Review: Warlock Holmes - A Study in Brimstone

Warlock Holmes - A Study in Brimstone by G.S. Denning
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I laughed so hard the whole way through this book.

As someone who is obsessed with all things Sherlock Holmes, from the original Conan Doyle stories to Basil The Great Mouse Detective, when I saw Warlock Holmes: A Study In Brimstone I knew I had to read it.

The cover itself is striking and gives you a hint about the madness that may lay inside and it is all things good! There are four of the stories re-imagined inside here now entitled: A Study In Brimstone, The Adventures of the Resident Sacrifice, The Case of the Cardboard... Case, The Adventure of the Yellow Bastard, The Adventure of the _eckled _and, and finally Charles Augustus Milverton: Soulbinder.

Each of these tales were charmingly familiar to the original stories, but with an added hint of wackiness that I could only compare to Douglas Adams. John Watson still serves as the voice of the adventures and the insight into what is happening. It's just that this time he happens to be the only humans with whom we interact, so it makes seeing all of the supernatural things through his eyes all the more believable because he is just like the reader. Well to be fair he handles things a lot more calmly than I would and is much better at solving crimes.

Warlock Holmes as a character is ridiculous and lovely and manages to parody everything about Sherlock Holmes that is quite frankly ridiculous when you examine it, but in Warlock he gets away with it because he has such a charming air about him. Even while he was dragging you along into misadventure I feel you couldn't help but like him. It makes sense that John goes along with it.

My stand out character though (and I hope to see more of him) is Vladislav Lestrade. Vampire. Nihilist Vampire. I adored him. I've had a soft spot for the detective since he was re-imagined in the BBC's adaptation of Sherlock, but in this book he also really jumps off the pages for me. None of the bumbling detective from the start this Lestrade prowls, is unnerving and also the perfect gentleman despite his blood drinking habits. LOVE HIM.

I don't want to give too much away with this review, because I am going to be waving this book at every single person that I can and making them read it, but all I am going to say is that ending has me mourning that it isn't May 2017 yet. Bring on The Battle of Baskerville Hall.

As a final note I would say that I'm often disappointed by Sherlock Holmes parodies. They show no love or affection for the original stories and just purely make a mockery, which is all good and fine in its place. However, I call this book a triumph and far superior to that. The neatness of the writing, the references and the obvious good time that the author had with this book? It's all led to an utter success of a novel in my eyes.

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Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by Jack Thorne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a really interesting read for me, and one that I think I will have to read many times over because I grasp the full complexities of the storyline and see beyond some of the things that are still sticking with me - good and bad. I also feel like much of it will make more sense to me once I see the play itself, though so much of it I could already picture in my mind!

I've generally come away with mixed emotions about this title and I think there are a lot of reasons for this. Harry Potter was so dear to me and so instrumental in my reading when I was growing up that coming back to it this many years later as an adult was always going to give me a whole new perspective. When I read the books I was the age of those characters and so I could understand the teenage angst and I could relate it to my own life, despite the magical setting. That was the charm of those books and the way that it allowed you to read them and escape in whole new ways. Although the characters we know and love are adults now (sort of anyway, there were moments that made me raise my eyebrows) a large portion of the play is spent with Albus and Scorpius who are teenagers. Once I realised that they were the central focus it did give me pause.

So lets start with the good. My worries about reading these teenagers (and the tendency for angst in the Harry Potter teenage world) was actually unfounded. Yes Albus had a lot of issues going on, which led to a lot of poor decisions BUT I felt in his case it was totally understandable. This was not the boy/girl love drama of the books, but actual insight into how it must be trying to handle growing up with a father who is as notorious as Harry Potter. Of course you're going to feel like you can't live up to that. Who could? And Scorpius quickly became a favourite character of mine in the whole series, which isn't something I would say lightly considering how little time he's had in the canon, but he was just a delight to read. He reminded me of myself at that age a startling amount and so when he stood up for himself (in a way that I was never able to) I found myself cheering... on my packed train.

I loved that Hermione has become The Minister of Magic - perfect job for her. I think it's only right that a Muggle born takes that job, because they can see both sides of the coin and negotiate with the Prime Minister effectively. Also Hermione kicks ass. End of. Her and Ron's relationship was beautiful. It took everything I like about them in the books and made me see it as something actually sustainable and highlighted how much the pair of them needed each other. In my personal opinion this play shuts down the Harry/Hermione argument because of how brilliantly the Ron/Hermione marriage is portrayed. Bravo to that.

In contrast I felt that the Harry/Ginny relationship was weak - and I acknowledge this could be a very unpopular opinion, but I have been careful to stay away from other reviews on the script so I don't know. It was just that I never felt like they gelled. I can't imagine it would be easy being married to Harry Potter, and lord knows he was a bit of a mess in this story, and yet I found myself wanting to push Ginny into supporting him more. The man clearly needs some sort of PTSD therapy. He went through a lot of things that really nobody could understand.

I also felt that many of the cameos from characters (Snape... Dumbledore's portrait) were more nods to fanfiction than true to the characters. As a Snape fan from book one I feel like I have a very realistic view of him. I never romanticized him and some of the terrible things he did. This play does and I don't know how I feel about that. He isn't hugely noble, he was trying to survive and live with himself after having made terrible decisions in his life that left him twisted and hurt in a way that nobody could heal.

There are other moments that made me frown a little that I don't want to dissect too much, because I do think that upon further readings they will bother me less and in truth I cannot deny that I loved travelling back to Hogwarts for a fresh story. It felt like a piece of me that had been shut away many years ago had the ability to come out and shine again. I shut myself up in my room and devoured it the way that I have always done. And that, for me, is what reading is all about. Losing yourself in the words, the characters, the world and most importantly the emotions that run through you every time you open the cover.

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Review: The Flame Never Dies

The Flame Never Dies by Rachel Vincent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Flame Never Dies is the second in a series that doesn't hold back. I have to admit that I haven't read the first one before reading this, as I was give a copy of this book for free for an honest review from NetGalley. That being said Rachel Vincent's world building was good enough that I didn't feel lost for long and the customers were fleshed out so well that I immediately understood the group dynamics.

I have read Vincent's Unbound series before and so I wasn't surprised by the quality of relationships portrayed, but the dystopian setting of this book gave the relationships a deeper bonding this time round AND there was noticeable attention to relationships outside of the romantic ones. I loved the grouchy Devi and the sweet Maddock.

I don't want to ruin anything, but I was also impressed by the layers and tricks that were woven into the plotline. Some of them I figured out and I looked forward to their reveal, but these more obvious ones hid the sly twists that hit you in the gut. Leading to some scenes that were incredibly hard to read and I had to take a pause occasionally.

The ending sets up easily for the next in the series (I assume?!) and I am intrigued to find out how this rag tag band of misfits manages to survive... or not? You just never know!

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Review: Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening

Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I recieved a copy of this title from NetGalley for an unbiased review.

Firstly I wanted to read this title because it is ridiculously pretty. The cover caught me instantly and I was so happy when I was able to get it. This style follows throught the whole volume and even the grotesque in it is somehow beautiful.

There is a bit of confusion about the world and what exactly is going on, that I didn't feel was entirely cleared up, but this is the first of many so I am willing to let that unfold. There is more than enough action going on to satisfy me when reading anyway!

The heroine is a mystery and delightfully frank in her actions. She is clearly on a mission and I will be picking up the second volume to find out what that is, and hopefully build upon the world and make it as rich as it deserves to be.

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Book Review: The Rest Of Us Just Live Here - by Patrick Ness (Four Stars)

I went into this book with high hopes and huge expectations. For me a Patrick Ness novel is always a pleasure to read. Meeting the man in person is considerably more intimidating, so be aware before you go to see him for the first time!

I think that most people reading this book will be a fan of Ness’s writing style and this doesn’t disappoint at all. He knows exactly how to capture the teenage voice and make it applicable to any situation. This is a fantasy novel that is working it’s hardest not to be. And I admire that as a concept. Much as I enjoy a good fantasy novel full of daring deeds and brave people – how many times have I also secretly thought that the hero was an idiot? Many other people have mentioned in their reviews that this novel seems to have been heavily influenced by Buffy and I totally see where that comes from. I always had a soft spot for Xander and I feel like we have his story played out here. In a world that regularly falls apart, where fights can break out at any moment how do you also manage to live a daily teenage life. Being a teenager is already about heightened emotions and everything is intense, seeing the wider picture is hard. I liked the juxtaposition in the novel of the snippets of the ‘Indie Kids’ story line, which were short and punchy and to the point, unlike the general fantasy novel exposition, and the day-to-day lives and actions were drawn out and described in detail.

Instead of pure action this book heavily relies on its cast of characters. Mikey is the main character and watching him interpret and misunderstand the world around him was a pleasure and all too familiar. Even as you are certain that he is missing something you are still just as much in the dark as him.

What I really about Patrick Ness is that you can never have a preconceived notion of what to expect from his writing because he always goes out of his way to surprise you and that is such a joy when so many books just do the same thing. I think everyone who has ever felt on the outside can learn something from this book – just being you is your story, and that’s pretty wonderful.