The Ghost Bride by Yangsze-Choo
31 December 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: The Ghost Bride, Women of Genre Fiction, Worlds Without End, Yangsze-Choo
Just finished reading The Ghost Bride by Yangsze-Choo – talk about getting your last challenges in right on the last minute – this book is both my 100th book of the year and also my December read for Worlds Without End, Women of Genre Fiction reading challenge – can I just say what a great challenge the WoGF has been – sincerely I hope they hold this next year, I will be all over it if they do!
Anyway, moving swiftly on and away from my gloaty back patting self (the book review being the actual purpose of the post!) I do have mixed feelings about this book – which would probably resolve themselves if I had the chance to mull it over a little longer and really establish how I feel, but – deadlines are pressing – so, mixed feelings are what I’m going with on this occasion. Although, for clarity’s sake I certainly didn’t dislike this, just not quite sure about exactly what my emotions are at this point (did I love it, maybe not. Did I hate it – definitely not.)
The story is about a young girl, Li Lan, living in Malaya. Her mother has died and her father has retreated into the world of opium. As a result, and although she certainly doesn’t seem to have suffered any hardship having been raised mainly by her very loving Amah, her future does not seem to have been taken care of in the traditional sense leaving her with no future marriage prospects. Her father’s business has deteriorated, as you would likely imagine as he spends most of his time with cloudy eyes chasing the dragon, and, on top of that, he also seems to have run up considerable debts. Then along comes a marriage proposal of a most unusual nature. A very well to do family would like Li Lan to marry their son. Yes, it’s the old ‘attractive young girl marries into a wealthy family to save her own family honour’ chestnut. Or is it? Before we all start jumping to those conclusions – there’s a snag with this marriage proposal, just a tiny one, maybe not insurmountable to some – although I think I might object – the would-be groom has already passed away. Now, tell me that you’re not intrigued!
I confess that going into this story I was expecting something different to what I actually felt I ended up reading. I think I went in with the notion of Li Lan actually becoming married in name only and seeing how this panned out. The story is slightly different than that so if you have the same expectations going in as I did then I’ll just give you the low down right now to drop those and think along different lines. This story actually becomes a little more of a mystery with Li Lan spending a good portion of her time in the spirit world. Now, to a certain extent I loved that because for me that takes this book much more into the realms of fantasy than I ever expected, but, conversely I kind of wanted the story to follow the plotline I had in mind – my bad there I’m afraid, but I wanted to know how this whole married to a dead person would, or could, ever become a reality. I mean, obviously the person isn’t physically there, but I had this idea of the young bride going to live with her new in-laws and coming to terms with this life and how that would end. I probably also expected a bit of ghostly visitations – I certainly didn’t expect to spend a good portion of the book in the dead realms.
All that being said, this story is beautifully written, the attention to detail is wonderful with culture, religion, death and other ceremonies given great attention to detail. Really, the place and the traditions do come to life in this story. I admit that reading about other cultures is something I love to do and so in that respect I have such admiration for this author for writing in such a detailed way. In fact, for me, the biggest part of The Ghost Bride was the setting and culture. The people and plot line I felt took something of a back seat. I didn’t necessarily dislike the characters but apart from Er Lang, who I couldn’t help liking, I didn’t have a strong pull to any of the others – in fact I would go so far as to say the characters were a tad predictable. Maybe not a bad thing in itself as this book isn’t really marketed as a mystery story. I think the other slight issue that I had with this was that I never really had any fear for Li Lan or the eventual outcome. It felt a little like whenever she needed help it seemed to fall miraculously into her lap.
Now, that probably seems overly critical which I certainly don’t want to be. This is a beautifully written and interesting story. The attention to detail is literally fantastic and once I realised that this was going to be different than expected I really enjoyed it. I think it’s that ’thing’ of going into a book with the wrong expectations and then spending most of the story waiting for it to go in the direction that you are expecting. Culture vultures will undoubtedly find this a great novel to pick up – however, if you don’t want your ‘culture’ quite so liberally splattered with the realms of fantasy then take heed. However, if you want to read about such things as, for example, The Ten Courts of Hell, give this a go.
Also, the ending – can I just ask, did anybody feel that was a little bit rushed or is that just me!!
On the whole, a well written, intriguing book that I would recommend and I would without hesitation pick up more books by this author.
Beauty by Sarah Pinborough
29 December 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Beauty, Fairy stories retold, Sarah Pinborough
Just finished reading Beauty by Sarah Pinborough which is the final book in this twisted world of fairytales that this author has created. This series of books are simply wonderful to read and I think the third one is my favourite out of all of them.
In this retelling, as with the other stories, we have more than one tale combined to make up the complete story and we see characters and objects that have appeared in the previous tales. That being said, any of these books would read as a standalone.
Beauty combines characters from Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Rumplestiltskin in a twisted rendition of all four tales. At the start of the story we make the acquaintance of a young Prince, over indulged by his doting parents the King and Queen, who have finally realised that he needs to be shaken out of his indolence by the introduction of an adventure. A grand adventure to bring fame and fortune back to his future kingdom and provide him with a taste for life beyond his own realms. And so the spoilt Prince sets out through the forest, accompanied by a young hunter who has been coerced, none too gently, into keeping the young heir to the throne alive.
And so we travel to the realm known to us through the tale of Sleeping Beauty. A kingdom protected by the forest where a cruel and impenetrable wall of trees has grown around the outer edges to deter would-be adventurers. Of course, over the years, the tales of the kingdom that sleeps within have become little more than a fairy tale told to children at night, a story of myth and legend that is no more believable than a young woman with a long rope of hair living in a tower with an old witch. Within the outer walls, however, a different story lies waiting to unfold.
Along the way, the Prince and the Huntsman gather a further traveller – Petra, who, whilst loathe to leave her grandmother alone in her cottage deep in the forest with the ever rising fear of wolves, also longs to make the acquaintance of the person beyond the hedge whose lonely lament she has frequently heard and joined in with on many occasions. And so the three battle the magic of the hedge in order to discover what lies within.
Again, this is far from a tale that you will want to read your children at night. This is a tale of blood and lust, tempered with love and longing. The Beauty who charms everyone she meets with her sweet temperament and the Beast who craves blood.
As with previous stories the Prince is little more than a good looking and fickle young man and the Hunter is steadfast and true, his knowledge of the woodlands and its creatures proving invaluable and his reasonable and well tempered behaviour making him an immediate favourite of the story. Pinborough weaves an enticing story, lyrical and beautifully illustrated, that is difficult to put down.
I’ve enjoyed these three books very much and have no hesitation in recommending them to others in fact I really hope you’ll give them a go. Yes, they’re fairy tales that we’re familiar with but the author has taken our well loved bedtime stories and given them a dark and sinister twist. They’re a touch of whimsy with a surprisingly sexy, sometimes sinister and incredibly entertaining blend of tales.
Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier
28 December 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Black Dog, Rachel Neumeier, Strange Chemistry
Just finished reading Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier . I really enjoyed this book. It had an interesting take on the whole werewolf myth, it was fast paced with plenty of action and I liked the style of writing.
Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier
Okay, well, taking a look at the cover it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is a take on werewolves – called black dogs in this story. I confess I love the cover, it makes me come out all ‘pantomime’ – I want to shout out at the girl on the front ‘he’s behind you!’…
Anyway, moving swiftly on, the three main characters are Natividad, Miguel and Alejandro – two brothers and their sister. Miguel is a regular human, Alejandro is a black dog and Natividad is a Pure born – whose magic can help to calm the dark shadow of the black dog, The three of them have recently lost their parents to a vicious pack of black dogs and are on the run from a determined enemy known as Vonhausel. They’re running straight into other black dog territory – hoping for shelter but risking their lives in the process by encroaching in this way. And, it’s at this point that the three are discovered by a particularly cold and menacing black dog and taken to the Dimilioc base.
The premise of the story is based heavily on the war between vampires and werewolves – or at least in this book there are werewolves but the main packs are black dogs. People who are not moon called but are constantly on the edge torn between their human and animal nature. In this story the vampires have been eliminated during vicious wars that have also split the black dogs into different factions. The Dimilioc pack are one of the oldest surviving packs. They enforce pack law on rogue dogs. Their executioner, Ezekiel, is greatly feared and has not yet met his match. And it is in this place that the three now find themselves and where the quick and charming tongue of Miguel will be needed in order to keep them alive. Of course, they do have a much sought after asset – their Pure sister. Many black dogs hate the Pure and the magic they use to protect humans and to bring calm to the black dog spirit and consequently many of these women have been killed. The Dimilioc pack have always sworn to protect the Pure – they greatly prize these women for their soothing presence and the way in which they help to maintain the humanity of the pack. The Dimilioc master therefore agrees to let the three stay, with the proviso that Natividad will, eventually, chose one of the pack members. Decisions, decisions – what’s a girl to do! Well, staying alive might become the first priority as Vonhausel and his dogs have followed the three and are about to attack!
As I said I really enjoyed this. I liked the family aspect to the story and the way they all cared for each other so much. I thought the take on the whole vampire/werewolf myth was interesting and unique. I own up that I liked Ezekiel quite a bit and especially the fact that the author has succeeded in bringing quite a sizzling chemistry to the page.
In terms of criticisms – I felt like the ages of the three characters was a little young – Nat and her twin brother Miguel being only 15! It makes the whole idea of this pack of male dogs vying for the attention of this young girl a little off putting although the author pretty quickly succeeds in keeps this from becoming too great a contest. Admittedly Ezekiel is only a few years older but even so I think I would have preferred it if Natividad had been a little more mature, especially as she has a deadline of her 16th birthday to reach a rather important decision. Also, there is quite a lot of macho posturing going on which is a bit yawn inducing at times! It simply becomes a little tiresome when there’s a pack of men flexing their muscles and making decisions willy nilly for the poor little defenceless girl – fortunately Natividad doesn’t let them have all their own way and seems perfectly capable of defying orders on a regular basis.
I did have an issue with one particular aspect which I thought didn’t quite gel but having thought about that I suspect it could be something that provides a further plot line so obviously I won’t elaborate. For those who don’t like cliffhanger endings – stand easy because this novel does have a fairly self contained conclusion.
Undoubtedly it’s difficult to bring something new to the paranormal reading world but I think the author manages to come up with an interesting concept. I especially liked the fact that she takes a look back at the old notion of werewolves pitched against vampires while giving the idea a fresh take. I will definitely read any future tales of the Black Dogs to see where this goes next.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. The above is my own opinion.
The Secrets of Life and Death by Rebecca Alexander
23 December 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Rebecca Alexander, The Secrets of Life and Death
I find that in the past few weeks I’ve been in a little bit of a reading funk. Thankfully I picked up The Secrets of Life and Death and that seems to have helped me overcome my slump! I really enjoyed this. It was a compelling read that flits between two different timeframes with a tale that delves into folklore and explores the secret of longevity.
The story commences with the death of a young woman on a train. No cause of death is immediately obvious and, in fact, there appears to have been no struggle. The only reason that the authorities are suspicious is that the girl in question has strange symbols drawn all over her skin – that, and the fact that another young girl has recently been reported missing, alerts the authorities to the potential that an occult group may be practising strange rituals. As a result a professor from the local university is called in to consult over the markings and give his verdict. Professor Guichard is indeed an expert and he quickly becomes much more involved in this strange case than he ever anticipated.
At the same time we follow Jack, a young female who seems to play a part in the these bizarre rituals and is deeply involved in the black magic market. She has some very peculiar meetings with a rather sinister character who buys herbs, and other less conventional, and not readily available over the counter, items!
In the parallel story we travel with Edward Kelly and his master Dr John Dee to the court of Countess Bathory – where he has been summoned by the King of Poland to try and address a strange malady that afflicts her. This is a really interesting plot line that looks at beginnings, experimentation and dabbling that ultimately will lead to something much darker than expected. The Countess of Bathory seems to come from a line of females under a curse. The locals fear and loath her. They undertake her bidding but there is certainly no love for their mistress. The castle to which Edward and John eventually travel is a foreboding place set within the Carpathian mountains, the people are surly and fearsome. The pair’s stay at the castle is more consistent with that of prisoner, even if a comfortable captivity, than guest and their eventual release seems dependent upon their search for a cure being successful. To make matters more serious it seems that the pair have been followed to the castle by the Inquisitor – who would remove them to Spain and look into their beliefs more seriously (probably involving a bit of torture)! Obviously this is a very uncomfortable and scary position in which to find themselves and the story picks up quite a head of steam at this point.
I can’t really delve too deeply into the plor because it will involve spoilers. What I can say is that this is not a vampire story although I think comparisons are inevitable given the nature of the tale and the exploration of folklore involved. It’s a really interesting look into immortality and the depths to which people will sink in order to achieve it.
I’m not totally sure that I’ve done the book justice with the above. As I said, it’s difficult to discuss too much without giving away the story but I would repeat that this is a gripping story that kept me quite captivated.
In terms of criticisms. I think my most basic criticism was the foolish consistency of the main characters within the contemporary setting of the story to stay in a place, or places, where they had clearly been identified. If your enemies have found your bolt hole then it’s time to move out! As far as I’m concerned anyway. Obviously I understand that this probably isn’t as easy as it sounds but it would have been a risk worth taking.
I liked the characters, particularly Jackdaw and Sadie. Jack’s easy to engage with and to feel sympathy for. I found myself caring for her and also for her younger charge Sadie. The Professor I’m still not decided upon. He was very quick to believe which I was a little doubtful of at first but more than that I didn’t totally warm to him for some reason. Perhaps it’s because he clearly likes Jack but is also undecided about his feelings for his ex wife.
On the whole a book I would have no hesitation in recommending. A bit of a mystery, a bit of history, dark and a little chilling with magic and a touch of evil. An impressive debut. I’m not entirely sure whether or not the author intends to revisit or continue into a series as, although this book ends with some questions open, it seems fairly self contained. I think there’s definitely room for a revisit though and I would without doubt spend time with these characters again.
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. The above is my own opinion.
The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway
The River of No Return is a novel about time travel and as such spends it’s time between two different period. The story’s two main protagonists are Nicholas Falcott, Marquess of Blackdown and Julia Percy granddaughter to the Earl of Darchester. At the start of the novel, Nicholas (or Nick, as he is primarily known throughout the book) finds himself becoming an unexpected Marquess following the accidental death of his father during a riding accident. This new responsibility doesn’t really sit easily on Nick’s young shoulders and seemingly in an attempt at escaping his duties he joins the Napoleonic wars taking part at the time in Spain. During the fighting Nick finds himself in a situation which will undoubtedly see him fall and at the point at which the killing blow is about to be meted out he finds himself boosted forward in time.
I really liked the concept for this novel. Time travel. Set between two different periods. Historical content with a contemporary parallel storyline. And, whilst I could probably take it or leave it, a bit of romance. In reality I found it kind of disappointing, overly long and a bit difficult to complete.
To get back to the story. Once Nick jumps forward to modern times we learn a bit more about the time travel involved. I quite like that the author has come up with a new (at least to me) idea for why the people in the story travel through time. Clearly the majority of people who jump forward are about to become a member of the recently deceased when they make the leap and so strong emotions seem to be the key factor. As the story develops we learn that there are two different organisations whose members travel to and fro. The Guild, who are the organisation who first pick up Nick when he jumps forward. They basically school him in the ways of modern times, give him a stash of money and then send him out into the world. I couldn’t help wondering how they could possibly monitor these jumps and I found the finer detail lacking a bit in that respect – which I confess niggled me. The counter organisation are called the Ofan. They’re more like the hippies of time travel as oppose to the ‘Men in Black’ type feel of the Guild and in fact the Guild believe the Ofan are damaging the time travel ‘river’. Conversely the Ofan hold the same suspicions about the Guild.
Now, against all the previous teachings of the Guild it turns out that travellers can in fact go back into time and in a rather convoluted storyline about stopping the Ofan in their intrepid dealings the Guild ask Nick to travel back to his previous life (well about 3 years after his disappearance) and so we end up returning to Nick’s family home.
At the same time as the above we are also introduced to Julia who finds herself in a serious predicament since the demise of her Grandfather. Her cousin has now become the rightful heir, he’s not really that nice a character and Julia is now rather at his beck and call. Unfortunately, Eamon, the new Earl, suspects the late Earl could travel time and he believes he must have been using a talisman in order to do so. He’s convinced that Julia knows of this talisman and he is determined to wring the information out of her – even if he risks her honour in the process!!
Of course Julia and Nick already knew each other from childhood and Nick is about to become her knight in shining armour. Rescuing her from the boarish Eamonn and taking her and the rest of his family to reside in London – where he can carry out his real work on behalf of the Guild.
I have mixed feelings on this book. It’s clearly very popular so I’m not sure why I didn’t like it more than I actually did. I expected to really like it and in fact tried hard to do so! But, it just didn’t really ever grab me. Why? Well, I think the characters were a little bit flat. I didn’t particularly have any like or dislike for Nick. He just seemed to be an incredibly, drop dead gorgeous, strapping young man, who everyone instantly liked, apparently because he’s easy on the eye (at least I think that’s the reason!). I didn’t dislike Julia, in fact I quite liked her, I just think that she was born in the wrong time as the way she speaks, behaves and thinks seem to be more consistent with a 21st century modern young woman than those of a young girl from the period in which she lives.
The time travel was, as mentioned, a fairly original idea, but, and in spite of lots of discussion about how it all worked, it felt unrealised somehow. I guess I was at first expecting something a little more scientific. Plus, any story with time travel inevitably goes down the route of chicken and egg, which came first and how can these people just pop up here and there without damaging something of history along the way. There are explanations about this of course but they never felt entirely convincing to me.
I think for me the biggest problem boils down to the length of this story. It’s nothing to do with wanting a short read. I enjoy a long story – so long as it has my attention and keeps it! The River of No Return suffers from a smothering of words. Perhaps if it had been shorter and kept a little more on track my attention would have stayed more focused and I wouldn’t have had time to form as many criticisms. As it is, I thought the romance element was a little bland, the time travel not explained convincingly enough and the historical sections of the story felt like you could have been walking around in modern times apart from a few descriptions of clothing and the like.
Well, that does feel overly critical by my usual standards so I should probably just point out that I think this will undoubtedly appeal to many readers and in fact has already been thoroughly enjoyed by a good deal of people as reviews on Amazon and Goodreads demonstrate. Clearly, I’m the odd one out. So, if you fancy a little bit of a romance with some time travel and dashing Marquess’s galloping to the rescue of damsels in distress then this could be for you.
