Hollow Pike by James Dawson
Just finished reading James Dawson’s Hollow Pike. This is the story of Lis who at the start of the novel is moving away from her home in Wales to live with her sister Sarah in Yorkshire. A move brought on by the need to escape the bullying which she has been subjected to at her former school and also in the hope that the bad dreams she has been experiencing will stop if her location and life change. And, so we’re introduced to Hollow Pike which is rife with history and superstition, primarily surrounding the history of the persecution of witches in foregone eras.
As soon as Lis arrives at Hollow Pike she can’t help but feel strangely about it. A feeling of being watched, shadows in corners, trees that appear to reach out to her and crows that follow her movements. Also, as soon as Lis arrives her nightmares take a different turn and seem to become even worse but she’s enrolled at a new school and hoping for a fresh start. On the first day Lis is taken in by the popular girls and becomes a reluctant member of the local mean girls clan. She has mixed feelings, should she stay safe within the confines of this group – who seem to be feared by the rest of the school or should she befriend the school ‘strange’ clan who she feels a strong pull towards. Eventually Lis makes the decision that she’d rather stick to her guns and make friends with people who she enjoys spending time with rather than be a lesser member of the queen bees club – a decision that will ultimately make her rather unpopular with said queen bees.
I really enjoyed this book. It put me in mind of a number of other stories and I suppose the comparison to Scream/Heathers/Mean Girls is inevitable but for me personally I enjoyed the fun element and Lis and her friends put me more in mind of Daphne and Co from Scooby Do. I almost expected at the end for one of the villains to come out with the ‘if it hadn’t been for these pesky kids’ line!
In terms of characters I thought there was a good mix. Laura undoubtedly makes a nasty little character – although this didn’t make me dislike her enough to think her eventual demise was warranted and Delilah, Kitty and Jack make a cool little outcast gang. I thought the setting was good with the creepy copse and the little village with its limited options for entertainment and run down and mottley selection of shops. I also thought that the author did a really good job of portraying student life and putting across the bullying that affects so many students. We see Lis eventually developing and actually, with the support of her new friends, starting to stand up for herself.
The story takes on a more horrifying note when Laura is murdered and the feel then becomes much more creepy and sinister reaching a dramatic finale.
Now, this isn’t a criticism, but, if you’re expecting a book about witchcraft and spookiness then this isn’t going to be the one for you. It’s not really about that, it’s more about superstitions and fear of the unknown. Okay, there’s Lis’s dreams but lets face it dreams don’t really make you a witch after all – otherwise where’s my broomstick and eye of newt? I liked the fact that this book didn’t go all ‘cooking up strange portions and learning how to fly’. It felt more modern with a bit of a twist and a look at people’s fears and how they get the better of them. A little bit of intuition doesn’t after all mean you’re a raging old crone running around putting a hex on every second person you meet and cursing the general populace.
On the whole I thought this was a really good bit of escapism that briefly touches on the supernatural but only in the most subtle way. A good debut novel that for me felt more about new beginnings.
Hollow Pike
The Circle by Sara B Elfgren & Mats Strandberg
Just finished reading The Circle by Sara B Elfgren and Mats Strandberg.
The Circle is the first in a trilogy. It starts out fairly quickly and brings together six girls, under a red moon. They’ve come together in spite of themselves, they certainly aren’t friends and they’re about to discover that they have each been gifted with strange abilities and are to be bound together by an ancient power, one which they must master in order to survive. More importantly, they need to come together and help each other in their forthcoming struggles, a task which won’t be easy considering the way that some of these girls feel about each other.
The story starts out in high school where one of the students has just committed suicide. Or at least that’s how it appears. We are then introduced to the different characters who make up the story and a little bit of each of their personalities is revealed before they finally meet on the night where their new-found talents are revealed. Basically the girls are witches and not only that they are ‘chosen ones’. Part of a strange prophecy predicted to help save the world. Witches exist the world over but very little is really known about them as most the information relating to them is regulated, manipulated or deleted entirely in order to feed incorrect ideas. They are controlled by a body called ‘The Council’ who forbid certain activities such as revealing themselves to regular humans. Basically something evil is taking place and is predominantly focused at the school and the girls have no idea when one of them might be targeted next by whatever evil lurks there. Eventually they manage to put some of their own prejudices aside to come together and practice their skills but they have very little knowledge or guidance and they’re really stumbling around in the dark waiting to be picked off one by one.
So, obviously we have quite a mix of characters here. At first I had a bit of a puzzle keeping all the different names together with their own personalities. But, eventually it all comes together and you start to gain a picture of each of the girls. The girls range from the school bitch to the emo chick – sorry to categorise them in such a way but that’s sort of the truth of this situation. We run the extremes between the ‘popular’ girl and the ‘book geek’. We take a bit of a look at bullying, eating disorders, alchohol use and teenage sex. Looking at the characters involved I wouldn’t particularly say that any of them are happy or content, and even where you would think there would be a general feeling of happiness for a particular girl there is instead insecurity. I liked the way that the book wasn’t rushed and this also give a bit more of a chance for some stronger character building and a bit of an insight into each girl’s home/family life and how it impacts on them in totally different ways.
In terms of setting, well it felt very generic. Frankly, you could be in any high school anywhere but I guess this makes the book easier for the reader to relate to or more to the point it allows the reader just to pick it up and assume it’s something they’re familiar with which also diminishes the need for lengthy explanations or overly detailed descriptions. I suppose the only real difference is the climate, but again, that didn’t impact too much on what takes place.
Criticisms – well, this isn’t a short book, 600 pages or thereabouts. I don’t mind lengthy books but if I’m going to be honest this did feel as though it could have been shortened – I think if it had been shortened somewhat it might have been a little more punchy. The other thing for me was that, despite the number of characters involved I didn’t particularly find myself strongly caring for any one of them – well, I probably liked one more than the rest but I didn’t feel like I really had any anxiety about any of them and even when something bad happened I didn’t feel overwhelmingly sad about it. And, the plot, it feels a little bit thin – again, I think reducing the size of the book may have assisted with this.
On the whole, though, I thought this was a good book. I can imagine that it will be well received by the audience which it is intended for and although I’m certainly not the target market I will pick up book number 2.
The CircleBefore I Go To Sleep
Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson
3 June 2012
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Before I go to sleep, Psychological thriller, S J Watson
Just finished reading Before I Go to Sleep. This is a psychological thriller about Christine. Christine suffers a rare form of amnesia where every day she awakes with no recollection of the previous day’s events. Years have passed and yet each day she wakes up she thinks she’s in her twenties, not her forties. She doesn’t know the person lying next to her in bed, she doesn’t know where she lives, what the year is or… well… you get it!
Now, this is a difficult story to talk about without giving away too much and really that would just be wrong. This story is just so much more rewarding with the slow reveal. I really enjoyed this book though. I wanted to read it a long time ago but then, as is sometimes the case, the urge sort of ebbed, new books appeared and they also appealed and at the end of the day you can only add so many books. Then, the other day my friend brought this book for me to read. She said it was compelling and that I wouldn’t be able to put it down and frankly she was right.
This is a great premise. It’s a little bit horrifying to read about. You just don’t realise how BIG a thing your memory really is. You totally take it for granted. It’s just there. But it makes you who you are. I mean, I can’t even listen to a song without thinking back to a specific memory. Imagine waking up and thinking you’re twenty years younger – the irony of it – we all say ‘oh, I’m forty but I still feel like a teenager but she’s forty but literally her mind is that of a teenager. She hasn’t moved forward and every day she wakes up thinking she’s a young woman. She wakes up and finds she has sagging skin and wrinkles. Her whole history has to be relayed to her every day. It’s really something to read about. I was fascinated and scared at the same time. I feel like walking around with a hard hat on just to avoid any bumps to the noggin! On top of that, how can you trust anyone? Everything you do you’re relying on someone else. You’re so vulnerable. Anyway, enough of that.
Yes, I thought it was great that the author made me think all those things. I looked at my family and all the wealth of memories we have together, good and bad, and tried to imagine all that gone. I guess you wouldn’t hold any grudges, argument with your husband, forgotten the next day, kids not cleaning up, forgotten the next day, naffed off with someone in work, etc, etc. So, back to Christine, the only way she can have memories any more is to write things down and reread it each day. Again, this is a great idea. Okay, she has to write down everything before she forgets, and she has to be reminded daily that she has a journal so that she even goes and reads it, but this whole idea is brilliant to read about. These are now her memories.
Of course there is repetition but frankly I don’t see how you could avoid it in this novel. I suppose you could just say ‘this is Christine’s typical day – I’ve outlined it once, now ditto that for the rest of the novel’ but I don’t think that approach works here. You’re not just trying to get rid of dull repetition, like a person’s regular routines, you need to see what it’s like for Christine EVERY day. It’s just too bad if a bit of that might become repetitious for the reader – imagine how Christine feels. And, that there is the whole point.
Now, on top of that, things start to develop, because Christine is keeping a journal and so she’s more aware of things. She starts to ask more questions and things start to take a different turn. And, there comes the other part of the novel that I really like. I pretty much had my own idea of what was going on in this book but the author makes you constantly turn around and think you’re wrong. Just like Christine. I mean, I didn’t suffer the same kind of doubt as she did and she was definitely burdened with a huge amount of paranoia on top – which is easy to understand – but you can’t help reading and having an opinion, then thinking you’re wrong, then thinking you’re right, then thinking maybe not.
If I have any criticisms, I think they would be minor. A bit of repetition – but I thought that was necessary. I felt that there were actually a couple of times where I was reading and Christine seemed to be remembering too much – but then I guess she was reading her journal daily – and, I think that was a little bit of the author trying to dispel going over the same ground too much. I think the only thing I could say is that at the very start it took me a few pages to be sucked in and it’s certainly not cheery reading. In case you’re having thoughts of 50 first dates – yes the premise of falling asleep and waking each day afresh – that’s the same. But this is not a comedy. It’s a bit more dark and you certainly won’t be laughing.
But, that aside, this is a good book. It’s an excellent debut. And it definitely deserves to be read. I recommend this book without hesitation.
Before I go to sleep
Black Dawn by Rachel Caine, Morganville Vampires Book No.12
31 May 2012
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Black Dawn, Morganville Vampires No.12, Rachel Caine
Just finished reading Black Dawn by Rachel Caine, No. 12 of the Morganville Vampires. This book takes up immediately where Last Breath left off. The Draug are still in Morganville, Magnus and his thrall are still attacking vampires, and humans if necessary, at every opportunity and the vampires are scared and holed up at Founders Square. If you haven’t read any of the previous novels I would suggest reading no further as spoilers will be contained below.
Okay, I enjoyed this installment, although not as much as last breath. That being said I enjoyed the different perspectives which we got to see a lot more of. This is a really fast paced novel, if you like action you’re going to be plenty pleased with this book. We move from one escape/rescue/potential abduction to the next. The draug are relentless. The clouds gather ominously and then grey sludgy figures appear. On top of that Amelie is infected – and let’s face it, if she dies, life in Morganville is going to become a whole lot less, mmm, livable – at least for the humans.
The difference in this novel is that Shane is in more danger. RC has proved already that she isn’t afraid to lose a few characters and this particular instalment is no exception.
I did enjoy this novel, BUT, it’s taken on a new direction, which I suppose is to be expected given that we’re getting towards the end of the series. Amelie has become more chilling and Myrnin isn’t quite the same character that we’ve become used to. Now maybe this is all leading up to the grand finale – I’ve always wondered how things could possibly end well for all sides – so maybe we’re being led now down the path of more dislike for the vampires. This has a feel now where things are going to become much more ‘us and them’ and a potential fight to the death with a situation where, if the vampires win, they are released upon the general unknowing population. That’s just my weird speculation.
In terms of criticism – yes, I had one major one – in the previous novels it always felt like Claire, Shane and the crew were fighting to stay alive against their foes. In this novel they weren’t against the vampires, the vampires and the humans had joined against the common enemy – the draug. But it felt a little unrealistic. Lots of vampires but the humans go out on these missions. I understand that the humans can look after themselves and fight back when they have to – but, they’re going out on missions with vampires and helping with things that the vampires would be much better at. Now, I understand that the vampires are scared of their ultimate enemy – but, I don’t understand why the humans are trying to help them (well, until the end I didn’t understand). But, even with that understanding, I don’t get why the humans didn’t just say ‘to hell with this’ and get out of there. They’re helping their own enemy and are constantly under threat from them and treated like real inferiors.
Anyway, a good instalment. It didn’t have the jaw dropping moments of the last and for me, personally, Myrnin, lost a little something in translation in this book. Like I said, maybe it’s the beginning of the end. I don’t know.
However, if you’ve read this far, you can’t possibly stop now?? Can you??
I will certainly read the rest. I have to know how this ends.
Black Dawn
Mr Shivers by Robert J Bennett
Just finished reading Mr Shivers by Robert J Bennett.
I recently read the Troupe by RJB and loved it so made the decision to go back and revisit his earlier works. Strangely enough I already had Mr Shivers sat waiting on my shelves which is his debut novel (I really must take a better look at my wbr pile!)
Mr Shivers is set in 30s America during the depression. It’s primarily the story of Connelly. Connelly’s daughter has been murdered and he is bent on revenge and is following the murderer across America during the Depression. Along the way he meets up with other people whose lives have been equally affected by this strange person who becomes known as Mr Shivers and who are equally hell-bent on revenge.
I thought this was an intriguing story made more compelling by the use of setting. I haven’t come across a lot of stories set during this period and it was interesting to read about. I have no idea about how accurate this work is but it read well and I have to say that Bennett is a great story teller. The opening chapters are excellent and really pull you in and keep you reading. It’s a gritty novel. Gritty and dark. There aren’t any fun moments going on to be honest but given what these people are going through and the lives they are reading you wouldn’t expect there to be. There’s violence and profanity all over the place but none of it feels out of place or gratuitous. As we follow Connelly’s journey across the country, hitching rides on trains and sleeping rough we gradually start to gain more of a feeling for Mr Shivers and he really is quite a horrifying creature who is gradually built up, through word of mouth and stories along the way, into something more than just a man – something evil and untouchable.
What I thought was really interesting about this story was watching a group of (ever expanding it seemed) characters come together in pursuit of the same goal. And yet, for me, all of them seemed oblivious to the fact that they were setting themselves on a road to self-destruction. Along the way a couple of characters realised that they were becoming less than human as they pursued their own objective but most of them continued and frankly it was quite horrible to simply watch them become almost monsters themselves.
Then we have Connelly who is a character that you can’t help but like to a certain extent. He isn’t perfect by a long stretch but he’s strong and forceful. He has a certain presence which is undeniable and undoubtedly he is a leader who the others look up to and follow. The other characters I don’t think you ever really have a chance to become too involved with. It’s the Connelly show really. Well, that and Mr Shivers.
In terms of criticisms. Well, there’s a bit in the middle where for some reason the story isn’t quite as compelling. The beginning is really great. The middle is a little stilted and I can only put this down to the change in tack really. During the middle we seem to go through much more of an action period which somehow sat a little bit ill with the rest of the story. And then the latter half of the book changed direction again taking on a more eerie supernatural feel. Yes, this book is a mixed bag. Now, I actually enjoyed this – I liked the whole supernatural feel that was taken on but it’s not for everyone I imagine. The only other criticism is that I could see what was going on between Connelly and Mr Shivers. Not immediately I confess, but once I’d seen it everything else had a certain feel of inevitability to it, not necessarily a bad thing, I’m just saying.
Other than that I thought this was a good read. It’s dark. It’s a bit horrible. It’s definitely creepy. It has elements of the unreal to it. Are there witches? Are there ghouls? Does the Bogeyman exist? Maybe….
I would recommend this, I don’t think it’s as good as The Troupe, but for a debut novel it’s pretty damned impressive. I love a good storyteller and will definitely go seek out The Company Man next – then I’ll be waiting to see what RJB does next – no pressure of course!
Mr Shivers
