This is one of those stories that creeps up on you, at first I felt emotionally detatched, musing more over the parallel of the way the children are sThis is one of those stories that creeps up on you, at first I felt emotionally detatched, musing more over the parallel of the way the children are seen and treated in San Cristólbal, and the way traveller people are treated in my own country, England.
But as the story progressed, as a supermarket was attacked by the mysterious children and the town descended into madness after they vanished, this story really started to become more emotional, the narrator seeing parallels between these feral children and the children he knew.
The ending was harrowing. It's made clear at the start of the book what the aftermath after a desperate attempt by locals was going to be, but seeing the events unfold as the children are found, those final few pages absolutely destroyed me....more
This book was so beautifully sad. The old man wandering the streets with his burial shroud to not inconvenience anyone, the casual destruction of a neThis book was so beautifully sad. The old man wandering the streets with his burial shroud to not inconvenience anyone, the casual destruction of a nearly hundred year old bookshop, the lives and history lost to progress.
This tells of a part of French history that they would likely we didn't know, which is their connection to Algeria during the Second World War, where Algierian men were called up to help fight, and were promised so much, and were given less than nothing in return.
While I was devastated by the story, I could see myself re-reading this, and I loved how the layers of diary entries and a modern POV worked together to paint a portrait of a man who just wanted to bring literature to the world. Oh, I'm crying again....more
I love what people are bringing to adult dystopia these days, and this story of two elderly sisters, living their moldering house and tending their gaI love what people are bringing to adult dystopia these days, and this story of two elderly sisters, living their moldering house and tending their garden, not knowing what, if anything, lies beyond the walls really appealed to me.
Evelyn and Lily are such different people, shaped by how they were each raised, and I found I understood them both, Eve for wanting to keep control of her surroundings and Lily for wanting to know what might lie beyond the walls.
While this was a little slow in the middle, the ending was devastatingly sad, and gave me, I felt, enough answers as the sister's lives are changed forever. I truly had to put the book down for a solid five minute crying session....more
The Goblin Market is one of my favourite stories, and I think it says a lot about my love of this series that when I realised this story would be baseThe Goblin Market is one of my favourite stories, and I think it says a lot about my love of this series that when I realised this story would be based on it, I wasn't remotely concerned that the author would do it justice. This is likely to be my favourite of the Wayward Children series, an emotional story of childhood friendships that completely broke my heart at the end of the book.
Lundy, at this point in the series, I had largely forgotten and had to re-read sections of the first book to refresh my memory. But after reading, she became my favourite character and I found her being torn between her world and the Goblin Market so interesting, as many other characters saw the world they fell into as solely home.
The concept of Fair Value, making sure what you trade for is truly fair, was so interesting to me, and something that will stick with me. It was the thing that brought Lundy, Moon and Mockery together, the thing that made them lose Mockery, and the thing that tore Lundy and Moon apart over and over. I desperately need Lundy to have a better ending. ...more
From an author whose family was affected by the Holocaust, this is a brutally emotional story of a young Jewish boy who escapes an Orphanage to find hFrom an author whose family was affected by the Holocaust, this is a brutally emotional story of a young Jewish boy who escapes an Orphanage to find his parents, not knowing of the atrocities happening in the world around him.
Despite a young protagonist, the story does not gloss over anything and following Felix, who started the story off so optimistic, so naive and full of hope for the goodness of people, slowly try to come to terms with seeing people slaughtered in front of him had me in tears by the end of this short novel. ...more
Set in 1937, a few years before the US joined the Second World War, this story of old Gods playing a game with two ordinary humans shows a country stiSet in 1937, a few years before the US joined the Second World War, this story of old Gods playing a game with two ordinary humans shows a country still feeling the effects of the Wall Street Crash, and is heavily steeped in racism and segregation.
Henry is white, living a privileged life in the household of his Father's friend, and Flora is Black, struggling day to day to keep her club running, and trying to follow her dreams of being a pilot. I thought that the brutality and racism Flora experienced were realistic, and never made palatable which I appreciated.
This story is so freaking sad, as Death constantly destroys everything that Henry and Flora work for, and I despaired at any hope of a happy ending. Interestingly though, I could never hate Death for being who they were, and I thought that Love was a great character to balance them out....more
I knew after reading the incredible Dreams Lie Beneath that there was a strong chance this story could be just as good, but I was not prepared for it I knew after reading the incredible Dreams Lie Beneath that there was a strong chance this story could be just as good, but I was not prepared for it being even better. Divine Rivals is an incredible fantasy romance, in a world that feels much like the First World War.
To everyday soldiers, it doesn't matter if the cause of the war is Gods or Humans, and this is shown brilliantly in this story of warring Gods, where the battlefield doesn't feel any different to the trenches of the World Wars that inspired it. This pulls us into the mud, blood and gore that the soldiers experienced, through the eyes of reporters Iris and Roman.
The romance is so, so good, and I love that the magic is kept fairly simple with the typewriters that can transfer messages in an instant. Iris finds herself accidentally writing to her rival, instead of her missing brother, and I loved that those letters helped create a bond between the two before Iris discovered who Carver really was. ...more
A coming of age story about two teen girls who are horror hosts of their own Public Access Channel, this story had it ups and downs as they started toA coming of age story about two teen girls who are horror hosts of their own Public Access Channel, this story had it ups and downs as they started to consider what they wanted for their futures, and the realisation that they were going to take different paths.
I really liked Rayne and Delilah, or Josie and Delia as they're known to their families. They're quirky, witty and a lot of fun, and I enjoyed Josie's journey finding love and emotionally maturing just as much as Delia's search for her Dad, and coming to terms with the feelings of being left behind.
I was looking forward to the horror convention, which became a turning point for Josie who realised this scene wasn't for her. However, the introduction of the incredibly annoying Jack Divine who so obviously was about to fleece them really dragged the story down in the middle for me.
Luckily, the last fourth was about them closing the show as a duo, and saying goodbye, and it was heartbreaking. I knew they were going to be fine and I was so proud of Jodie for choosing to move on, but I really needed a box of tissues trying to get through Delia opening the show for the first time by herself. Thankfully, I was reassured by the last few chapters that she was going to do great....more
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