Category Archives: Fiction

Review: Meg Caddy – Devil’s Ballast

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Devil’s Ballast
Meg Caddy

Anne Bonny ran away from her abusive husband at age 18, heading to the arms of pirate captain Calico Jack. But her husband is willing to pay to get her back, and the pirate hunter Barnet is willing to try. Will Anne be able to keep her life as her own? Or will she be forced back to land.

I love that Anne has her own personality. She’s not just a raw, rum-drinkin’ pirate, she’s got her own feelings and problems and baggage. It would have been easy to just make her a hard-headed heroine with no feelings or flaws, but instead we get a character with contradictions and reality. Anne’s life isn’t a daydream – she’s still got to fix the heads (toilets) and beat off the bullies, even if she is sleeping with the captain. She isn’t willing to compromise.

It’s amazing how much action fitted into this novel. Anne Bonny hardly has a dull moment, and when she does it’s right before she skids feet-first into a big mess of trouble. This novel even slightly explores the feelings of PTSD and having a child adopted away. I’m still feeling pumped about this novel, even a week after reading it. I gobbled it up in one sitting.

I’m not quite sure why this novel was called Devil’s Ballast, but it gave it an appropriately ‘piratey’ feel. I’m going to tag it in very lightly as Historical Fiction, because Anne Bonny WAS a real person. But this novel is written in such a way that it could have been complete fiction. Thus I wasn’t sure about Meg’s survival or anything else.

I picked this novel because I had previously really enjoyed this author’s debut work of Waer. I was not disappointed, even if the two novels have nothing in common. I’d recommend this novel for readers aged 13 and up, and I am giving it 4 stars. Well done, Meg Caddy. Keep writing!

Text Publishing | 7th May 2019 | AU$19.99 | paperback

Review: Ingrid Laguna – Songbird

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Songbird
Ingrid Laguna

Jamila has come to Australia from Iraq with her little brother and her Mama. Her English is no longer the best in her class – she’s the worst, and her Mama always needs her to come home to help her carry out daily tasks. Jamila is waiting for her Baba to come, but in the mean time can she fit in by joining choir and making a new friend?

This is a sweet little novel that will hopefully help primary school aged children understand how it can feel to be different in a new place. The character of Jamila could be slipped into by anyone at a new school, not just refugee children. I could empathise with Jamila wanting to make a good impression.

I loved how Jamila was able to stand up for herself, and that her hijab (which is usually the thing ‘picked on’ by other children in other novels) isn’t even a big deal for her. If anything, Jamila is a little more plucky than I would expect for someone her age – but I’m not going to complain about that. Her new friendship was a little too neat though (it’s always the new kids that stick together, right?).

I think this novel does a good job of being both age suitable but also exploring greater problems. Jamila and her Mama are lucky that there are great refugee services near them and that Jamila’s school is happy to help out. There are many people that don’t have these opportunities, or like Jamila’s Baba, are trapped in their old, unsafe country. Hopefully some of that uncertainty comes through to readers.

This novel is going to be suitable for younger readers, perhaps ages 10 and up. I read this novel very quickly, but it will take younger readers longer. I’m giving it 4 stars.

Text Publishing | 7th May 2019 | AU $14.99 | paperback

Review: PM Freestone – Shadowscent: The Darkest Bloom

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Shadowscent: The Darkest Bloom
PM Freestone

Rakel’s father is dying of the Rot, and Rakel knows there is only one way to save him – to use her sensitive sense of smell to gain a position as a perfumer. Instead she finds herself tricked and serving in the one place she cares nothing for – and suddenly faced with accusations of poisoning the crown prince. The only person who might be on her side has his own dark thoughts and wounds to hide…

While I initially thought that the magic was scent-based in the end it ended up being part of every place in society. I could easily accept that scents could do wonderful things and I could see the real-world basis of the author’s thoughts (people with memory loss can remember more things when they smell familiar scents, HIV/the Rot can’t be caught just by breathing the same air).

This is a ‘quest’ novel so don’t go looking for any character development. Rakel remains her impulsive self, and Ash remains elusive. I’d align it as being a newer ‘Deltora Quest’ – instead of pipe parts and jewels they are looking for scents.  Others have commented that they don’t want Rakel and Ash falling in love – and I can reassure you that that doesn’t SEEM to happen in this novel.

I would have been more than satisfied for this novel to be a stand-alone. And right up until the final chapter, it seemed like it was! Some elements hinted that there could be more, but it wasn’t guaranteed. Basically I felt cheated. I wanted to just sit down and enjoy a novel without having to hold its suspense in my head for a long time afterwards and chew it over for the next year!

Again, I am certain that I have read another novel with this premise, but for the life of me I can’t remember. I’m pretty sure the main character had the brilliant nose, but used it to both harm and heal. Does anyone remember?

I’ll tuck this neatly into teenage fiction and recommend it for reader who enjoy plot based stories that don’t require very much thought or expect very much of the reader. I’ll give it 4 stars to be generous. I’d read the other books in this series, but I’m not sure I would seek out the author’s other works.

Scholastic | 1st May 2019 | AU$16.99 | paperback

Review: Helena Fox – how it feels to float

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how it feels to float
Helena Fox

Biz has her Posse, her mum, her siblings, her best friend and her dad. She doesn’t share her thoughts with anyone. But how can she process her feelings of kissing her best friend or noticing the new boy? Biz floats, not letting anything in – but that means that she’s adrift with no anchor.

How does one little book pack so much in? It approached mental illness, uncertain sexuality, physical disabilities, single parents and adopted grandmothers. Oh, and siblings and hobbies and FEELINGS. I had high hopes for this novel just from the pretty cover and the blurb. The blurb resonated with me without me even realizing why.

It’s so hard to review this novel without giving things away. There are so many things the reader assumes at the beginning that turn out not to be true. It’s not simple or clean, it’s messy and dark and confusing. Go into this with expectations of brilliance, but don’t assume anything about the plot.

My one teensy complaint was the use of photography (and SLR film cameras) to once again allow the protagonist to ‘express herself’. What redeemed this common expression media was the way that Biz started having her photographs talk to her and show her dad in them. Now that’s a nice way to show character development/progression!

Normally I would also complain about the writing style being a bit of stream of consciousness and too flowery, but somehow it worked. I sunk into Biz’s consciousness and didn’t come out for another 372 pages. I kept telling myself I’d take a break after this next chapter… and the next one… I could not put this novel down, and once I finished it, I really wanted to read it again.

I’m lending this novel to a friend who needs this in her life right now, But then I’m going to get it back, and read it again. This is a staggeringly good debut by Helena Fox, and I can’t wait to read what she publishes next. I can’t thank Pan Macmillan enough for sending me this to review. Why are you still reading my review? Go out there and buy a copy. You won’t regret it.

Pan Macmillan | 23rd April 2019 | AU$17.99 | paperback

Review: Orlagh Collins – All the Invisible Things

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All the Invisible Things
Orlagh Collins

It’s time for Vetty to move back to London, 4 years after her mother’s death. Living in her childhood home is difficult, but what is worse is no longer seeing eye to eye with Pez, her best friend. Have Pez and Vetty changed too much to be friends anymore? And can Vetty be honest with herself and everyone else about who she likes?

What I really liked about this novel was that the main character wasn’t automatically understood by everyone around her. Nor did she automatically know whether to shave or how to behave with other teenagers. Being a teenager is all about not knowing yourself yet and having to experiment and experience life, and Vetty gives a window into that world. Collins does a fantastic job of communicating Vetty’s insecurities in a way that still lets her be a person.

Despite Vetty’s mother dying, Vetty isn’t too put upon by her dad in terms of having to look after her little sister. I found their interactions to be strangely touching and very realistic. Discussing safe sex with your little sister isn’t really something many teenagers look forward to! I did expect more in terms of grieving from Vetty though. Losing a parent is a major life trauma.

Hmm, I’m not sure about the title of this one. What invisible things are we talking about? I tend to think of invisible things as imaginary things such as fairy tales and fantasies. You won’t find those here. I guess the secondary story line with Pez’s addiction is a hidden and private problem? I’ve not yet come across a fiction with this particular addiction, so there’s something new on offer here with that too.

I can’t believe the final school year subjects these UK kids can choose! Photography and History? Not a trace of math or simple English? Only three subjects. And it appears to be a bit optional whether you do it or not. I complain about the Australian system, but I guess at least we get a few more well rounded students.

This novel ended too soon for me. I felt so-so about No Filter (3 stars due to its luckluster romance), but this one looked promising. Indeed, I really enjoyed it. Complicated story line with multiple plot points and an actual fear of someone dying or something really bad happening? Tick. 4 stars from me, and I’d consider a reread (except Beautiful Broken Things gets first dibs).

Bloomsbury | 1st April 2019 | AU$14.99 | paperback

Review: Matthew Reilly – The Secret Runners of New York (K)

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The Secret Runners of New York
Matthew Reilly

It can be extremely challenging to join the cliques of the upper echelon of society, but once you do, a whole new world awaits. When Skye Rogers befriends Misty Collins, she is invited into an exclusive group, with secret access to a portal into the future. As friendships fall apart, and the future shown by the portal is discovered, their games turn from fun to terrifying.

The book started off slowly but picked up the pace over time. The plot was intriguing and executed very well. While there was a time-travelling portal, the book didn’t revolve around it, instead focusing on the behaviour and personalities of the characters, using the portal to help achieve that end. This made the book feel much more layered and complex than a simple story about some kids having fun travelling through time. The book was very immersive, and once I had gotten past the slow beginning, I was hooked.

The end of the book was absolutely wonderful! I was worried that somehow the characters would magic everything into perfection, and it’d be like the catastrophe talked through the whole book never happened, but instead the author managed to make an ending that tied up loose ends, was satisfying in not having all the characters die, and clearly changed the lives of the characters drastically.

I definitely felt that the beginning of the book was a let-down compared to the rest. The relationship between the main character and her brother Red wasn’t really shown, but rather we were told about how close the two were. The references to movies and games also felt a bit strange to include in a book. I had to google one of the references they talked about (which broke the continuity for me a little), and some of the others felt outdated.

This was a really good book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I wouldn’t recommend it for younger readers, especially if they are easily spooked, but I found it a solid book and will probably read it again, which is why I’m giving this book 4 stars.

Pan Macmillan | 26th March 2019 | AU$16.99 | paperback

Review: Brad Parks – Closer Than You Know

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Closer Than You Know
Brad Parks

Melanie aged out of the Foster Care system and is determined to never be like her parents for her own son. When she arrives to pick up her son from childcare, she finds herself being reported and jailed for domestic disturbance and an unknown drug charge. In the pages that follow, Melanie cannot defend her innocence,

This novel is told from the perspectives of Melanie (the accused ‘Drug Mom’) and Amy (the prosecutor), with interjections from the whispering rapist. The perspectives felt noticeably different while I was reading them, and their interactions felt real. I would have liked to be able to identify the rapist myself, as in other novels (Before Your Eyes), but that is a minor complaint. I could feel Melanie’s anguish at the same time as I saw things from Amy’s frustrated perspective.

I didn’t pick up this novel for almost a year because I thought it would be focused on the problems with the Foster Care system. Instead, despite the blurb, I found this to be a fast-paced thriller, even if it wasn’t totally psychological – it was more about how some disasters can’t be prevented, and that sometimes you just have to trust other people to have your back. I also learnt an interesting fact that prisons will let you keep your underwear (at least in Virginia), so if you’re going to be arrested, make sure you are wearing plenty of pairs so that you can use your own underwear. YMMV (pun intended)

When I was 3/4 of my way into this novel, I thought to myself that the ending would either make or break it. Thankfully the ending was really quite satisfactory, if not quite creepy enough for me. I felt that the ending really wrapped up a bit too quickly for me, as I wanted a little more information about Marcus (ew). How did the reader not see that coming? Or was it just me in the dark… 4 stars from me.

Allen & Unwin | 28th March 2018 | AU$29.99 | paperback

Review: Samantha Shannon – The Priory of the Orange Tree

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The Priory of the Orange Tree
Samantha Shannon

The Nameless One has been trapped for nearly 1000 years, but slowly its minions are being freed of their bonds and North/South/East/West are all threatened once again. What is it that is keeping the Nameless One at bay? Is it the unbroken line of Queens in Virtuedom or some magery performed in the past?

I was excited for this novel because I hadn’t read a good adult fantasy in quite a while and anything with dragons is bound to take my fancy. Sadly, the dragons (wyverns) were on the evil side of things most of the time, and the good dragon riders hardly figured in the picture with their dragons. It was inevitable that the Nameless One would be freed – everything was just a quibble about how long it would take and who would be responsible for its death.

I initially struggled to keep track of the characters because the perspectives swapped each chapter before I could really get settled into them. As I warmed up to the novel, I loved Ead for her plucky determination, and her patience. However, I felt no fear for the characters’ lives. Either I didn’t like them (Roos) or I knew they’d come out the end ok because they were too important to lose (Ead and Tane).

For me this is a prime airport / long travel read. There’s no frustration for not having the next book and it’s long enough to really get settled into. I’m only giving it 3 stars because the action was too slow, and in my opinion, very predictable. I’m not going to link to my embarrassing old review for Kushiel’s Dart, but that was an epic fantasy worthy of the title.

Bloomsbury | 26th February 2019 | AU$32.99 | paperback

Review: Hayley Barker – Show Stopper

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Show Stopper
Hayley Barker

Ben lives a Pure life guarded by security and filled with food and comfort. He never wants for anything – except to be allowed to see the Circus. Hoshiko is the tightrope walker of the circus – a Dreg not worthy of food and just waiting to be killed. When Ben saves Hoshiko from death they find themselves walking the tightrope together – can they both make it out from the deadly circus alive?

The blurb on this one is actually inaccurate. The Dregs living in poverty do not get the opportunity to sell their children – their children are just ripped away from them if they are ‘selected’. What I would have liked to see more of was the slums and how bad they actually are. Or, just Pure life and what it looks like normally. To me, this is just another dystopian future society with problems, there isn’t anything particularly neat about it. I found it hard to believe in the insta-love between Ben and Hoshiko. I also find it difficult to believe in the things that the 6 year old Greta can accomplish by herself. I get that she is really grownup from her terrible circumstances, but realistically she wouldn’t be able to grasp all of those concepts.

This is the age old theme of us vs them. We get the perspectives of both the Cat and Ben, the Dreg and the Pure. This will remind some readers of Red Queen or Tarnished City and similar novels. What this novel brings to the table is just simple horribleness without magic as an excuse. The author says that she was inspired by the opinions of the English against immigrants, and I have to say it’s one of the few issues that makes me really upset. Asylum seekers didn’t risk their lives on a rickety boat because life back home was good!

I warmed up to the characters and settled in, and I was mainly satisfied by the ending. I am not going to avidly hunt down the next novel in this duology though because I just didn’t feel strongly enough about anything. I’d rather reread Disruption. I put off reading Show Stopper for more than a !year! because it looked ok, but not fascinating. The blurb didn’t grab me. I’m giving this novel 3 stars.

Scholastic | 1st October 2017 | AU$16.99 | paperback

Review: Clare Strahan – The Learning Curves of Vanessa Partridge

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The Learning Curves of Vanessa Partridge
Clare Strahan

Vanessa loves playing her cello and working hard at school to please her father. Her mother is unreachable – but at least she has her older brother for company. But she’s having fantasies about Dar, the guy she’s known for ages. Can Vanessa reconcile being a ‘good girl’ with wanting to grow up?

This is a sex-positive novel that doesn’t shy away from the fact that young women feel like sex just as much as young men are often depicted as doing so! It’s ok for Vanessa to feel like having sex, and it’s ok for her to have feelings for someone and touch herself. I think that this should probably be categorized as a young adult novel, but honestly teenagers the age of Vanessa (15 years) are probably going to be having similar feelings.

One of the best things about this novel was that it is set over summer, so it doesn’t make a huge difference as to what the country is of the person reading it. One thing that irritated me about this book (and it was quite minor, really) was that sometimes Vanessa would say things, and then would clarify that she didn’t actually say them! I wanted to shout at her to say the real things she was feeling! But the fact that she didn’t say them made her a more believable and honest character.

This don’t just have themes of teenage sex, it does also look at environmental activists and divorce. Yet the author doesn’t seem to be tackling too many themes at once – I don’t think I could have dealt with Vanessa having social anxiety or something else as well – her life is complicated enough as it is. This is a protagonist that some of the minorities can empathise with, even if her family is rich enough to have a mansion!

I received this novel for review a long time ago, and read my ARC as soon as it came in the door. Then I neglected to review it. So I read it again! And I’m giving it 4 stars the second time. I think it’s a really valuable and powerful novel that should be bought for secondary schools and teenagers worldwide.

Allen & Unwin | 24th April 2018 | AU$19.99 | paperback