Review of Girl, Women, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

 

***JOINT WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019***

'We the women,

Whose praises go unsung,

Whose voice go unheard'

This is Britain as you've never seen it.

This is the Britain as it has never been told.

From Newcastle to Cornwall. From the Birth of the twentieth century to the teens of the twenty-first, Girl Woman Other follows the cast of twelve characters on their personal journeys to find themselves, throughout this country and the last hundred years. They are each looking for something - whether this is a shared past, an unexpected future, a place to call home, somewhere to fit in, a lover, a missed mother, a lost father even just a touch of hope. 

This book made me laugh, it made me cry and it had me amazed at the resilience of the characters for what they have to go through in life. It did have an unusual layout, Evaristo split this book into 5 sections; 4 sections each dedicated to 3 members of the same family and then one section used to link everything together. This method of writing is not my favourite and at one point I thought that i may not finish the book as this was putting me off continuing. It is based on real life and when i read the bio for it i thought this is the type of book that i would enjoy as i love true life/true crime novels. Some of the content made me feel awkward as it describes 12 individuals who are entwined together in a life of discovery and also exposes the difficulties that people go through in life and when growing up. 

One of the more awkward areas that i found Evaristo dealt with well, even if it made me feel uncomfortable, was how some of the characters come to terms with their sexuality and the stigmatisation that they experience during this time. It did however help me understand the difficulties people go through and help me understand my 18 year old trans MTF. One thing you could take from this is that the 12 individuals were amazing and strong women and i would have loved to be able to meet them in person and get to know them off the page. I loved that she has used very diverse characters and even through she had split these into 4 groups of four, you can see how each of these groups link into the others and i love that element of the book as it just shows how small the world is. 

To get your copy of this book, follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Woman-Other

Review of the City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare

 

“I know it's wrong - God, it's all kinds of wrong - but I just want to lie down with you and wake up with you, just once, just once ever in my life.” (Jace)

To save her own mothers life, Clary must make the journey to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters. Never mind entering the city without any permission is against the Law and breaking the law could mean her death. To make the situation worse, she learns that Jace does not want her to go there. In his journey to the city he takes an injured Simon who has been thrown into prison as the Shadowhunters are deeply suspicious of a vampire who is able to go out in the sun.

Clary's journey will help her uncover more about her family's past and she find an unlikely ally in the City of Glass in the mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. Her father Valantine is mustering a full force of his power to bring about a war on the Shadowhunters which will destroy them forever ...... well that his plan. It is time for the Downworlders and Shadowhunters to try and put their differences behind them, if they are to stand any chance of defeating them - the eternal enemies must fight together. Jace during this time realises exactly what he feels for Clary and how much he is willing to risk for her. As for Clary, she needs to learn to harness her newfound powers to help save the City no matter what the cost.

To fall in love is a mortal sin for them and the secrets of the past prove as deadly to Clary and Jace while the face their father Valantine.

OMG .... I am loving this series more and more with each instalment, I haven't been as drawn to a book series since i started to read Harry Potter. This instalments story line took me on an emotional journey from the first page and this remained the same to the very last word on the last page. I like how we had a new location in this book as it has been set in Idris, the city which is the home world for the Shadowhunters and their families. It was good in a way that we saw and heard about the histories, cultures and the traditions of the Shadowhunters including what daily life is like for them. This book has lots of twists and turns during this story line and i am not going to spoil this for anyone who wants to go on and read this for themselves. As i read the book i could feel the tension build and build until we have the final battle in the city and Jace and Clary have to face their father and return the Mortal Instruments to their rightful place in the City of Glass.

To get your copy, click on the following Link: www.amazon.co.uk/City-Glass

Review of City Of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare

 Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to being just her and her mother. However what is normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother has put herself in a magically induced coma and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon who was becoming more than a friend. Even if she she was ready to leave the shadowhunters world, the shadowhunters would was not ready especially her to let her go - especially her infuriating newfound brother Jace. Clary's only chance to help her mother is to try and track down the rogue Shadowhunter Valentine who is probably insane and almost certainly evil ... and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in the New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Clary's father Valentine behind all of the killings and if he is, why is he doing this. When the second of the Mortal Instruments is stolen the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate the murders and zooms right onto Jace. How can Clary stop her father if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father.

This scintillating sequel to City of Bones,lures the readers back into the dark grip of New York's Downworld. The place where love is never safe and power becomes one of the most deadliest temptation. I loved this book just as much as the first and found that it only added to the universe which Clare has invented. It is exciting to watch Clary and Jace deny their feelings for each other as they have found out that they are brother and sister. This is a constant undertone during the book and you keep waiting for them to give into their feelings, All while trying to avoid Valentine to get the mortal instruments which would end the world as they know it. This is one of the few sequels which i have read that build on the story and not destroy it and would always recommend this to people who loved the first book.

To get your copy of this book, please use the following link: https://amzn.to/3gqqDcB

Review of The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather

 

How do you find the courage to keep fighting an unimaginable horror?

This is the untold story of one of the greatest and selfless Hero's of the second world war. In the summer of 1940, after the Nazi regime had occupied Poland, the underground operative called Witold Pilecki accepted a mission which would help uncover the fate of the thousands of people who we being held in the new Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz on the border of the Reich.

His mission was to gather intelligence and report of the Nazi war crimes and raise a resistance to help stage an uprising in the camp. 

It was only after he arrived at the camp that he started to uncover the Nazi's terrifying designs which would control the camp for the next 2 and a half years. During the 2 and a half years Witold forged ahead with his mission and forged the underground army that would smuggle evidence of the atrocities to the Western world showing the culminating in the mass murder of over a million Jews. The reports which he provided from the camp were to help shape the allies response to the Holocaust however his story was forgotten for decades .... until now.

This is the first and only account of his amazing sacrifice, which has been told through exclusive family papers and recently declassified files as well as unpublished accounts which shows how he saved hundred of thousands of lives. The result of all of this research has allowed for a enthralling story of the resistance and heroism against the most horrific circumstances and how one man can change the course of history.

Even though i enjoyed this i was horrified by the things that i was reading. I have read several books which details individuals experiences of Auschwitz but this added another level to it as it infiltrated all areas of the camp. I kept wanting to put the book back on the shelf however i had to read on to check that he was successful. This book is full of triggers and harrowing accounts of what individuals went through during this tragic time. I would recommend this to readers however i would always give a disclaimer.

To get you copy of this book, please follow the link: https://amzn.to/3b09YeP

Review of City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

When fifteen year old Clary Fray heads out to the local Pandermonium Club in her home town of New York City she hardly thought that she would witness a murder. What makes this even more unsettling this murder was committed by three teenagers who were covered in strange tattoos and using bizarre weapons. The when she looks around to see the body it has disappeared into thin air. She then realises that she would find it hard to report this to the local police when she is the only one who can see the murderers and when there is no evidence to show that a murder had taken place and even if the victim was human.

This is the first time that Clary meets the Shadowhunters, a race of warriors who have the sole dedication to help rid the earth of demons and protecting the human race. It is also the first time that she encounters Jace, a shadowhunter  who looks like a angel and acts like a self important jerk. Within 24 hours of her visit to the club she is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when she finds that her mother has disappeared and she is attacked by a demon. What would a demon be interested in Clary and her mother? How did Clary suddenly get the sight and this is something that the shadowhunters would like to know.

This is my first visit to the world of the shadowhunters after having it recommended to me via the book community on Tik Tok. I loved the way that Cassandra Clare has developed and introduces her character to the reader and i feel in love with them from page one. I am glad that i took the jump and joined the shadowhunter universe and can see me being hooked and wanting to read all of the books in this world. Even if the story line is not necessary individual all of her characters and the world she has set this in certainly is as different from all of the other books i have read. I loved how she describes the interaction between the shadowhunters and other race for example warewolves and vampires. I am certainly hooked and can not wait to see where this world goes.

To get your copy of this book, please follow the link: https://amzn.to/2YycoMO

 

Review of Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence

 

As the new century is approaching, Edinburgh is a city which is divided. The wealthy residents of the New Town all live in comfort all the while the Old Town's cobblestone streets are clotted with criminals, prostitution and poverty. Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton is no stranger to the darker crimes which happen in the capital city. He has been scarred by the mysterious fire which led to the deaths of his parents, he faces one of the toughest cases he has been assigned, when a young man is found strangled to death in Holyrood Park. 

With very little evidence aside from a strange playing card which was found on the body, DCI Hamilton enlists the help of his Aunt who is a gifted photographer and George Pearson, a librarian with a shard interest in the criminal mind. As he is investigating this the body count is rising. This then catches the newspapers who print tales of the 'Holyrood Stranger' creating a sense of panic across the city and the wider community. With each victim the murderer is starting to attack victim's which become closer and closer to him the one man who dares to stop him.

I liked this book as i am from Scotland and can understand the language and comments which have been used in the conversations. I also know the city so i am able to imagine the locations and how people are interacting in the story. The atmosphere which has been created during the story reminds me of the city during The Fringe Festival when the city is bustling with life and the community interactions are heightened. Even with the times differences between the time that the book is set in and now is over 2000 years you are still able to imagine yourself being part of it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a crime thriller.

To get your copy of the book, following this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edinburgh-Twilight-Hamilton-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B06X3V28MX/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=28G5U5966SCCQ&dchild=1&keywords=edinburgh+twilight&qid=1598188093&sprefix=edinburgh+twili,aps,247&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mystickt-21&linkId=faad4e2561c712e430a8107117dcaf84&language=en_GB

Review of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

 

Dorothy and her constant companion Toto are caught in a tornado which ruthlessly and savagely ransacks the Kansas Farm where she lives with her Aunt and Uncle. When the storm calms she finds that they have been transported to the magical land of Oz where the Munchkins live, monkeys can fly and Evil Witches rule the kingdom. As soon as she lands there she immediately want to find a way home desperately and finds that she has caught the attention of the Wicked Witch of the West, who is constantly on their trail. Dorothy and Toto make some new friends in the form of the Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow and a cowardly lion and they all embark on a epic adventure along the Yellow Brick Road in search of the Emerald City. Once they get there they hope to meet the legendary ruler the all powerful Wizard of Oz. The only person who holds the power they need to grant all of their wishes. 

This is a timeless classic which every child grows up having read to them or reading them selves. I have always held this story close to my heart and will always recommend this to families with children and to adults alike. I remember asking for a copy of this after sitting with my grandmother watching the film and it has been a firm favourite ever since. I love all of the characters and the way that they a developed and always wishing that i had best friends like the people Dorothy has in her life during an unsettling experience. No matter the things that Oz throws at them they band together and always find a solution whether it is to get round a blocked path or finding something for dinner. I love the way that during the story the character show the traits which link to the  things that they will be asking of the Wizard. One of the other things i liked about the story was that it builds the Wizard up to being a formidable character and then you find out that he is a fraud who has hoodwinked the whole of Oz into believing that he is more than he is. The way that the story builds on the character of the Wicked Witch makes the reader have some feelings of empathy as it is clear that she only behaves the way she does because she doesn't have the close bonds with people that Dorothy does. This is one of those books which i will always want to read every year at least once and it is one of those books which helps me get out of a reading slump.

To get your cop of this book please click on the following link:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wonderful-Wizard-Oz-Frank-Baum-ebook/dp/B01C4MLRT4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=1ZW73U1SSH9TE&dchild=1&keywords=the+wonderful+wizard+of+oz&qid=1598185460&sprefix=the+wonderful+,aps,177&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMFRPS1Q1SEY3R1pIJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjEyNzc2MlhNVTk5VjBFOEVBTiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTM3NDAwMUVSMlVRVVc1TFhJSSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=&linkCode=ll1&tag=mystickt-21&linkId=7debf4447e1613b650abaa9f4c20185e&language=en_GB

Review of Midnight Sun (Twilight #5) by Stephanie Meyer

 

When the world was introduced to Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in the Original Twilight novel, who would know that this would be an iconic love story which has spanned 10 years. However up until now all we have heard is Bella's side of the story, finally we will be able to experience this love story from Edward's long awaited compelling version of the story.

This is the iconic story being told through the eyes of the compelling Edward and this means that the love story takes a darker turn with all of his struggles being detailed. The chapter when Bella started at the high school and how he struggled being close to her and how her essence was both unnerving and the most intriguing event in his whole future as a vampire. This novel allows for us to experience and find out Edwards back story which helps the reader to find out how complex his thoughts are. It then becomes easy to understand why this is one of the defining struggles of his whole life and we will find out his views on having Bella in his life. We also see Edward developing as a 'Human' and how his human traits come out and enhance the vampire side of his character.

I loved this book so much that i could not help but to read this non-stop since i got it, I read the 700+ pages of this book over 2 days.It has definitely ignited my love for Twilight and has made me ant to plan in a Twilight Saga reread in the next couple of months. I loved the inner struggle which Edward goes through and how he comes to the realisation that he can not stay away from Bella. I can not wait to see if she rewrites all of the instalments of the original instalments in Edwards viewpoint.

Get you copy of this new instalment at the following link:https://amzn.to/3g4gvGb

Review of Life and Death (Twlight Re-imagined) by Stephanie Meyer

My Rating: 2/5 stars

For the First time in 10 years we have the new stand alone in the Twilight Saga. This is a new and compelling alternative to the story that we are used to which surprises the loyal fans. As every reader knows there is always two sides of the story. This novel introduces us to Beau Swan and Edythe Cullen - a role reversal changing the gender of the two lead characters along with the same changes to the rest of the twilight ensemble.

When Beau moves to, one of the wettest towns in Forks and when he starts the local high school he meets the mysterious and compelling Edythe, who gives his life a new thrilling and terrifying turn. With her doll like features coupled with the golden eyes, whimsical voice and her abilities, Edythe is able to draw him in with her irresistible and enigmatic charm.

What Beau does not realise that the closer he brings her into his life unbeknown to him, he is putting himself and all of his family and friends in a position of danger. However when he does realise this it may be two late for him to cut ties and turn back....

I have to say that this is not my favourite book in the Twilight Universe. I found this a hard one to read as i kept changing the names back to the original characters and this is the way i imagined them before they put the world on the silver screens. Like many fans, the reason that I bought this as i wanting to read it once and have it in my collection in my library. I felt that all that was done in this book was the names were changed and the possible character traits for the new characters did not defer to the original story.

 The Twilight Saga has caught the attention of it's die hard fans and this has been too long in the making for us all. To get your copy using the following link: https://amzn.to/2YcNKRF