Mid-year 2019 books review wrap-up

I'm a little bit late with my 2019 middle of the year wrap-up but I thought it would be interesting to look back at how my reading is going so far this year, what some of my favourite books have been and what I've been enjoying and recommending.

1. My reading tally.I set myself the challenge of reading 180 books in 2019. I had a bit of a blip last year when I had a lot of other things going on and didn't have quite as much time as normal for reading. I also went through a spell of not particularly enjoying a lot of the books I picked up. I was determined that this year would be different and so far it has been! I've read 109 books between January and July (yes, I'm a fast reader!) and have discovered some absolutely phenomenal novels and new authors. There are lots more fantastic releases due out during the rest of the year and I'm once again head over heels in love with books.

2. My favourites.
Choosing favourites is always hard but I've narrowed it down to a top 5 (in no particular order). These haven't all been published this year but I'm picking from the titles that I've read in 2019.

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (published by Bloomsbury)
An incredible end to the Throne of Glass series. 980 pages of pure enjoyment from one of my favourite authors.

 

 

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (published by Bloomsbury)

I'm loving the trend this year for fairy tale retellings. This is a brilliant twist on the traditional Beauty and the Beast story. Kemmerer's storytelling perspective is fresh and original and I loved this one. Read my full review here.  

 

 



Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly (published by Hot Key Books)

Another twist on a classic fairytale but this time it's an inventive take on what happened to the ugly stepsisters after Cinderella was whisked off by the Prince. A sheer delight to read and a book which made me so happy!

Read my full review here

 

 

 Viper by Bex Hogan (published by Orion Children's Books)

I am obsessed with this book! If I could only recommend you read one thing this year, then it would definitely be 'Viper' which has reignited my love for all things pirate.

Read my full review here

 

 



The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (published by Harper Collins)

The only adult read to make my top 5 of the year so far. A murder mystery thriller which is reminiscent of a classic Agatha Christie who-dunnit. Kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Read my full review here

 

 

3. Book/Author obsession

This has been the year that I've discovered and become obsessed with everything Agatha Christie related. I've been devouring her books and every week have come home with huge piles of her novels from the library. My favourite so far has probably been Poirot's very first case, 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' but it's hard to choose because I have enjoyed so many. I now only have about 16 still to read (which I'm madly hunting for) but I don't know what I'm going to do once I've finished! 

 

4. Book miss

I was excited about reading 'The Record Keeper' by Agnes Gomillion but I really struggled with it. I do like some science fiction but this was quite heavily rooted in the genre and it didn't spark a lot of enjoyment for me. I've since seen some really positive reviews of the book from other readers that loved it though, so I always think it's worth giving books a go and making up your own mind. You can read my full review here

 

5. Surprise hit 

I picked up 'A Sky Painted Gold' by Laura Wood without knowing much about it. I thought that the cover was pretty and it sounded like my kind of book. I was really pleasantly surprised about just how much I enjoyed it. It's a wonderful read for summer, set in Cornwall (which isn't far away from me), features a dreamy romance and has brilliant characters that leap off the page. Laura's new book, 'Under a Dancing Star' has recently been published, so I'm desperate to get my hands on a copy as soon as possible.  

Review: Stepsister - Jennifer Donnelly

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly, published by Hot Key Books on 2nd May 2019

Synopsis:
Isabelle should be blissfully happy – she’s about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn’t the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince’s heart. She’s the ugly stepsister who’s cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella’s shoe ... which is now filling with blood.

When the prince discovers Isabelle’s deception, she is turned away in shame. It’s no more than she deserves: she is a plain girl in a world that values beauty; a feisty girl in a world that wants her to be pliant.

Isabelle has tried to fit in. To live up to her mother’s expectations. To be like her stepsister. To be sweet. To be pretty. One by one, she has cut away pieces of herself in order to survive a world that doesn’t appreciate a girl like her. And that has made her mean, jealous, and hollow.

Until she gets a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.

Review:
This book made me so happy! I absolutely adore fairy-tale retellings and while this wasn't strictly speaking a retelling, it was a spin-off of Cinderella with a twist which was so brilliantly executed, that it was a sheer delight to read. It was a lot darker than the traditional tale and instead of focusing on the character of Cinderella and her wooing of the Prince, it centred around Isabella, one of the so-called ugly stepsisters. It picks up from the moment when the sisters try to squeeze their feet into the glass slipper.

I loved everything about 'Stepsister' but particularly the message that people shouldn't have to try to fit in and conform to the norm or peoples' expectations of what they should do or be like. Isabelle has done that her whole life. She has given up everything that she once loved and everything that she once enjoyed doing. She has tried to please her mother over and over again and in the process she has lost who she really is. She has become someone that she hates, allowing her petty jealousy and envy of others to eat away at her.

The premise of the story is that Fate in the form of an old crone, has Isabelle's life mapped out, with an inevitable tragic ending. The character of Chance however, wants to change this and steals the carefully inked out map to give Isabelle the opportunity for a different future. The struggle between Fate and Chance was a really interesting angle, as they wrestle between them to try and get the upper hand. I liked the way that it came across as quite a friendly rivalry at times, even though they both ultimately want to get their own way.

Isabelle, her sister Tavi and their mother are ostracised by the village community, after their treatment of Ella comes to light. Isabelle believes the horrible words that are thrown at her but desperately tries to keep what is left of her family afloat. She longs only to be pretty, like Ella, so that she can have all the things she thinks she wants. Step forward a powerful fairy called Tanaquill, who has the power to grant her exactly that...if it's her true desire and only after she has found the three missing pieces of her heart. The rest of the story unfolds with Isabelle trying to find her true self, while the battle over her future plays out in the background.

I really did love everything about this wonderful book but especially the characters that were brilliantly depicted and grew to feel like friends. If you are looking for a fairy-tale story with a dark and unusual twist then this is definitely one for you. An absolute knock-out YA that is not to be missed!

Review: These Shallow Graves - Jennifer Donnelly

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly, published by Hot Key Books on 27th October 2015

Goodreads synopsis:
Set in gilded age New York, These Shallow Graves follows the story of Josephine Montfort, an American aristocrat. Jo lives a life of old-money ease. Not much is expected of her other than to look good and marry well. But when her father dies due to an accidental gunshot, the gilding on Jo’s world starts to tarnish. With the help of a handsome and brash reporter, and a young medical student who moonlights in the city morgue, Jo uncovers the truth behind her father’s death and learns that if you’re going to bury the past, you’d better bury it deep.

Review:
'These Shallow Graves' is a Victorian murder mystery, featuring feisty young heroine Josephine Montfort, or Jo as she likes to be known.  Jo's father dies at the beginning of the story and she takes it into her own hands to find out the truth about his death, helped along the way by handsome journalist Eddie. 

The setting for the story is New York, 1890.  I thought that Jennifer Donnelly did a really good job of incorporating a sense of the atmosphere of the period.  Women did not have many rights beyond working if they were poor and marrying if they were rich.  Jo subverts the line between the two by coming from a wealthy and privileged background, but she also wants to pursue her own dreams which are far greater than simply being a wife.  She is an interesting heroine because she is incredibly ambitious for the time and refuses to stop throwing herself into the path of danger if it means she will discover answers to the elusive questions the story poses.   

I enjoyed the way that Jo peeled away the layers of mystery and intrigue to gradually piece together the truth about her father and what really happened to him.  I love a good murder mystery and this one kept me on my toes. 

This was quite a long book at nearly 500 pages.  I found it quite slow in places at the beginning and I'll admit that I nearly gave up on reading it at one point but it picked up considerably as the pieces of the mystery began to come together.  I do think that the plot could have been tighter and there were some elements which didn't altogether work for me but there was a lot I liked to.  I don't feel that this was a very memorable read but if you enjoy historical murder mysteries then it's definitely worth a try. 

Review: Revolution - Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, published by Bloomsbury in 2010

Goodreads synopsis:
BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

 

Review:
'Revolution' is Jennifer Donnelly's second young-adult novel and is an outstanding and extraordinary book.  I'd only heard good things about it before I picked this up in the library and I was so excited to get my hands on it at last!  I definitely wasn't disappointed!

The story is set both in present day Brooklyn and eigtheenth century France.  There's an incredible amount of historical detail woven into the book, which serves to evoke the sights, sounds and smells of Paris.  I felt like I was transported back in time to a period that's always fascinated me. 

What's so clever about 'Revolution' is that one narrative and one story is contained within another.  First, I was absorbed by the story of Andi, an American teenager whose coping with the traumatic aftermath of her brother Truman's accidental death.  This event is ripping Andi apart as she blames herself for his death and can no longer face up to life anymore.  The only solace she finds is in her music.  When her father takes her to Paris, she discovers the diary of a young French girl, Alexandrine, who lived during the time of the French Revolution.  As Andi is sucked into Alex's story, so I was drawn into reading about Andi discovering Alex's secrets and the events of her life.  The two narratives are knit together seamlessly and just as Andi is desperate to read Alex's diary - a few more entries each night, I too was desperate to read on and on.  Trust me, once you've picked this up, you won't want to put it down.

The story delivers a real emotional punch and some of the incidents narrated in the book are so breathtakingly sad that I really felt myself sympathising with the characters.  I don't think I was quite prepared for how difficult it was going to be to read about some of the things they had to go through.

I absolutely loved the richness of detail that went into creating Alex's world.  The history of France and Marie Antoinette has always interested me and so I enjoyed finding out about her and her family.  I certainly learned a lot of things that I wasn't aware of before.

The only bit of the book that didn't work quite so well for me was sequence near the end.  I don't want to say too much about it because it will spoil it for people who haven't yet read 'Revolution', but although it worked well as a device to bring the story neatly together and wrap up all the loose ends, I'm not sure if it was entirely in keeping with the rest of the book.  I think it might have worked more effectively without it.

Regardless of that, 'Revolution' is a superb book that will whisk you back in time and  make you both smile and cry as you unravel the events of both Alex and Andi's stories.