Review: Alice Pung – Laurinda

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Laurinda
Alice Pung

Linh Lucy Lam has never seen herself as a bright scholar, but she persists in trying to please her parents. After ‘beating’ the local Asian genius to get a place at a private high school, Lucy finds herself being torn apart by who she think she is, and who she might become.

22603951I listened to this as a talking book, and I have to say the reader was pretty amazing! Even my partner enjoyed listening to it. That being said though, that was what kept me listening, not the story itself. What was the point of this novel? Why would I care about Lucy? I cared about her little brother Lamb-ey more than anything else.

What I didn’t understand for the majority of the novel was who ‘Linh’ that Lucy was writing to was. I think, and I may be wrong, is that Linh is Lucy, but her true Asian (somewhat bogan) self. I couldn’t understand why Linh would leave if she was a real person. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

Lucy is super self-aware, and she’s aware of how stupid adults are. We see through her eyes what rich people are like – the question is whether this really how they are? I don’t know enough private schools to tell you. Bullying at high schools is normal, there’s even bullying of teachers, although perhaps not as dramatic as a tampon to the forehead… I certainly remember our public high school class evicting one poor teacher who we viewed as incompetent.

I don’t think I was satisfied by the ending. Yes Lucy managed to overcome things and become more of herself, but I wasn’t enthralled with her ‘amazing’ speech at the end. It all seemed too neat. Neat. Yes. That’s what this novel was in a nut shell. For all that it was exposing and trying to highlight the interesting nuances of multicultural Australia, it sometimes seemed to dig itself too deep a hole – then just fill it in with one well-placed sentence.

I’ll be giving this 3 stars. There are better novels out there, but if you want something easy to listen to that doesn’t require any thinking (or a light teenage novel), this one could fit the bill.

3star

Review: Alexandra Bogdanovic – Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey

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Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey
Alexandra Bogdanovic

Alex is a jilted, divorced wife. But what should make this novel different from the norm is that she got divorced because the man she loved was a trans-woman. Honestly, I don’t think the book hit all the right things in order to make this something special like it could have been.

17058464Poor, poor Alex. Dating a man for 10 years, and then suddenly finding out that he is a woman. But the person Adam was on the inside was the same, surely. Yes, he now won’t have a penis, but is sex with that all you were interested in? It frustrated me that Alex couldn’t even give Audrey the chance to explain. If anyone needed therapy, Alex certainly could have used some.

The majority of the text in this novel is devoted to talking about how Audrey and Alex met. And then about horse shows. And then about shopping to fix her feelings. And cats. And very little that was unique. It just sounded like a pity party. And hanging out with her buddies, the cops. Who cares who they were? They’re just your friends, and putting them in the novel didn’t really serve any purpose.

What didn’t come through to me was the ‘special nature’ of their divorce. It seemed like any other divorce, and why would complaining about your husband becoming a woman be a special complaint to knock down other people’s relationship woes?

Ok, so Audrey is portrayed as a grasping, lying pig. The author says that Audrey refused to cooperate with helping write the novel, and that the author didn’t want Audrey getting her grubby hands on any money from it. I think that Audrey may have been given the short shift. Why would she want to revisit her old life? Did it ever occur to the author that Audrey might have been able to move on?

The final thing that broke it for me was the fact that Alex couldn’t get Audrey’s pronouns right. As a friend to a trans-person, and sometimes making mistakes when referring to the past, then some excuses are ok. But really, she should be able to remember the correct pronouns, its simply just polite. Even if you now hate the person involved.

I was so disappointed in this novel. I had requested a copy to review, based on the hype on Twitter, but it didn’t live up to expectations. 2 begrudging stars from me, because I did manage to finish it. I so wish it had added more to queer literature like it had the potential to. It’s not as unique as it is billed to be.

2star

Review: Gayle Forman – I was Here

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I was Here
Gayle Forman

When Meg committed suicide, her best friend Cody cursed herself for not seeing it coming and not being there for Meg. As Cody digs deeper, wanting to expose why Meg did it, she finds herself chasing down the rabbit hole at someone else’s expense.

18879761I picked this up as a talking book, expecting it to be a wonderful novel about exposing why someone would want to commit suicide. Instead I found a messed up, self-centred teenage girl who was more filled with regrets than anything else.

This novel just felt too… convenient. Girl meets boy, girl blames boy, girl gets together with boy, boy screws things up with girl, girl and boy both grump, girl and boy get together happily ever after. I was disgusted with her. Ugh! Didn’t Cody learn anything?

No no, Cody hadn’t learnt anything. Anywhere. She chases things single-mindedly, at the cost to other people, and then bails! And for her, lies and promises might as well be the same thing. I was disgusted at her. She was so bloody clueless. Depression might have a stigma about it, but seriously, get a grip!

I listened to what felt like hours of this without making any progress. The ‘action’ only really happened in the 2nd last hour, and by that stage I was only still listening because I was hoping for a redemptive ending. Failure! No redemptive ending.

The author says that this was based on some interviews she did with some suicide survivor families. There was so much more she could have done with this novel that she didn’t. Creating a happy ending didn’t make me satisfied about the amount of time I had invested in Cody doing the right things.

2 stars. I finished it begrudgingly. Don’t read it. Read Hold Still, Suicide Notes or my personal favourite, The Last Time We Say Goodbye. That last one left me wanting more, and I wanted to listen to it all the time.

2star

Review: Catherine Jinks – Theophilus Grey and the Demon Thief

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Theophilus Grey and the Demon Thief
Catherine Jinks

Philo runs a tight-nit team of link-boys whose role is to guide Londoners home in the dark. Their secondary goal is to collect information about all of the people of importance – and carry it home to their master for rewards. When thieves start dropping senseless to the ground, Philo can’t seem to get any information about it. What appears to be a simple argument between rival groups gets more complicated the more Philo thinks about it.

Philo and the boy26700148s are unique. Philo seems a very alert kid, yet unworldly in his own way. He’s far to used to taking orders! But you do see his character develop in the novel, and that’s a big thing for me. I can see the other link-boys getting more time in the sequel. They’re easy to remember the differences between them, which is important for someone like me who forgets names.

This novel twists and turns just like the streets of London. Just as you think you’ve worked out who the culprit is, the amount of information you have changes, and you are forced to reevaluate the whole situation. You feel with Philo when things go wrong, and you match his confusion with your own. I got right inside the character.

I’ve never been to London, but I have read a series of novels about being in London. Olden London somehow seems more interesting than current London to me! This noel effortlessly puts you into Philo’s shoes, and opens your eyes to the everyday life of Georgian Londoners.

There is plenty of room left open for a sequel, but at that same time I was entirely satisfied with the story. I finished it in a brief gasp, and hated that I had gulped it so quickly! The story was just so compelling towards the end that I had to keep reading.

I’ve given this a very generous 5 stars. I realise that I’m heading out of the target age zone for this novel, and so its entertainment value for me is potentially less than it was before. But it was a brilliant novel that I would suggest reading again.

5star

Thanks to Allen & Unwin for providing me with a complimentary review copy of this novel.

Review: Garth Nix – Newt’s Emerald

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Newt’s Emerald
Garth Nix

The family emerald has been stolen, and Lady Truthful’s best friends have been implicated. Lady Truthful sets out on a quest to find it, and in the mean time, perhaps find someone to steal her heart.

24737347I expected more from Garth Nix. This is too light a novel, with a protagonist who seemed weak and unlikeable. Lady Truthful is a sucker. She’s naive, and doesn’t even make an attempt to hide that. Her aunt isn’t much better. The whole thing left me wanting. Just for substance, for anything.

Ugh. This is a romance, an unconvincing girl-to-boy in disguise novel. Masquerade ball? Overdone and typical for the enemy to appear at that time. Enemy disguised as someone you trust? Tick. Being exposed as a woman in front of a shipload of men? Tick. Believe me, I’m not giving anything away here. You’ll see it coming from a mile away.

I know I should make some more comments on the structure of the novel, the world-building, the character development. Honestly though, I just can’t find enough to like about it to make those informed comments. I shouldn’t need to talk about them, the book should be speaking for itself.

I give this 3 begrudging stars. If I didn’t already know the work of Garth Nix, then it would be 3. I am tempted to give it less, but that’s just because I know his work can be so so much better.3star

Thanks to Allen & Unwin for providing me with a complimentary review copy.

Review: Richard Gardner – Righteous Release

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Richard Gardner
Righteous Release

David Chambers is part of a religious sect – one that is so closed minded that eating with non-followers is anathema, and planning your own life is secondary to helping the others of your church. When he finds himself engaged to a woman he can never love, he decides to head into the wild world and try his luck there.

25042667I confess: I read this novel, and didn’t know how I felt about it. So I just kept putting off my review, and putting it off, and then, damn. I seem to have forgotten most of the points I had thought of about why I liked it, and yet couldn’t give it any less than about 3 stars.

The ending, the ending! Arg! Perhaps the ending is what left me feeling so confused about this novel. I didn’t understand how his loyalties could shift so rapidly. As shallow as it may sound, it was only a woman!

And his friend Rachael? I couldn’t understand how she could settle for it. Perhaps for her (despite seeming to have a questioning mind which to me meant that she would never be happy in such an enclosed environment), having children and a secure life was the most important thing. Which to me, would never be good enough. I need something more in life (but we all know that I think differently to other folks).

The balancing act between the characters and the intertwined plots could have been used to more effect. I found some of the writing clunky and difficult to read, and it did interfere with my enjoyment of the novel (and my ability to read it in a single sitting – I read it over a couple of weeks, interspersed with other novels). For a debut novel though, taking in such a broad and contentious topic, it was fantastic.

I think I’d recommend this novel to read, but only if you can suspend your disbelief that some people can be so damn stupid!

 

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Review: N.R. Bates – The Fall of Icarus

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The Fall of Icarus
N.R. Bates

I got this very thin paperback as part of ‘The Sharp Edge of Lightning‘ blog tour. I’m sorry to say that I delved into this one first, thinking that it would be painless and give me a good insight into the author’s style. Instead, I got concerned about the other novel I was supposed to be reviewing.

25357738Each of the short stories (there are three) has an interesting premise, although I enjoyed the the explanation about the original story of Icarus the best. The elevator was quite inspired. But like many other short stories, it left me wanting for what it really meant, or the enjoyment of it. I didn’t start reading them in order to have an active role in interpreting how it reflects a conversation on society, I did it because I thought they were light fiction!

This is a very short review, which is usually what happens when I leave a review hanging around to write for a couple of months, and also when it is a set of short stories. There are other things out there to read if you like thought-provoking short stories, I’d even suggest Peter Carey. Perhaps I should just stop volunteering to read short stories in general…

2star

Review: Josef – Fifty Shades of Truth

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Fifty Shades of Truth
Josef

Josef is drawn to the more unusual sides of sex work. He likes to be dominated and dominating, he experiments with all things. This novel is 18+. Continue reading →

Review: Juliet Marillier – Tower of Thorns

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Tower of Thorns
Juliet Marillier

Blackthorn and Grim live together in peace and quiet, waiting out the 7 years of Blackthorn’s contract with the Fey folk. While things seem to be travelling as smoothly as they can, there are always bumps. When Blackthorn is faced with a new challenge, the two will need to keep the lines of communication open – but fail in interesting ways.

22567177I saw this book being opened by its author on Facebook, and thought it was too late to request a review copy! Never fear though, I sent an email to my trusty representative, who sent me a proof copy within 2 days. It may not have looked fabulous, but the story was a strong one.

I had forgotten about how the perspectives change between the characters – and how effortless Marillier makes it seem. The character voices are so distinct that you can’t possibly get confused. This holds true both when the character is the point-of-view, or when they are just appearing in the text. Additionally there is a storytelling section running through this novel that was just as distinct.

The world is as lush and vivid as in other works. I could literally see the tower rising from the tower, and see the storytelling playing out (it’ll make more sense once you read it). Drool. I could see the monastery being built, and also the one in Grim’s memories.

There are some twists in this that I truly didn’t expect. I mean, I read the blurb, noted that things might not be as they seem, and then got on with reading it! In fact, I found myself half-way through and just wondering what was going on. Why aren’t they communicating? How can they been so selfish?

There’s nothing like a little creeping hint of malice to string through a novel when the main points are developing. Just like in the first novel of this series, Blackthorn’s past is constantly chasing her. And in this one, Grim’s catches up to him.

Something that I really appreciate about this novel is the unflinching reality of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how that might manifest in a fantasy world. I’m not certain I have ever read another novel that deals with it in the same way. It’s certainly compassionate, but also realistic.

5 stars from me (did you really expect anything else??). Get out there and buy it. I’m hoping that an audio copy will eventually come my way, and I can share this novel with my non-paperback reading partner.

5star

Thanks to the lovely folks at Pan Macmillan for sending me this copy for review.

Review: Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan & Deborah Biancotti – Zeroes

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Zeroes
Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan & Deborah Biancotti

Scam’s voice can say whatever he needs it to – whether to pick up a hot girl or to get himself a lift home. He never really knows what the voice says though, and it tends to get him into trouble if he isn’t specific enough about what he wants. When he ends up running from druggies and ends up with the police, he needs some of his old Zero friends to get him out. What he’s started is more messy than he imagined.

24756394The blurb on this novel simply doesn’t do it justice! Don’t read the blurb, just do what I tell you and go buy it to read right now. It’s action packed, and yet still manages to get some character development going, and swaps perspectives all the time, but I still loved it!

I hated Glorious Leader. Hate, hate, hated. He was drunk on power from the beginning! I can understand why he wants to be the leader, it’s his job, and I can understand why his power is so tempting, but ugh. As a person, I’m really disappointed in his -rich- parents and the way they must have brought him up. Or perhaps he has always been this way. You don’t get enough backstory about him to come to any conclusions for yourself.

The passing references to school, mainly from Kelsie’s perspective, made me wonder how long they had been a group of Zeroes. We know that Scam’s voice has made a mess of things, but only because someone else goaded him into it.  Scam’s power seems the more personally dangerous, and other powers more passive, but everyone knows it takes a mix of powers for things to work.

I can’t believe that the timeline of this is one week. Most novels couldn’t imagine packing in so much action into a month and still have the characters surprisingly well alive at the end of it! This novel doesn’t let you put it down, and it made me read it until I was sunburnt.

 

I couldn’t believe it when this novel finished! I needed more! I want more from this series right, right, right now. I found myself thinking that a book this good with a premise this interesting must just be a standalone, but no! It’s in a ‘thrilling new series’. I don’t think I can wait another whole year for the next one. 5 stars from me.

Of these three authors, I’ve only ever read Scott Westerfeld, and that last novel was ages ago – read my Afterworlds review here. I wish I had more reading time to devote to those other greats, because a book this good isn’t just created by one genius write with two tag-alongs. I fully expect their individuals works to be fantastic.

 

5starThis book was sadly late to me because my mailing address with Allen and Unwin was wrong. But thanks so much to the rep that resent it to me anyway!