Review: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: A Spoon Too Short

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: A Spoon Too Short by Arvind Ethan David
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a pretty solid graphic novel. Whimsical, which is totally what you expect from Dirk Gently, and a strong dash of the utterly bizarre! The story was entertaining, though a little confusing from time to time, but I felt like the characterization was incredibly strong and the glimpses into Dirk's childhood and how he became the man he is was especially fascinating.

The artwork takes a little getting used to. In some instances it's almost ugly in its presentation of the characters and then suddenly there are a couple of frames that are glorious, which led me to believe the ugliness is deliberate.

*I got a download of this title from NetGalley for free, for a honest review*

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Review: Saga, Volume 1

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I decided to re-read volume 1-2 of this series as I have just gotten the latest ones for my collection.

It's easy to see why these graphic novels have quickly become classics. The artwork is gorgeous and each of the characters are deep and beautifully flawed. There is so much to work with here and this first collection scene sets to perfection. Having a narrator looking back, who doesn't have a voice in the present as you read it, is a fun technique and you feel like you're in safe hands with her voice.

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Review: The Children of the Moon

The Children of the Moon by Laekan Zea Kemp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I went into this book expecting it to be the last one, which probably coloured my opinion a little as I thought things were going to be wrapped up. Turns out there is at least one more!

Quite a few things that I had loved about the first two books were missing this time, lost to the sudden new world that Bryn is dealing with and the setting that needs to happen. There is a whole host of characters in this book that don't feel entirely fleshed out and so it becomes a little difficult to care about them. This was in sharp contrast to the introduction of the Rouges in the previous book, who I would have loved to see more of actually. I must say that Cole was a firm new favourite of mine!

You get a lot of new scene setting in this book and that is a little confusing. However, my niggles with this book aren't going to stop me from reading the next one in the series. I'm in the great position where I'm not 100% certain of how things are going to end, it could go in so many fascinating ways!

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Review: The Boy In Her Dreams

The Boy In Her Dreams by Laekan Zea Kemp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the second book in this series almost as much as the first one. I think that it went in directions that I wasn't totally expecting and at first I found it a little disorientating, but once I accepted it was becoming a proper fantasy novel I fell right back into the world. I think Roman and Bryn's relationship was a little too easily explained away by the whole soulmates tag, and personally I would have liked to see them actually working a bit harder to maintain their relationship. Dani and Felix remain two of my favourite characters, and the introduction of Sam to the storyline was surprisingly charming!



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Book Review: The Duff by Kody Keplinger (3 Stars)

I picked up this book after hearing generally positive things about it, and wanting a bit of light relief after reading several heavy fantasy books and classic literature. It’s a very fast read and I read it in one sitting of about two hours. You do have to suspend a certain amount of disbelief and just accept that this is not a book where reality is going to play a big part.

For example, having been a teenager and having experienced many boys like Wesley I could not quite get over the fact that there was no way he could turn out to be the good guy that he did, despite his redeeming storyline. Anyone who comes up with the tern DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) is not a nice person at heart, I’m sorry but that is just the way that I feel. It takes a certain mind to come up with such a cruel phrase. I am all for Bianca claiming the term and using Wesley, as it starts off, I would also have been happy for them to become friends out of it and have grown through it. I actually would have preferred that they hadn’t fallen in love, it just didn’t quite ring true – and for someone who loves a good happy ending this is pretty hard for me to say.

That being said, once I got over my disbelief, I really did enjoy this book. There were some strong messages that came out, towards the end of the book in particular, about how all teenage girls seem insecure no matter how beautiful they are perceived to be. I think this is something that is really important in today’s world where it is so easy to be negative and the media pushes us towards these feelings. The way that the girls come together at the end to talk through their issues and support each other was something I really enjoyed of and we need to see more of. It was also really nice to have two so-called beautiful friends who were genuinely good people and cared about the heroine. There were no darker intentions behind their friendship, all they wanted to do was help and support Bianca – even when she’s being a truly terrible friend.

I debated long and hard between giving this book two stars and three stars, but in the end my enjoyment of the friendship aspect overcame my issue with the relationship and the one-dimensional side characters. There is a solid message in The Duff in my opinion, even if it isn’t the one that I expected when I first picked up the book.

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.

Book Review - The Bone Season + The Mime Order

A little late to the party I find myself a relatively happy new convert to Samantha Shannon’s writing. Amid the declarations that her series would be the new Harry Potter I must admit that I was sceptical and decided to let the furore die down before I tried reading The Bone Season. With the publication of The Mime Order earlier this year I decided that this was the perfect time to give it a go. With two (rather large!) books out I felt it would give me a better flavour for this new world that I was about to be introduced to.

I have to say that I am really glad that I took the time! I don’t think I would have been anywhere near as convinced to read The Mime Order if I didn’t already have it in my hand, and now I am among many impatient people waiting for the third instalment.

That isn’t to say that The Bone Season wasn’t good, because I really did enjoy it – especially once I got past the first 150 pages – but I feel that my reservations are best described by something a colleague said to me. It is a fantasy book that isn’t really aimed at fantasy readers. I went into The Bone Season, with all its HP hype, expecting magic, wonder, excitement… a whole host of things. What I got was a blend of the above with many dystopian tropes thrown in. The corrupt puppet government – or I should say governments – the slang for the technology, the very strict regulations. The first part of the book feels like an info dump about all of these new things. Acronyms are thrown at you with barely an explanation and I found myself flicking back several pages to double check what some of them meant. A very complicated social structure is introduced, and I didn’t find the flow chart at the start especially helpful, and it took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out that most of the characters had duel names. Even if you asked me now 1000ish pages or story later I wouldn’t be able to give you a clear description of it all. What I did appreciate is how much Shannon has put into this world, once you get over the massive rush of information the world is beautifully thought out and it is seamlessly put together. Once you start to understand how it works you never question the legitimacy of people’s actions or events. To continue the comparison to Harry Potter, the first part of this book is hard going because you are thrown into the world with a fully mature protagonist whereas in Harry Potter the reader learns along with Harry.

Paige is a delight as a heroine. Strong, determined and as scared as anyone should be in her situation. Once the action of The Bone Season changes scenery to Shoel she grows more and more as you see her totally out of her comfort zone and attempting to find her way in this strange new environment. You believe at the end of the book that she really is the one to lead the rebellion. Her character development and growth in The Mime Order is well paced and the climactic chapters really do keep you on edge. You know how far she has come, you have lived each moment with her, but you still can’t be quite certain she has the guts to go through with what she’s planned. Her relationship with Jaxon is so well developed by this point and you see all the shades of grey that he can be, you yourself aren’t certain if you want her to have the guts either. This is why the end of the book is such a kicker. Sitting on the train I drew breath in loudly enough that the people around me turned round to look. Whatever else happened, I wasn’t expecting that.

By the way, can you tell that I’m trying really hard not to put any spoilers in here?

One of the things that did disappoint me a little about The Mime Order was the character that had been the highlight for me in the prequel. Warden. He really shone for me in The Bone Season, the tension of where we thought he was the good guy but you could never be certain. All of his actions seemed to be to help Paige, but it was always possible that it was a clever double bluff – right up until the ending where all doubts are cast aside. Classic antihero stuff. Compared to this he felt very one dimensional in the second book. Apart from the very thrilling rescue scene I found the moments with him were rather dull. With his mystery stripped it was all a little cold.

To be fair The Bone Season had a much larger cast than the first book. There is so much going on and so much that I wanted to find out, I have always been a sucker for a good murder mystery, that the action is what kept me turning the page.

All in all, I am really pleased that I decided to give this series a go, but I stand by my decision to wait until some of the hype died down. I still think it should be counted as a massive marketing and publicity success on behalf of the Bloomsbury team. I can think of at least half a dozen books that do just as good a job and aren’t anywhere near as successful. If you are looking for a thoroughly original world with a fun cast of characters then give this a try.

 

The Bone Season - ***

The Mime Order - ****