan.com/home.aspx

Found this interesting piece of information about the development of the novel on Wikipedia to share with you:

– “Development for both The Lightning Thief and the Percy Jackson series began when Riordan began making stories for his son Haley who had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. His son had been studying Greek mythology in second grade and asked that his father come up with bedtime stories based on Greek myths. Riordan had been a Greek mythology teacher in middle school for many years and was able to remember enough stories to please his son. Soon Riordan ran out of myths and his son requested that Riordan make new ones using the characters from Greek myths while adding some new ones. Riordan created the fictional character Percy Jackson and his travels across the United States to recover Zeus’s lightning bolt. After Riordan finished telling the story his son asked that his dad write a book based on Percy’s adventures.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lightning_Thief

Some of my favourite quotes:

“My name is Percy Jackson.
I’m twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.
Am I a troubled kid?
Yeah. You could say that.”

“How did you die?”
“We er….drowned in a bathtub.”
“All three of you?”
“It was a big bathtub.”

“Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment,as if the garment was stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. The ADHD part of me wondered, off-task, whether the rest of his clothes were made the same way. What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades’ underwear?”

Grover didn’t say anything for awhile. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, “Can I have your apple?”

“The real world is where the monsters are.”

“The sea does not like to be restrained. ”

“Your uncle,” Poseidon sighed, “has always had a flair for dramatic exits. I think he would’ve done well as the god of theater.”

“Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards.”

Have you read The Lightning Thief? Do comment, I’d love to hear from you.

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My Kyrosmagica Review of The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Goodreads Synopsis:

On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office-leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.

But Nella’s world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist-an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

Johannes’ gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand-and fear-the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?

Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.

My review:

The Miniaturist is a historical novel with elements of magical realism, set in Amsterdam in 1686. I was lucky to receive a copy of this beautiful book from my daughter for Christmas. What a delight. There is so much hype about this novel. Did it meet my expectations? Read on and find out!

Voice.

Now I truly understand what is meant by the term voice, the words of this novel just flow effortlessly, willing you to read more. The novel recants the unique story of Petronella (Nella) Oortman. Petronella moves from the country at the tender age of eighteen into an arranged marriage. Nella finds her new sister in-law, Marin, cold, unwelcoming and resentful of Nella’s intrusion into their lives. Marin does everything she can to makes it clear that she is the woman of the house, and not this awkward country girl.

Nella’s new home is her husband’s Johannes richly furnished home in Amsterdam. Johannes is much older, a well respected, wealthy merchant. Johannes may be considered quite a catch, but is he? Nella waits anxiously for the wedding night that never comes. Johannes is always working, or busy, but is he avoiding her? Johanne’s wedding present resembles an elaborate but exceedingly expensive doll’s house, a replica of their house. At first Nella is resentful of this wedding present, this miniature house seems to mock her youthfulness. It is a “monument to her powerlessness, her arrested womanhood.” It is no substitute for warmth or love that is sorely lacking in her marriage. Johannes happily gives Nella money to spend on the miniature house hoping that this will occupy his new bride, so that he can ignore her. Nella feels lost and lonely in this large house, with these unfamiliar servants, impudent Cornelia, the unfriendly maid, and former slave Otto. Johannes seems to care more for his dog Rezeki than he does for his wife. Even Nella’s much loved parakeet, Peebo, is banished out of her cosy bedroom and stored in the kitchen.

This is no fun filled household. The Calvinist burgomasters dictate that Amsterdammers eat their sugar in secret, and must not own dolls or any other replicas of the human form. Though Nella is aware of this, she chooses a tiny act of rebellion, she searches out and discovers a skilled miniaturist, and begins to furnish her miniature house.

At this point in the novel an undercurrent of delicious creepiness makes its way into the novel. Puzzles abound. The miniaturist starts to send her gifts that Nella hasn’t commissioned. A tiny lute for her cabinet that has working strings. How did the miniaturist know that she longed to played her lute? It seems that the miniaturist understands so much about her and the Brandt household. But, how is this possible? Nella starts to receive gifts from the miniaturist that seem to predict events that happen to the characters living in the house, and as the story progresses this extends in breadth to characters living outside the house. So, layer upon layer, this tale of hidden secrets cloaked by an air of respectability, cannot be contained within the walls of either the real house, or the replica. These long hidden secrets are exposed with terrible consequences. The church controls and dictates the morals of it’s flock in The Miniaturist and those that do not adhere to these morals are made to suffer, and boy do they suffer.

Nella turns out to be quite the heroine, not just the somewhat weak willed female she appears to be at the beginning of the novel. She grows into being an admirable woman. Her relationship with Johannes seems to go through a startlingly swift change, and her ability to forgive and accept grows with her maturity of outlook, given his tragic fall in circumstances.

Jessie Burton, what a spell-binding voice! It is as if the Miniaturist herself is speaking, reaching out to tell the story through the medium of a youthful girl who grows into adulthood as the novel progresses. It is a tale of forgiveness, friendship, love, greed, and betrayal. The novel speaks of the plight of woman at that time, their lack of freedom, and choices. Marriage was the ultimate goal, the only means to advance oneself as a woman. Even if that meant the possibility of a painful and miserable death whilst child-bearing. The character of Marin represents the desire for independence, a single woman standing fast against committing herself to marriage, yet even she can’t quite achieve what she hopes for. She still requires the protection of her brother instead of a husband, so, her supposed freedom is a sham too.

I do have a couple of points of contention. Why oh Why did Jessie Burton lose the thread of the miniaturist in this wonderful novel? This is a bit of a disappointment. So much more could have been discovered about this mysterious character. So many questions were left unanswered. The eeriness of the novel was somewhat lost (this attracted me so much and left me longing for more) and was replaced by events that were compelling, but lacked the rich story-telling direction of the miniaturist. Yet it was inevitable, because in the end we must be the storytellers of our own lives. I get the message.

Some of the revelations towards the end of the novel felt a little forced, and could have been developed more, in particular Otto’s secret love affair. The return of Otto appears a little rushed to me, almost a distraction from poor Johannes’s fate. Let’s have time to get over what happened to Johannes!

The final message of the novel appears to me to be: hope prevails in the wake of great loss, and we must live our lives, and not have our lives dictated for us.

The Miniaturist is a confident, wonderful debut novel. One I may return to for a second read.

Favourite quotes:

“Every woman is the architect of her own fortune.”

“The surface of Amsterdam thrives on these mutual acts of surveillance, the neighborly smothering of a person’s spirit.”

“Pity, unlike hate, can be boxed and put away.”

“Amsterdam: Where the pendulum swings from God to a guilder.”

“The Seigneur’s spirit belongs with the seas,” Otto says. “And mine does not, Madame.”

Authors website: http://www.jessieburton.co.uk/

Highly recommended for readers of Historical Fiction, and Magical Realism.

My rating:

4 stars. It would have been a solid 5 if the miniaturist had stayed centre page for a little longer. C’est dommage!

DISCLAIMER: “As of 13th September 2017 we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”

My opinions are my own and any reviews on this site have not been swayed or altered in any way by monetary compensation, or by the offer of a free book in exchange for a review.

Buying Links:

Amazon UK (Kindle): http://amzn.to/2ydKXZg

Amazon UK (Paperback): http://amzn.to/2xSF3jO

Have you read The Miniaturist? If you have do comment below I’d love to hear your opinion on it.

Bye for now.

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My Kyrosmagica Review of Nicholas Rossis’s Runaway Smile

Goodreads Synopsis:

“I woke up this morning and I had lost my smile and it wasn’t my fault and I looked everywhere and it was gone. Then I met a workman and a king and the best salesman in the world and a clown and no-one wanted to give me theirs. At school, I asked Miss to give me hers, but she gave us a pop quiz instead, and then no-one was smiling and…”

A little boy wakes up in the morning and realizes he has lost his smile. After spending the entire day trying to find it, he learns the truth behind smiles: the only real smiles are the shared ones.

My Review:

The title to this children’s book really intrigued me, Runaway Smile. How can a smile runaway? Nicholas did make this little boys smile runaway, but thankfully he returned it to him in the end!

It is a wonderful children’s book, an enthralling and heartwarming journey to search for one little boy’s lost smile. Nicholas introduces us to a whole host of eccentric characters. (What an imagination, Nicholas!!) The boy’s dog wears glasses, smokes a pipe, and drives a car but has lost his sense of smell, there’s a closet monster who eats all of the boy’s clothes, and even a bunch of surf boarding ants!

In his quest to find his smile the little boy talks to a bunch of characters who just can’t help him. There’s a workman walking his goldfish in a bowl on a small cart! Hey, I see this everyday too. Just regular workman kind of activity! A king with a wide smile. A salesman with an even wider one, and a clown with a painted on smile. I particularly liked the character of the salesman whose smile disappears, and ages, when he realises that he can’t sell the boy anything. “The salesman took a mirror from his pocket and stared at his image. All of a sudden he looked very old and tired, and the boy wondered how he could have missed the thinning hair, deep wrinkles, and expanding waistline.” That one’s for my husband he’s worked in Sales all his life and well let’s just say it’s tough. Being a Sales Manager, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

I’m digressing here a bit. In desperation, the boy turns to his teacher hoping that she will be able to help him. But she doesn’t think that a classroom is the right place to keep a smile! So, by the time he gets home to his mum he is in tears and has given up hope of finding his smile. But of course his mother is the only person that can help him, because the only true smile that exists is a genuine one straight from the heart. The final reflection that greets the boy is not a false one like the salesman’s reflection. “The boys eyes opened wide. He ran to the mirror to check his reflection. She was right! A wide smile had finally appeared on his face!”

The secret to keeping his smile is to share it with those he loved. Absolutely. That’s the secret.

“She tussled his hair. Anything you give with love, multiplies. No-one can take it from you then.”

So the boy promptly goes off to share his smile with his dog. Of course!

The book finishes with a lovely Ode to a runaway smile.

So, definitely recommended, a very sweet book and lovely illustrations too.

My rating:

Nicolas C. Rossis

From his About page on WordPress:

I was born in 1970 in Athens, Greece. I love books and write fantasy, children’s books and science fiction. Except for my books, I have had numerous science fiction short stories published in Greek magazines and in an anthology.

I hold a doctorate in digital architecture from the University of Edinburgh, where I lived for a number of years before returning to Athens, where I currently live with my wife, dog and two very silly cats, one of whom is purring on my lap as I type these lines.

Runaway Smile is his first children’s book. Mad Water, the third book in his epic fantasy series, Pearseus, was published in July 2014. He has also published The Power of Six, a collection of short sci-fi stories.

Authors Website: http://nicholasrossis.me/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicholasCRossis

Free book for those following Nicholas’s Blog: http://nicholasrossis.me/2014/12/07/my-first-childrens-book-runaway-smile/

Illustrator: Dimitris Fousekis

Dimitri Fouseki, is an artist of Greek origin who makes innovative illustrations. Since 2003 he has successfully focused on illustrating mainly children’s books. He already has numerous publications in Greece in this field (nine so far, with a number of further publications pending). Since 2010, Dimitri has been living on the beautiful island of Hydra, where he teaches art and works on his first major exhibition as a painter, when not illustrating.

http://www.dimitrisfousekis.com

https://www.facebook.com/dimifous/

Have you read Runaway Smile? Please comment below I’d love to hear from you, it certainly would put a smile on my face…

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My Kyrosmagica Review of The Martian by Andy Weir

Goodreads synopsis:

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first man to die there.

It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him, and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he’s stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive–and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to get him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills–and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit–he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

My review:

Mark Watney is a botanist, mechanical engineer, and one of the astronauts on the Ares program, a human guinea pig, alias Astronaut, sent to Mars. Unfortunately Mars isn’t a very good host. Mars plays dirty. Forget sweetness and light. Instead Mars sends a welcoming dose of Category 5 hurricane winds, which pummels the crews MAV (“Mars Ascent Vehicle”.) The crew make a mad dash for escape. Mark is left behind, with a punctured suit, (no party cocktail stick for poor Mark,) and his crew leave him behind believing him dead. Major guilt trip. Mark Watney becomes one of the first people to walk on hostile Mars but will he be one of the first to die there?

The Martian is told through two voices – Mark, in log form and the scientists at NASA trying their utmost to save him. On the whole this is done extremely well, and I didn’t find the shift in voices a distraction.

The Martian is anything but boring. Though the title of the book is a little misleading. There are no alien beings in the book. Effectively Mark becomes the Martian, an unwilling inhabitant of Mars, an alien, human species trapped on an unforgiving, and intolerant Mars.

The first line of the book reads: “I’m pretty much fucked.”

Mark is in deep shit, deep Martian shit. Mark has to battle hostile territory, looming starvation, a plethora of technical, and communication problems. But Mark doesn’t allow the words, “give up,” in his vocabulary. This guy must have been born with a positive stamp on his head. His catch phrase must be, Eliminate Doubt ……..Lock it out! Forget about the Caution!

I know that some reviewers have criticised this aspect of Mark’s character.

Is he too positive? Shouldn’t he have at least one major melt down? I would counter this by saying that yes, Mark Watney is too positive for your ordinary Joe, but he’s an astronaut, and astronauts are a special breed, heroic in pure essence form. Most of us mere mortals would think twice about getting on a mission to Mars. Mark Watney is believable because his humour illustrates his vulnerable human side. It is this astronaut’s coping mechanism. You know how people respond to stress differently? Some talk more, some less, some speak fast, some tremble, fidget, pee loads, well Mark makes a joke out of his situation, and admits, “I’m pretty much fucked.”

But Mark just wants to LIVE. The desire to live may not be programmed into his astronaut suit but it sure lives within his heart and soul. This is an inspiring tale of trying to overcome all the daunting obstacles to just survive, breathe, eat, sleep, another day. Even if that day is lonely, boring, and full of relentless tasks. When you break it down that’s all that counts. SURVIVAL. He must:

In fact he kind of sees himself as a James Bond kind of hero.

Loved this quote: “Live another Sol would be an awesome name for a James Bond movie.” Except he’d be Q! “ Live Another Sol! (Starring Mark Watney as …. probably Q. I’m no James Bond.)”

I don’t believe this for one moment, I think he has a secret desire to be James Bond, the returning astronaut hero who gets all the girls. Remember it’s a long time since he’s had female company, this guy is just longing to get l….. back to earth! Oops, nearly slipped my PG rating there.

To counterbalance the seriousness and complexity of the science Andy Weir applies it with a huge dollop of humour. Now, I love a chuckle and this book had me quietly giggling along and smiling like a crazy person so many times.

Mark Watney is just so appealing. You can’t help but root for him. Anyone who has to survive on a potato diet, listen to disco, (which he hates), and run out of coffee, and caffeine pills, deserves a big hug. A huge one. Here Mark.

With no creature comforts, and an exceedingly boring diet of potatoes, (I really feel for you), he still has the resourcefulness to survive. And joke about it. Way to go.

I have to admit I shed a tiny tear at the end, I just found the ending so poignant.

The Martian would make a great movie. Can you just imagine the 3-D effects? Oh, and the laughter. I’d go. Any takers? I do believe this is releasing this year, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, scheduled for release in November 2015.

So whether you’re a total science geek, a space exploration nut, or just a person like me who appreciates a good book, go buy a copy of The Martian. I was lucky to get my copy for Christmas! Thanks to my lovely daughter.

Heck, I can’t believe this is Andy Weir’s debut novel, such an impressive first novel, having won this year’s Goodread’s Choice Award in the Science Fiction category.

No doubts about it, The Martian has to be a full Martian 5 stars. :

Authors websites:

http://andyweirauthor.com/

http://www.galactanet.com/

More to come:

I found this quote from Andy on Goodreads: “It’s (his next novel) tentatively titled “Zhek”. It’s a more traditional sci-fi novel, not a deeply technical story like The Martian. Zhek has aliens, FTL travel, telepathy, etc.”

Favourite quotes from The Martian:

“If the oxygenator breaks down, I’ll suffocate. If the water reclaimer breaks down, I’ll die of thirst. If the Hab breaches, I’ll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I’ll eventually run out of food and starve to death. So yeah. I’m fucked.”

“Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.”

“I can’t wait till I have grandchildren. When I was younger, I had to walk to the rim of a crater. Uphill! In an EVA suit! On Mars, ya little shit! Ya hear me? Mars!”

“Actually, I was the very lowest ranked member of the crew. I would only be “in command” if I were the only remaining person.”
What do you know? I’m in command.”

“It’s true, you know. In space, no one can hear you scream like a little girl.”

But really, they did it because every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. It might not seem that way sometimes, but it’s true.”

“If a hiker gets lost in the mountains, people will coordinate a search. If a train crashes, people will line up to give blood. If an earthquake levels a city, people all over the world will send emergency supplies. This is so fundamentally human that it’s found in every culture without exception. Yes, there are assholes who just don’t care, but they’re massively outnumbered by the people who do.”

“As usual, I’m working with stuff that was deliberately designed not to burn. But no amount of careful design by NASA can get around a determined arsonist with a tank of pure oxygen.”

My Kyrosmagica Review of Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Goodreads synopsis:

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

My Review

If you start Snow Like Ashes and decide to stop reading it I shall have to kill you, no seriously I will have no choice but to find, borrow, or steal Meira’s weapon, a lethal Chakram, and hurl it at you because you will undoubtedly be missing the best part of this wonderful debut novel.

It starts a bit slow, there’s a lot to take in, Sara Raasch fills us in on the details and if you’re not careful you can start to feel you’re eyes clouding over a bit. There’s an information, over-telling overload. But don’t be fooled. It is forgiveable because this is one heck of an exciting read, so stick with it. Boy, does she know how to write a strong female character, as well as interesting supporting characters and those thrilling battle scenes, well you might just find yourself wincing in parts. You can just feel super pumped high adrenalin charging through your veins!

Main character – Meira

Meira is one of eight of the surviving Winterians characterised by white skin and white hair. She lives in Primoria, a land of eight kingdoms. This orphan may be only sixteen years old but she is used to hardship and warring and sparring with warriors. This struggle will help her to understand and overcome the obstacles in her way to ensure that her defeated land Winter is once again a powerful kingdom. She learns who to trust and whom to avoid, and she discovers that freedom to choose a suitor is not always a gift that we can all have when political circumstances stand in the way.

The Seasons and The Rhythms

There’s four Season Kingdoms: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, as well as the Rhythms, whose four seasons occur naturally in a typical cycle: Cordell, Ventralli, Yakim and Paisly. The Season of Winter is as you would expect a chilly, frozen landscape of snow and ice. The thought of this just sends my teeth chattering. In contrast, Summer is a smouldering land of eternal sunshine. Like the sound of this one. Autumn is a kingdom of fallen, crisp, autumnal leaves. Spring is a place of awakening blooms, but instead of gentle flowering, evil lurks in this one. You get the picture? It’s interesting that Sara Raasch chose Spring to be the season of evil, rather than the more typical choice of harsh, unforgiving, Winter.

Evil King Agra

Spring may sound like a nice gentle season but don’t be fooled. No, sixteen years ago, Spring’s evil king Agra, stole the magical conduit and brutally conquered Winter, destroyed their magic, and enslaved most of the Winterians in the process, all except Meira, our heroine, Sir, her guardian, Mather, the heir of Winter, and five other Winterians. The two halves of the magical conduit are useless until they can be joined together, in a magical version of yin and yang. Yes, the clue’s in the wonderful cover of the book itself, you couldn’t get more conflicted yin and yang if you try.

The Former Queen of Winter, Hannah

Meira starts dreaming of the former queen of Winter, Hannah. To begin with she can’t understand these visions. But in time these dream sequences act as a device to explain, and fill us in on details in this great world-building, magical fantasy.

Winter are Tough Cookies

Winter may be a tough old season, and its people are too. The Winterians have taken one hell of a bashing, and some of them have just about given up. Our heroine Meira along with her seven other surviving Winterians are tough cookies but can they, and Meira in particular, save and restore Winter to it’s former glory?

Mather and Theron

Mather is introduced to us as the heir to the Winter kingdom, but unfortunately The Winter Kingdom is a matriarchy, where magic is passed on through a female-blooded conduit. So Mather may be a well meaning type of guy, but he just isn’t going to be the one to save the kingdom.

But can our heroine Meira save the kingdom? She spars with the men, is as fierce as the next guy, but there are times when her female side comes to the fore. No more so when she finds herself in amongst several warriors sparring with their tops off. Ok, so this kind of hormonal brain activity brings her down to normal mortal level, rather than kick ass heroine. But is it a bad thing? Not altogether in my opinion if the ……. yes, you guessed it …… love triangle is done well, and is shirts off, entertaining! This trio of love entanglement consists of our heroine Meira, her first love Mather, and Theron the Prince of the Cordell kingdom, who she is forcibly engaged to, an alliance reluctantly arranged by Mather himself. All’s fair in love and war!

Poor Mather you can’t help but feel sorry for him particularly when it becomes apparent that Meira starts to feel a bit of a smouldering attraction to Theron. Who can blame her? In my opinion, Theron comes across better, than Mather. The love interest is undoubtedly a cute well written diversion but it didn’t inspire me or fire me up quite as much as Meira’s fierce determination, bravery, and compassion in the face of adversity. As to the battle scenes these were thrilling, I never realised I was so blood thirsty! Meira sets out to find a solution to save Winter, and well let’s just say this young lady sure fights for what she believes in.

My Recommendation

So to sum up, great characters, wonderful world building, and magic. Just love that word, MAGIC, it just rolls of your tongue. I loved the idea of the seasons, the rhythms, oh and the decay was just fantastic too. There are a couple of unexpected twists at the end of the novel, maybe not too surprising a turn of events, but I won’t say anymore on that, no spoilers! This sits beautifully as a stand-alone novel but I do believe there is more to come. A sequel. Fantastic. Definitely looking forward to reading more from Sara Raasch.

As to the criticism that Sara Raasch shouldn’t have made the Winterian’s pale skinned, I think this is taking political correctness just a little too far, thank goodness we’re talking about a magical kingdom here, not real life slavery. Oppression is oppression whatever the colour of the person’s skin. So if it’s dudes with white skin, and white hair, being enslaved, let’s rise up against it! I’m with you Meira!

So highly recommended for readers of high fantasy, fantasy, young adult, romance.

My rating:

4.5 stars.

My favourite quotes:

The descriptions of winter just make you shiver inside!

“It’s so cold that foreigners have to wrap in layers of fur to walk from building to building, while our natural Winterian blood keeps us warm even in the worst conditions. And snow is everywhere, always, so much that the grass beneath it is white from lack of sun. An entire kingdom wrapped in an orb of eternal winter.”

You just can’t help supporting Meira, she’s strong, STRONG, STRONG!!!!!

“I don’t need made-up strength. I’m strong enough on my own—me, Meira, no magic or conduit or anything.”

“No matter what happens, no matter who turns on me, no matter what pompous swine thinks he has power over me, I am still me. I will always be me.”

This is just so poignant!

“Someday we will be more than words in the dark.”

She wants to be kick ass but also wants to be a woman. GREAT!!!

“I wanted to be a soldier. Someone who would earn standing in Winter. Someone Sir would look at with pride. Someone Mather would look at and —”

“I’m at the center of this, a weird possessive feud between the Winter king and the Cordellan prince.”

These simple words are so visually compelling

“Even the strongest blizzards start with a single snowflake”

“Fear is a seed that, once planted, never stops growing.”

For those amongst us who can’t resist a bit of well-toned bare skin!

“But I just stand there, eyes narrowing to hide the fact that my initial reaction is to gape at Theron’s bare expanse of glistening skin. He’s shirtless — and it’s clear that Cordell subjects its men to rigorous chest exercises.”

“But everything I want to say dies the instant I see him. Because –mother of all that is cold– he’s shirtless too, with only the locket half dangling around his throat and his freckled skin reflecting the sheen of a good workout. “

Have you read Snow Like Ashes? Do leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you.

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

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