Witch by Finbar Hawkins
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Beautiful, brutal, tale of revenge
Witch is an unusual story set in a particularly frightening period of history when women and children were taken from their homes and brutalised on the most flimsy of pretexts.
I will start this review just by mentioning that there will be triggers for some readers amongst these pages, the opening chapters in fact contain the murder of Evey and Dill’s mother and being set in a time of civil war definitely gives this book a feeling of things being on a knife edge, like bloody violence is a real possibility that could erupt with almost any turn of the page. This isn’t a sweet, or Disney style take on witches so be aware.
As the story begins, as mentioned, Dill and Evey witness (from afar) the murder of their mother at the hands of men accusing her of witchcraft. The two girls run and hide and their mother makes Evey promise to take her little sister to their aunt for safety’s sake. Evey is hellbent on revenge, consumed by the need for it in fact and this is the fuel for the majority of the story.
In terms of plot, well this really is as simple as I’ve mentioned above. This is a tale of one girl’s determination to avenge her dead mother. Of course there are ups and downs, mistakes and mishaps along the way, usually driven by Evey’s lack of planning or impulsive and often times reckless behaviour.
The characters. Evey is an angry young woman. She’s angry about her mother’s death, she’s angry at her newfound responsibility, she’s angry that her mother seemed to favour Dill to such an extent that she left her scrying stone to Dill instead of her. There’s a complexity of emotions running amok, anger, jealousy, resentment, sorrow, and this makes Evey a difficult and complex character. I liked that she could be sometimes annoying, it lends her the cloak of reality. Dill is the sweet younger sister. She’s much more measured and self assured. She has an affinity with animals and seems to be more like her mother than Evey. We have another character called Anne, daughter to a nobleman Anne carried a lot of sorrow which makes her desire to help Evey a littler easier to understand. There is perhaps an element of ‘insta-friendship’ going on here but I went with it given the element of sadness that both characters shared.
Without doubt, for me, the winning element of this book is also maybe the element that will put some readers off – the style of writing. It’s beautiful, lyrical, haunting, atmospheric and simple. It seems to capture the time and voice of the period and I loved reading it. It’s also a strange counterbalance to the violence it depicts, it’s as though I was enjoying the author’s style so much that it sometimes belied the events unfolding on the page. It feels old fashioned and yet accessible. I think it maybe took me a few pages to get into the style but then I was pretty much swept away and I read the book in one sitting, unable to put it down.
In terms of criticisms. Nothing major. The fantasy elements only really come into play during the last few chapters, up to that point this could be a historical novel depicting a period where women were persecuted for being strong or resourceful. I think the plot is very simple, but, again, I didn’t find this a problem as I was enjoying the way in which the story is told more than the drama of what was taking place.
In conclusion, I enjoyed Witch. I would say that it was quite different from what I was expecting – and I’m not sure why that is, perhaps the cover (which I love by the way) maybe led me to think this would be a much lighter take on witches when the reality is quite the opposite. A beautifully grim depiction of harsh times and the strength found in friendship and sisterhood.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
Top Ten Tuesday : Answers
Yesterday I posted my Top Ten Tuesday post which was a list of movie/book quotes – today, I’ll post the films that the quotes were taken from:
1.“Oh, it’s quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open.” – Gandalf, Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. “Inconceivable” – The Princess Bride by William Goldman
3. “God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys god. Man creates dinosaurs.” / “Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth.” – this is from Jurassic Park (not sure if it’s a quote from the book – I doubt it)
4. “No one would have believed, in the middle of the 20th century, that human affairs were being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s.” This is from War of the Worlds by HG Wells.
5. “Robert Neville looked out over the new people of the earth. He knew he did not belong to them; he knew that, like the vampires, he was anathema and black terror to be destroyed. And, abruptly, the concept came, amusing to him even in his pain. … Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I am legend.” – This is from I am Legend by Richard Matheson.
6. “They say once you grow crops somewhere, you have officially ‘colonised’ it. So technically, I colonised Mars. In your face, Neil Armstrong!” – The Martian by Andy Weir
7. “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too! – Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum
8. “the children of the night. What sweet music they make.” – Bram Stoker’ Dracula – the movie version (not sure if this is a quote from the book too)
9. “I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcyle” – this is a move quote – Terminator 2.
10 Do you have a favourite quote that you fall into automatically??
Can’t Wait Wednesday : Call of the Bone Ships by R.J. Barker
30 September 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Call of the Bone Ships, Can't wait Wednesday, RJ Barker, Wishful Endings
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking the Spine. Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for. If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to. This week my book is : Call of the Bone Ships by RJ Barker. I loved The Bone Ships and can’t wait to tuck into this one. Check out the description and the fabulous cover:
A brilliantly imagined saga of honour, glory and warfare, Call of the Bone Ships is the captivating epic fantasy sequel to RJ Barker’s The Bone Ships.
Dragons have returned to the Hundred Isles. But their return heralds only war and destruction. When a horde of dying slaves are discovered in the bowels of a ship, Shipwife Meas and the crew of the Tide Child find themselves drawn into a vicious plot that will leave them questioning their loyalties and fighting for their lives.
Expected publication : November 2020
Top Ten Tuesday : Guess the quote?
29 September 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Quotes, Movie quotes, That Artsy Reader Girl, Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic. Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here. This week’s topic :
Favorite Book Quotes
I’ve gone a little off topic this week, well, I’m using movie quotes instead of book quotes – although some of these may well have been book quotes first. Also, just to be a big tease I’m not putting the films these quotes are taken from – see how many you’re familiar with (and share the number – not the titles – in the comments):1.“Oh, it’s quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open.”
2. “Inconceivable”
3. “God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys god. Man creates dinosaurs.” / “Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth.”
4. “No one would have believed, in the middle of the 20th century, that human affairs were being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s.”
5. “Robert Neville looked out over the new people of the earth. He knew he did not belong to them; he knew that, like the vampires, he was anathema and black terror to be destroyed. And, abruptly, the concept came, amusing to him even in his pain. … Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I am legend.”
6. “They say once you grow crops somewhere, you have officially ‘colonised’ it. So technically, I colonised Mars. In your face, Neil Armstrong!”
7. “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!
8. “the children of the night. What sweet music they make.”
9. “I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcyle”
10 Do you have a favourite quote that you fall into automatically??
The Phlebotomist by Chris Panatier
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Absolutely Bloody Brilliant, pun intended.
The Phlebotomist is a book that really took me by storm. To be fair I read a glowing review for this over on Books Bones and Buffy but even so, and even though I requested a review copy, I felt a little hesitant about picking this up. I think it’s all to do with my reading mood, the way it fluctuates without warning and the current pandemic situation which I cannot deny has greatly affected my emotions and ability to settle down. Then along comes the Phlebotomist to laugh in the face of all of that and just provide a really damned good bit of respite from the everyday mundane.
Seriously, I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one (yes, I read a review but it was very secretive and gave little away – apart from the fact that this is good). And, to be honest, I’m going to give very little away too, in fact I’m not really going to go overboard on the plot but will look at world and characters instead.
The Phlebotomist is set in a fairly near future (2060s??). Our worst fears have been recognised and war and nuclear blasts have changed the way we live. There are grey zones that still suffer from the fallout and people who desperately need blood to help them recover. Patriot is an organisation that harvests blood – your country needs you! And, depending on your blood type, your life can be one of relative luxury or incredibly tough with barely enough food to survive. Areas are divided by blood types with the most affluent areas being inhabited by those with the most sought after blood types.
Enter the scene Willa Wallace. I love this woman Willia is the Phlebotomist. She’s old enough to remember the world pre nuclear blast and she still likes ‘old school’ methods when it comes to a lot of things. She is responsible for her grandson, her own daughter having passed away, and she works for Patriot as a Reaper – sounds grim eh? (Ha, another pun). Willa collects blood, but she doesn’t just go through the motions, she’s smart, she likes to read (high five Willa) and she has common sense. Unwittingly, Willy stumbles into ‘something’ and that’s when things start to go pear shaped. I won’t elaborate further other than to say this went in a direction I never saw coming and I loved it.
The other characters. Well, we have an ex marine called Lock (short for the Locksmith) who is basically a hacker. Lock uses old technology to stay under the radar, she has a number of hideouts and her main priority is the group of ragtag children that she’s taken under her wing and cares for. Everard is a bit of a tough character, he’s not above committing crimes, he might have a tweak of conscience about it but he’s prepared to make hard choices when it comes to keeping the children safe. The other character is Kathy, I can’t say too much about her because of spoilers but she’s great and I have to say these three females just about made my day.
Long story short I really enjoyed this. I couldn’t wait to pick it up, it was entertaining, fast paced, high octane, bloody, and violent, in places and emotional. What a ride.
The writing is really good. Panatier strikes a perfect blend between those tense moments where you’re holding your breath and then the relief that swiftly follows. He provides clear information about the world and the way of life. He provides his cast with very ‘real’ motivations and he manages to provoke heartfelt emotion. On top of this there is much drama and over the top heist style scenes that give you a real rush – not to mention woohoo moments.
Okay, I enjoyed this. Maybe you can tell. It just give me a real boost.
In terms of criticisms. The only thing I can think of is that some of the tech info felt a little bit less like a conversation and more like a convenient way to quickly deliver all the knowledge in one swift chunk. It’s not something that bothered me though.
High speed chases through the air, corporate conniving, conspiracy theories, do we really know how the other half lives? It’s all here. I would read more of this world without hesitation in fact I strongly hope that more is forthcoming and I can only hope this gets optioned for adaptation, it would be great on the big screen.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Rating : 5 stars
Books and travelling with Lynn 