Book Review | What was never said

Title: What was never said

Author: Emma Craigie

Genre: Contemporary

Series: Stand alone

Pages: 208

Publisher: Short books

Rating: 4.5 stars

5-year-old Zahra has lived in England most of her life, but she is haunted by memories of her early childhood in Africa: the warm sun, the loud gunfire, and happy days playing with her older sister before "the visitors" came. It is hard for Zahra to make sense of everything that happened, and the terrible events are impossible to talk about, but when three familiar women arrive unexpectedly for tea, Zahra realises that the dangers of the past could still destroy her.

 I have to admit that when I started this book I was almost in total ignorance of FGM. I’d vaguely heard of it somewhere, but had no real clue what it was, why it was done or being totally honest, what the acronym stood for. (For those of you reading this, who are in the same boat as I was and are sitting completely oblivious and totally confused, it stands for Female Genital Mutilation -an illegal practice in the UK and many other parts of the world.) Before I go into my review, I’d just like to say a little bit about FGM for any readers who are still unaware, like I was and also because I think it is something that isn’t discussed enough due to its sensitive and private nature, and yet it is a practice that I believe should be recognised by more people. FGM is a tradition carried out in many cultures and religions, usually it is done in the belief that it will make it harder for women to experience sexual pleasure and/or to protect a girls’ virtue. It is done without anesthetic of any kind and as a result is scarring to its victims both physically and mentally, hence its prohibition in this country.

 For someone to write about such a delicate subject, which I certainly have not seen before in literature, I believe is bold, daring, shocking and frankly a little inspiring. Emma Craigie approaches the subject well and daringly. I was truly impressed by how she met the subject head on and although she didn’t go into excruciating detail, she gave just the right amount of detail to explain FGM and its consequences but not too much so that the more squeamish among us were writhing in our seats.

 I was also amazed at how she managed to shove herself into someone else’s very different sized shoes. Such detail of feeling typical of a fifteen-year-old girl was given that it was easy to assume the book was of a biographical nature. I was astounded at the descriptions of Zahra’s native land (Somalia) and also the culture difference and her thoughts and feelings.

 I completely loved the layout of the book and how it jumped from the present to Zahra’s memories of Somalia and her growing up. I also loved the varying chapter sizes as it made reading easier and also kept the fast pace going.

 It was also an exciting read. It gripping throughout and I honestly had it wrestled off me by my parents demanding I go to bed at some points as I quite literally couldn’t put it down! I was never bored or felt the heaviness of dread set in when I thought of having to pick it back up. It was a true delight.

 The writing style wasn’t too complex even though the book was of a more adult nature and I think this helped to make the book easier to read, considering it was about such a heavy topic.

 I thought the characters were all well described: there was enough there for you to picture them but still enough detail left out to get your imagination working. I also liked how they all fit really well into their backgrounds and all had something to add to the plot.

 The plot was really good and well thought out. It had quite a few significant twists and turns which kept me on my toes, which I enjoyed as it raised the tensions and really helped to convey Zahra’s mind-set.

 Possibly my favorite aspect of the book was that it is from Zarah’s perspective and is written to her sister. I think this makes the story even more hard hitting and it has that touch of raw honesty one uses with ones we love, and this really touched me in places.

 …I’ve now been sat at my computer screen picking my brains for something to criticize the book and after struggling for a while, I’ve managed to deduce that if I could change the book in anyway, I’d maybe prolong it a little. This sounds odd I know and to many of you you’ll be thinking…is it not a good thing you want to read more? And it is, however, I felt the book almost had a sense of being rushed slightly at the end. I realize that many events have to happen at once sometimes in order to build the story up to climax but I thought maybe the ending seemed to have a little too much happening all at once. I suppose in some ways this reflects Zahra’s life and her inner stress and how everything seems to go wrong all together but I still felt rushed into an ending.

 Overall, I would highly recommend this book to any teenage or adult girl or boy, as I think it would be interesting to see how boys react to a book relating to more female issues. This book is a very rare thing. Not only does it educate us but also it provides us with a story that highlights issues that are forgotten in many of our lives, yet poignant in others. I think of it as a triumph in modern writing of this nature.

 

Happy Reading,

Hebe x

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review | Heroes and villains

Title: Heroes and Villains

Author: Donna Marie Oldfield

Genre: Dystopian / fantasy/ superhero
 Pages: 280

Series: The sequel to out of time

publisher: unknown

Rating: 3 stars 

 

Teenage superhero Scarlett Shortt is stuck in an alternate timeline that's growing more dystopian by the minute, and now it looks like her days could be numbered.

Three months have passed since Out of Time #1 and Scarlett, Dylan and their friends are living life on the run after being forced out of their cosy London house.

They flee to Scarlett's home city of Manchester, which has been run into the ground under evil Prime Minister Goulden's regime. Much of the area has been destroyed and things are set to get even worse thanks to the PM's plans for cruel weapons, segregation and war.

As if things aren't bleak enough, their new friend, Mason, has a premonition that Scarlett will be killed and millions will die in a separate attack. Then there's the added complication of a deadly new foe, The Echidna, and a team of supervillains that features some very familiar faces.

Can the young superheroes stop millions of innocent people from dying? How will Scarlett deal with predictions of her death and will moralistic leader Dylan toughen up and accept that the rules have changed in this harsh new world?

I have to say that having been so hooked on the first book Out of Time, I was somewhat disappointed with this sequel. I always find it hard to write reviews where the books don’t quite match up to my expectations, so please, (as usual) bear with me.

Don’t get me wrong under no circumstances did I dislike this book. But it’s hard not to compare it to the first one.

For starters, I thought that the plot seemed a little less thought out and more disjunctive than in the first book. It seemed to leap from battle to battle and argument to argument with not much substance in between. It was fairly easy to follow, which was a good constant that remained from Out of time; however, it made the battles seem less dramatic and exciting.

Another thing I found slightly odd was that the romance that had so many sparks in the first book sort of seemed to fizzle out in the second. Don’t get me wrong; it was still there, which was nice. There just seemed to be no chemistry making it slightly unexciting.

The characters were still fabulous. I loved them all and I thought they did seem to develop and change more in this book, which was great. The Echidna was an especially interesting and well-built character and I thought that the problems faced again were relatable and made you want to be the characters, a vital element which kept the book alive.

The thing I liked the least is hard to explain, but I’ll do my best. I didn’t like how each character was introduced and threaded into the story. As my old English teacher would’ve said : ‘There was a lot of telling not showing”. Rather than letting the reader remember the characters by showing the reader their power or some aspect of their character that the reader would remember them by from Out of time, It seemed that we were just told the characters name and their power, which after a while (as there are so many characters) got a bit repetitive. I don’t know if any of that made sense but hopefully if you take the time to read the book, you will understand my meaning.

Having said this about the book I actually do think it’s worth a read. I’d like you to remember that 3 stars aren’t bad. 2.5 is halfway to 5, meaning this book is above average and I think it is worth reading it as I still wanted to find out what happened to all the characters and if the situation had been resolved.

Happy Reading,

Hebe x

Book Review | Out Of Time

Title: Out of time

Author: Donna Marie Oldfield

Genre: Dystopian/ YA/ Superhero

Pages: 268

Series: There is a sequel called Heroes and Villains

Publisher: unknown

Rating: 5 stars

Scarlett Shortt is just an average 16 year old until she wakes up in a dark new world. As she tries to make sense of what’s happened to the London she knew, she meets a group of strange teenagers who insist she’s part of their team of superheroes. 

She’s sceptical at first, but after run-ins with weird robots, superpowered villains and corrupt cops, she decides that trusting her new friends is her best option. And so the reluctant hero joins their fight to overthrow the evil Prime Minister Goulden, who is determined to shape the world in his own warped image. 

Can Scarlett learn to use her powers of telekinesis in time to overcome their many foes and will she ever find out where she is and how she got there?


I can safely say after putting this book down I had a serious book hangover and a desperate craving for more of Scarlett and the team's adventures. Thank Goodness Donna Oldfield was kind enough to send me the sequel or I would be... well...we've all been there!

I've read quite a few books featuring teen superheroes but none quite like this. Its originality was great: Not only was it set in England, unlike many other books of this genre  (due to the fact that I'm English this makes it a whole lot easier to understand and relate to.) But the plot was something else! It was totally credible and left lots of work for your own brain to do but not too much so that I couldn't enjoy the read pondering over every issue raised.
It was well thought out, exciting and fast paced, which made the book whiz by and left you thinking  'Oh! I seem to have run out of book!' 

The next thing I loved about the book was the characters. I think this book is most suitable for preteens and young teens (although I still enjoyed it at the grand old age of 15) and every character had different traits that younger boys and girls can look up to and idolise. Having connections with characters is vital in all books, and I had empathy for every single one and liked them all (Particularly Neelam) for very different reasons.

Another thing I liked was the touch of romance. I'm a sucker for romance, but the romance here didn't overpower or dominate the story line. It was just a nice flourish to a fantastic story. I thought the chemistry between characters was portrayed excellently and relationships under the circumstances were realistic.

I liked the writing style and thought it was strategically simplistic in some places. I think this was a great element of the book as it makes it more attractive for the audience it is aimed at. 

My only criticism would be that I thought the characters didn't develop much. You seemed to start with a character and end with the same person. I believe that experiences such as this one do change people (for better or worse). And although Scarlett and Dylan gain confidence, I felt a bit like none of the characters were built up enough.

Having said this, I think that all in all this book is a triumph. It leaves your head racing, heart pounding and fingers itching to turn the next page.


Happy Reading

Hebe x

Book Review | Nero's Fiddle

Title: Nero's Fiddle

Author: Pen

Genre: Fantasy/ survival / military

Pages: 640

Series: stand alone

Publisher: Unknown

Rating: 4 stars


Every day millions of people use their cars, cell phones, and computers.
They commute to work by bus or train.
Hospitals run efficiently. Food is delivered round the clock.
Imagine all of that . . . gone.
June 23, 2017: The United States is crippled by an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack, leaving every citizen in the dark, helpless and alone. It will happen again. Every thirty days another country will be attacked until the entire world is plunged into darkness.
Captain Beverly Mossberg is assigned the task of reaching Washington, DC to assassinate the terrorist before he strikes again. She doesn’t count on being accompanied by her two children, Michael, age 9 and Jazmine, age 12. Not to mention Sedona Armstrong, a complete stranger, is determined to join the party.
They traverse a now lawless land, scrounging for food and water, blowing up propane gas tanks, narrowly avoiding being raped and being held prisoners in a cannibal commune – a possible side-effect of massive disaster-related incidents.
Upon arriving in DC, Bev learns that she has been misled – again. Only this time, she has the weight of saving the world on her shoulders.


Well, when I first picked up Nero's Fiddle, I didn't totally know what to expect. I don't often find myself reading stories featuring a heavy military influence, especially not feminine military influence but I found that I really enjoyed it, possibly even more so for this recognition of female soldiers.

I really liked the characters, particularly Bev. I thought all the characters had traits and struggles that could be relatable to a large range of different people, making the book more welcoming and helping one get attached to the characters. 

A character I found harder to empathise with and who confused my brain somewhat was Michael. I myself have an 8 year old brother who is fairly sophisticated for his age, yet to me, I thought Michael seemed at times a little advanced for a 9 year old. This made it a little confusing and harder to grasp. Don't get me wrong, I believe that an experience such as one that Michael goes through of course ages a person, but from the beginning he seemed to use vocabulary and express ideas more suitable for a teenager.

I thought Jaz was expressed extraordinarily well. I was only 12 myself 3 years ago now and I have to say, the representation of a 12 year olds relationship with her family, particularly her mother was spot on and really showed how under all the attitude and bravado, at 12 we are all still children. 

There were lots of good plot hooks and twists which really kept me gripped. I kept pondering over what would happen next and I sped my way through! I loved how there was plenty of action at just the right times. As soon as you began to recover from the last event, you were shocked back into the situation by another occurrence. This kept you guessing and this is a feature I find vital for the success of any book.

I enjoyed the writing style. I thought it was fitting for the genre and there was a good balance of description and dialogue, which was a feature that made reading easier.

I really liked the recognition of female soldiers and military figures in the book, as well as the power and strength in the female characters. The foreword was excellent and I thought that there needs to be more writing like this in literature (although it's becoming more common, which is a delight!) I realise that I'm saying this as a feminist and not everyone shares these views but for me it made the book the true gem that it is.

My criticism would be that I didn't enjoy the introduction. I thought it wasn't very gripping and the beginning is a crucial hook point. I thought although it related to the story that it wasn't apparent how until so far on in the book that I'd forgotten about it, making it slightly irrelevant. However, this element of history was interesting.

Overall, I thought this book was really great and a good steady read. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys dystopian writing and military books!

Happy reading,

Hebe x

Book Review | Obstacles

Title: Obstacles


Author: Christopher Reardon


Genre: Fantasy


Pages: 338


Series: stand alone


Publisher: unknown


Rating: 4 stars


A child will die. You're afraid to live. Would you go to all lengths to save him? Darkness knows no bounds, as Alcott, an African American doctor sees all too well. The man is petrified by death. His fragile existence rests at the mercy of the universe. This fact is far too much for him to handle. From unyielding nightmares to elevator terrors, he's lost in paranoia. 
Assigned to look after an ill child, Alcott's horrors only heighten. Gari is a nine-year-old boy with a fatal disease. He will surely pass on within the year. Alcott bonds with him more and more each day. Part of him knows this grim fate just isn't right. 
Alcott befriends a hospital patient. This lunatic forces him to lug home an ancient text on bringing back the dead. Despite the man's obvious dementia, Alcott attempts the scheme. Charging up a cliff, he recites the chant over ocean gusts. 
A goddess glides in from the horizon. She instructs Alcott on the trials to save Gari's life. These fearsome Obstacles require true strength. From battling sharks to wielding a flail, he must prove fortitude against genuine danger. Alcott decides his fate at this moment. 
Death's claws shall not grasp Gari's soul

I was extremely excited to receive Obstacles because I was really intrigued by the synopsis and I absolutely love the cover! As you can tell by my 4 star rating, it was well worth my time.

The first thing I liked about the book was the varying chapter lengths. I know this might sound odd but often in books I want to stop at a chapter but they seem to go on and on and on! This certainly wasn't a problem here, as the chapters were fairly short and always varied in size.

Another factor which made this book so great was the characters. Each character had different sides to them and some characters such as Alcott and Gretchen had personality attributes that I found inspiring and it was truly magnificent to see them evolve and develop throughout the book. The one problem I found was the lack of description. The book left a lot to your imagination when it came to character's appearances, but in some ways this was a bonus as it let your mind do the working!

The plot was probably my favourite thing about the whole book. The idea of the story in general was really original and imaginative which Chris Reardon deserves much praise for. The plot was excellent, brilliantly thought out and oh my goodness there were such spectacular plot twists, which kept me constantly on my toes! Never once was the book predictable which kept me gripped and hungry for more.

The style of writing was good. Some passages were beautifully written, however, my one major criticism with Obstacles was the overuse of some words. The word "Manifest" and "delectable" in particular, I felt were used rather a lot and it made these wonderful words seem duller and less exciting. Also, I thought that the characters only ever "screamed" or "shouted" or "yelled" and never were described as simply saying things. This made the reading experience for me, slightly less enjoyable as it gave some parts a quite aggressive feel. However, this is probably just me being picky, and this certainly shouldn't put you off!

Overall, as a lover of fantasy, Obstacles was a marvellous read and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an original story with brave characters, fighting and heroic actions.

Happy reading
Hebe x