Review: The Charmed Wife by Olga Grushin

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Published: 21st January 2021

Synopsis:
Cinderella married the man of her dreams - the perfect ending she deserved after diligently following all the fairy-tale rules. Yet now, two children and thirteen-and-a-half years later, things have gone badly wrong.

One night, she sneaks out of the palace to get help from the Witch who, for a price, offers love potions to disgruntled housewives. But as the old hag flings the last ingredients into the cauldron, Cinderella doesn't ask for a love spell to win back her Prince Charming.

Instead, she wants him dead.

Review: 

Cinderella married Prince Charming and they lived happily ever after...or did they? In 'The Charmed Wife' Olga Grushin imagines what may have happened to these classic fairy tale characters, 13 years after that well known ending. Now with two children in tow, is Cinderella still living a life of blissful romance with her Prince?

The blurb for this book immediately caught my attention. I love anything to do with classic fairy tales, reworkings and new interpretations, so I knew from the start that this is a title I wanted to read. I was extremely intrigued about the story and excited to delve in. This is most definitely a book for adult readers as it deals with some pretty heavy topics throughout.

The book is split into three distinct sections. I enjoyed the first part immensely which features Cinderella sneaking away to ask a witch for help with her situation. Things haven't quite worked out the way she thought they would and she needs assistance trying to put things right. The second part was quite unusual and I think that's where it lost me a little. I thought it was very clever as it interweaves nods and references to a lot of other fairy tales and while I could appreciate how skilfully this was done, my enjoyment of the story as a whole, definitely dipped. The final part moves the scene to modern day New York which confused me to start with but works to allow the author to link together a lot of the themes and issues touched upon throughout the book.    

On finishing, I have conflicting feelings about this title. On one hand, there were lots of things that I enjoyed about it and it kept me wanting to read on because I literally had no idea what was going to come next. On the other hand, it was extremely dark and subversive and personally, I think I like my fairy tales to be a little more sugar-coated. 

Review: Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert

Publisher: Penguin
Published: 14th January 2021

Synopsis: 
In this brutal and beautiful world a young woman spends a night with Death, brides are wed to a mysterious house in the trees, and an enchantress is killed twice - and still lives.

But it's not safe inside these pages, and once you enter, you may never want to leave . . .

The highly anticipated collection of stories set in the creepy, haunting fairytale world first introduced in Melissa Albert's internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed Hazel Wood series.

Review: 

As the January evenings are dark and cold, this was the perfect read for the start of the year. Deliciously dark and fiendish, 'Tales from the Hinterland' by Melissa Albert is a collection of short stories set in the fairy tale world, first introduced in the Hazel Wood series. I haven't read the latter but I don't think it mattered at all, as you don't particularly need to have any prior knowledge to enjoy this book. 

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not always a huge fan of short story collections (although I have read some really good ones lately) so I was a little bit apprehensive when I started reading this. I need not have worried though as the stories are so inventive, original and mesmerising that I was drawn in by the varied range of tales told. There were some that I definitely enjoyed more than others but I think that's always the way with short stories. My favourites were 'Hansa the Traveller', 'Alice -Three-Times' and 'The Skinned Maiden'. These were the ones that really gripped me and which I found especially creepy and devious. 

This is a fairy tale world where happy ever after does not exist and where the characters' fates hang in the balance. Melissa Albert's imagination is allowed to run wild in this spine-chilling collection which I advise not reading when you're in the house alone! 

Blog Tour: Review: I Give It a Year by Helen Whitaker

Today I'm hosting a stop on the blog tour for 'I Give It A Year' by Helen Whitaker. Thanks to Alex at Orion for asking me to take part. 

Publisher: Orion 
Published: 7th January 2021

Synopsis: 
Her husband's moved out - and her dad's moved in...

It's New Year's Eve, and Iris has just found out that her husband, Adam, is cheating on her. Furious, she kicks him out, and enlists her Dad to move in and help with the children whilst she tries to mend her broken heart.

But her Dad soon starts to display signs of Alzheimer's, and Iris realises that if she loses her partner, she'll be managing an awful lot on her own. Soon, she realises that Adam wasn't the only one taking their marriage for granted, and for the sake of the children she decides to give him one more chance.

But is it braver to stay than to run? And can anyone fall in love with the same person twice?

Review: 

This is the first book I've read by Helen Whitaker so I was looking forward to trying a title by an author who is new to me. 'I Give It A Year' begins with Iris discovering that her husband has been having an affair. The story chronicles the year that follows as Iris and her husband Adam explore what went wrong and whether they can save their marriage after his infidelity. 

What I found really interesting about the book is the way in which the author shows that there is more than one side to the story. It is not as clear cut as it might first seem and my sympathies were definitely divided between the two main characters. Iris decides that they will have a year to try to work things out and so they start couples counselling. This isn't something that I've come across very often in stories that I've read so I thought it was a fascinating way of digging beneath the surface of a marriage, to explore some of the reasons why it may have begun to break down. Whitaker writes with honesty and sensitivity and this section of the book was very well handled. 

As well as the focus on the marriage, the author also explores the difficulties and struggles of dealing with a parent with ongoing signs of Alzheimer's. This has an impact on the whole family and at times, I found this quite hard to read about but it's something that affects a huge number of people so I like the fact that the author was brave enough to tackle the topic. 

'I Give It A Year' was an original and honest novel which I very much enjoyed. The characters were brilliantly portrayed and I the story was truthful and emotional. I will definitely be looking out for more books by Helen Whitaker in the future. 

Don't forget to check out all of the other stops on the 'I Give It a Year' blog tour. 

Review: Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton

Publisher: Weidenfeld and Nicolson
Published: 12th September 2017

Synopsis: 
Augustine, a brilliant, aging astronomer, is consumed by the stars. For years he has lived in remote outposts, studying the sky for evidence of how the universe began. At his latest posting, in a research center in the Arctic, news of a catastrophic event arrives. The scientists are forced to evacuate, but Augustine stubbornly refuses to abandon his work. Shortly after the others have gone, Augustine discovers a mysterious child, Iris, and realizes the airwaves have gone silent. They are alone.

At the same time, Mission Specialist Sullivan is aboard the Aether on its return flight from Jupiter. The astronauts are the first human beings to delve this deep into space, and Sully has made peace with the sacrifices required of her: a daughter left behind, a marriage ended. So far the journey has been a success, but when Mission Control falls inexplicably silent, Sully and her crew mates are forced to wonder if they will ever get home.

As Augustine and Sully each face an uncertain future against forbidding yet beautiful landscapes, their stories gradually intertwine in a profound and unexpected conclusion. In crystalline prose, Good Morning, Midnight poses the most important questions: What endures at the end of the world? How do we make sense of our lives?

Review: 

'Good Morning, Midnight' is one of those special books that cross your path and which you have no prior knowledge of. You start reading and often the story might be a little slow in the beginning and you wonder if you're going to enjoy it, but then bit by bit, it starts to creep up on you and the characters begin to get under your skin and soon you can't put it down and find yourself thinking about it constantly. This is exactly what happened to me with Lily Brooks-Dalton's captivating debut. Originally published in 2017, it has recently been made into a Netflix film starring and directed by George Clooney. As I'm one of the few people that don't seem to have Netflix, I hadn't heard anything at all about it and so there was a definite sense of intrigue when I started reading. 

The story is set in both the Arctic Circle and the wide expanse of space. The chapters alternate between Augustine, an astronomer who is the last man standing on an Arctic research base and whose only company is a young girl called Iris and Sully, an astronaut on a return space flight from Jupiter. Both characters are cut off from civilisation and facing circumstances that are often beyond their control. After reading the first few chapters, I really wasn't sure how both storylines were going to connect but when they eventually did, it was extremely clever and very poignant. 

The story unravels gradually, giving plenty of opportunity to enjoy and appreciate Brooks-Dalton's exquisitely beautiful writing. I loved the descriptiveness of her prose. Also while reading the chapters set in the Arctic, I could almost imagine that I was feeling the same sense of isolation as Augustine. He is at the end of his life and spends a lot of time reflecting on the life choices he has made along the way. Sully, although seemingly living a life that many may envy, hasn't truly started living yet. Separated from her family after always putting her career first, she begins to reflect on how she may want her life to look in the future, in a world that may no longer be recognisable. The story considers what happens at the end of the world and explores how people come to understand their true selves and what really matters to them.     

If you're not a fan of open-ended novels then you may not like the fact that there is no neat end to the story. Answers are not necessarily given and some things are left open to interpretation. Although this isn't something that I normally like, I actually think it worked well here and suited the novel perfectly. Just as the characters don't know what is coming next, we don't know as readers either. 

'Good Morning, Midnight' is a book that I have kept thinking about, long after having finished reading it. Presenting questions about loneliness, life and death, it conjures up emotions in the reader that are at our very core. I would recommend this novel without hesitation and hope that the Netflix adaptation may deliver the book to a much wider audience than it has already had. 

Review: The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: 12th November 2020

Synopsis: 
At Montverre, an exclusive academy tucked away in the mountains, the best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu: an arcane and mysterious contest. Léo Martin was once a student there, but lost his passion for the grand jeu following a violent tragedy. Now he returns in disgrace, exiled to his old place of learning with his political career in tatters.

Montverre has changed since he studied there, even allowing a woman, Claire Dryden, to serve in the grand jeu’s highest office of Magister Ludi. When Léo first sees Claire he senses an odd connection with her, though he’s sure they have never met before.

Both Léo and Claire have built their lives on lies. And as the legendary Midsummer Game, the climax of the year, draws closer, secrets are whispering in the walls…

Review: 
'The Betrayals' is one of the books that I have been most looking forward to reading in 2020. Bridget Collins first novel for adults, 'The Binding', was one of my books of 2019, so I thought it was a sure bet that I was going to love this one too. It sounded intriguing and mysterious, although from reading the synopsis several times, I wasn't quite sure which exact genres it fit into. Collins states that the story itself is heavily influenced by Hermann Hesse's 'The Glass Bead Game'. I've seen that book many times in the library but I haven't read it myself so knowing the inspiration for the novel didn't really help me much either. Still, all those factors only added to my excited anticipation when I turned to the first page. 

There are very few prominent characters in the novel and overshadowing them all is the 'Grand Jeu'. A game which combines a mixture of music and math, philosophy and religion. All the students and teachers at Montverre study the game and many have devoted their lives to it but although what I did learn about it was fascinating, it becomes almost so abstract that I have to admit that I didn't fully understand it at all. Thinking about it after having finished the book though, maybe that is deliberate choice by the author. This is a game that people spend their whole lives playing and which is so complex that years of study, teaching and discussions go into it. Perhaps it's a game that the reader is never expected to be able to decipher. Although I tried to keep that in mind, I just felt that I wanted to know more and therefore I was left feeling slightly dissatisfied at the end. 

The narrative follows the characters of Claire, who is Montverre's first female Magister Ludi and Leo, who was a student at the boarding school a long time ago and who is returning in exile. There's also the character of The Rat who appears at various points in the story. The pull between Claire and Leo is brilliantly portrayed and there's a sense that they are being drawn together but at the same time, torn apart by the lies and secrets that they are both hiding. There's an insinuation in the first half of the book that there is more to their relationship than is first evident and I really enjoyed the slow unraveling of their carefully concealed deceits and the devastatingly clever twist that ensues.     

This is definitely a book that may take the reader a while to warm to. It's fairly slow in the beginning and you do have to have a little patience while the story takes shape. I found that it really crept up on me though and before I knew it, I was struggling to put it down and desperate to know what was going to happen next. I enjoy the style of Bridget Collins's writing immensely and although I didn't quite enjoy this as much as 'The Binding', it was still an intriguing and fascinating read that I feel I will want to read again in the future and perhaps uncover another layer of understanding.  

Review: All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Publisher: Titan Books
Published: 4th August 2020

Synopsis:
As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer - the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it's never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy's dangerous soul magic. When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he'll help her prove she's fit to rule, if she'll help him reclaim his stolen magic. But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder - and more peril - than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she'll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected... or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.

Review:
'All the Stars and Teeth' is a YA fantasy with a powerful and flawed Princess, a cursed pirate called Bastian, adventure and danger on the high seas and an abundance of magic. It is a fast-paced and exciting opening to a duology which weaves a compelling tale about the abuse of power and how one girl attempts to save a kingdom.

I enjoyed it because it was so unique and different to anything else that I've read recently in the YA fantasy genre. The story was unpredictable and the characters were multi-faceted. Nobody was completely good or bad and that made everything much more interesting. Case in point is the so-called heroine of the story, Amora Montara. She has spent her whole life readying herself to follow in her father's footsteps and become the High Animancer. She is devoted to her people but also longs for adventure and wants to explore the other islands that make up the kingdom of Visidia. When the test to prove that she is fit to be the heir to her father's throne goes horribly wrong, she flees the island, looking for a way in which she can win back the peoples' trust and make a triumphant return.

She's a fiesty and headstrong character but has always listened to her father's guidance and done her best to make him proud. She has grown-up being taught about the magic she holds within her but as events start to unravel she discovers that there is more than one side to the story of the Montara's rise to power. She does a lot of questionable things in the book, not all of which I agreed with but I think that makes her seem so much more real and easier to identify with.

I also loved the character of Ferrick who she is reluctantly engaged to and who is a healer with the ability to do pretty cool things, such as regenerating body parts. Vataea is pretty awesome as well but Bastian, the pirate who Amora escapes with, was definitely my absolute favourite. I'm pretty obsessed with pirate books generally but Bastian and his ship the Keel Haul gave me everything that I long for in a good pirate book. There's some love/hate sparks between him and Amora going on throughout but the romance never swamps the rest of the story. It sizzles away in the background and then flares to life at particular moments in the book which may just have been among my favourite bits.

Adalyn Grace has done a terrific job of the world building. There's a handy guide in the beginning of the book to the kingdom of Visidia which I found helpful in keeping track of the different places that they visit throughout the story. Each one is more fascinating and magical than the next. I especially enjoyed their trip to Mornute, the island of enchantment magic but also Kerost, where the people have the ability to control time.

The ending was hugely intriguing and contained a great plot twist which sets things up nicely for the next book, 'All the Tides of Fate' which will be published in 2021.