Book Tour: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Book Tour: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Sunday, 18 March 2018

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Another day, another book review – and this time, something a little bit out of my contemporary/young adult/thriller comfort zone. Last year, I booked to go to an event at Waterstones Liverpool to meet Laini Taylor, the other of the esteemed novel Strange the Dreamer and listen to her speak. Unfortunately, I was at work and couldn’t get out for the meet and greet so a lovely fellow blogger got my copy of the book signed for me. However, I am me, and I have about 50 books on my TBR pile at home so the book was pushed to the sidelines and left to wallow.

When I was asked to be a part of the Strange the Dreamer paperback release tour, I didn’t hesitate for a second, in spite of my incredibly hectic work schedule and other impending deadlines. It did however, mean I had to read the book and my goodness me, I am so glad that I did. It’s fair to say that Strange the Dreamer is a special book and I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. It reminded me of the reasons why I read and the books that I myself want to write. I’ve realised that actually, the fantasy genre is something I should explore more and I’ll definitely be looking out for books just like this one in the future.

Prior to buying the book, I had heard a lot about the story and was intrigued – there was quite a buzz about the book blogging community and rightly so. The story of Lazlo Strange, an orphan brought up by Monks is a fantastical and exciting one- the Monks limit Lazlo’s life, prohibited from doing all the things he had previously. He becomes obsessed with the mythical city of Weep, a city that has become lost and detached from the rest of the world that he lives in. Everyone else appears to have forgotten all about it, but Lazlo Strange is different and unfortunately, this is the start of where his problems lie. When Lazlo realises that the city he has been dreaming of for all these years actually DOES exist, and the name of it had just been stolen from everyone’s minds, he spends his teenage years researching the city further and trying with all his might to find out as much about it as humanely possible. It is then that he decides to go on a journey to find it and fulfil his own dream.

On the other side of all this rests Sarai, a blue skinned Goddess (granted, she’s a half goddess, but her human blood means nothing). She lives in Weep, hiding in the citadel where the Gods live. She is the one responsible for giving the city of Weep nightmares. Naturally, a love story develops but arguably one of the most true and beautiful ones that I’ve read in a long time. It is definitely essential to the plot progression and they help each other to grow in a way that other characters wouldn’t have allowed them.

The language used throughout the story is beautiful and I was often reminded of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, a series we all know is my favourite book series of all time. It baffles me that an actual real-life human being could come up with a story as beautifully magical as this one and the language really is a tier above anything I’ve read recently. Lazlo and Serai, the two main characters, are beautiful characters – full of hope – and they are backed by a whole range of mystical characters, ranging from gods, goddesses to ghosts and moths. Yes, moths.

This year will be the year of the release of Laini’s sequel to Strange the Dreamer, The Muse of Nightmares and it’s fair to say that I am absolutely bouncing in my seat at the thought of getting my hands on it in the coming months.

If I could give the book more than 5 out of 5 stars, I would.

An absolute dream (see what I did there?)

Blog Tour: The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Snaith

Blog Tour: The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Snaith

Wednesday, 21 June 2017

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When I was contacted a few weeks ago by Thomas Hill, the Press Officer for Transworld Books, an imprint of Penguin Books, about a new book, naturally I jumped at the chance to get stuck into it. I didn’t know much about The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Smith, prior to reading so I was able to go in with a completely open mind and thoroughly enjoy everything that the book had to offer. The story follows Ravine, a young girl, after her diagnosis with chronic pain syndrome and is set in Leicester and her and her mother’s council estate block. I loved how detailed the description of the setting is; I really could imagine the cramped but cosy flat, and the surrounding neighbours who really add to the multicultural nature of Leicester as a city and the UK as a whole. The neighbourhood is incredibly close knit, which I think definitely affects Ravine’s state of mind- being confined to her bed, in constant paint, and having everyone know your business really doesn’t seem the ideal situation to me.

I found Ravine’s character incredibly interesting, particularly because I don’t really know anything about chronic pain syndrome. I found her struggle with her feelings, particularly surrounding her best friend’s disappearance particularly poignant and she was definitely a character that I felt a lot of sympathy for, in spite of her tendency to appear selfish. Ravine’s mother, Amma, is a very fascinating character and I resonated with her more than I did with Ravine; her personality was full of spice and sass and her commitment to her daughter and her daughter’s health was admirable. She attempts to get on with her life, hiding her romantic relationship as far as she can, but also puts her daughter first, sacrificing her own basic needs to ensure that those of Ravine are fully met. She really is an admirable character and reminds me of my own mum, in many different ways.

I honestly cannot believe that this novel is a debut, much less that the initial write was done when the author was 16 years old. I think back to the own pieces that I penned at that age and find myself overwhelmed with the sheer sophistication of the writing. The whole mystery surrounding Marianne, Ravine’s best friend’s, disappearance is one that pulls you in from the offset and makes you want to continue reading. I’m not one to use the word “unputdownable” willy-nilly but this book honestly was. It’s hard to talk too thoroughly about the story without spoiling the best bits, so I’ll leave it to you to explore it further.

Thank you so much to the team at Penguin Random House for my copy of the book, in exchange for this review. I really look forward to reading more by Mahsuda and exploring her prose more over the coming years.

The Things We Thought We Knew was published by Penguin Random House on 15^th June 2017.

5/5.

Goodreads: The Method by Shannon Kirk | BLOG TOUR

Goodreads: The Method by Shannon Kirk | BLOG TOUR

Thursday, 9 March 2017

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AND I’m back with yet another blog tour… and my oh my, you’re in for an absolute treat with this book.  Today’s book tour follows The Method by Shannon Kirk, a suspenseful thriller which follows the story behind the kidnapping of pregnant teenagers.

My feelings towards this one are actually pretty bizarre, considering the subject matter and the darkness involved. This book is incredibly funny, twisted and thrilling- in all the right ways. Personally, if I was a teenager, pregnant and kidnapped and thrown into the back of a van, I’d say that my chances of survival would be pretty bleak. I’d probably give up about about ten minutes as I definitely don’t have the physical strength to fight for my survival. Introduce a female, 16 years old with exactly the opposite chain of thoughts: she sees her kidnapping as a puzzle, and plans her escape in a manipulative, thought out and methodical way. She sees everything in the room where she is stowed as an “asset,” mercilessly using every possible minute to put these assets to full use. Our teenager has allowed herself to become completely detached from the situation she finds herself in and this helps her entirely: she is cold and calculated, using every possible opportunity to save herself and her unborn child. This story is incredibly suspenseful and to be frank, I didn’t ever consider the fact that the victim might actually be in danger: her decision making was so effortless and clear that the only danger seems to be aimed at the kidnappers. Was that the case? You’ll have to read to find out.

The reasons behind her kidnapping are clear from the offset- they only have one use for her and that use is to grow her baby for them. They tell her that once she has delivered, that’s the end for her: she’ll be dumped in a quarry and her baby will be sold on to an ever so appreciative family. Simple. Kirk is very clear throughout her tale about what is happening and why, which made it all the more surprising when, about three quarters of the way through the book, a massive plot twist unveiled itself. I did not see it coming in the slightest and by gosh, it was a good one. It made so much sense upon reveal and made the book all the more intriguing, satisfying and in a way, mischievous. I enjoyed the continuous shift between character perspectives, although I must admit that I preferred the chapters concerning Agent Liu, the inspector assigned to find the missing teenager, to those of our protagonist. I think the FBI agent’s perspective really added to the story and allowed for a small break from the madness. I loved how every character’s involvement in the story was crucial to its finale.

To sum up in a few words: buy this book. It is absolutely fantastic: I got through it over the course of a few days, amongst a busy schedule, but I could have easily finished it in a single sitting if I’d have had the time. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before, which is most definitely a good thing. I found mysef traumatised by some of the scenes, laughing my way through others, and sickened throughout. It really made me consider my own situation and how I’d deal with this kind of scenario (answer: badly). I’d probably recommend this book to anyone who’s a fan of crime fiction or psychological thrillers – in fact, I’ve already recommended it to a few people- and I’ll be sure to keep checking Shannon Kirk out. I’m CERTAIN that she’s going to be adding even more to the Crime fiction world and I cannot wait until she does!

Thanks to Little, Brown for providing me with a free review copy of the book! You can grab your own NOW on Amazon, Waterstones, etc.

4.5/5

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