Review: Numbers

Numbers by Rachel Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first book in the 'Numbers' series, really serves as a prequel to what I would consider to be the main storyline. Its the events that lead up to everything else, and having read all three in the series this first book holds a special place for me.

At first I thought I was getting myself into a dystopian world and so was confused to find myself very much grounded in the here and now, apart from the one crucial difference that was Jem's special ability.

There are huge things that I do find incredibly unbelievable about it. And several times I just wanted to smack some sense into the pair of them, but for the most part I felt like the author did her characters justice. Both Jem and Spider are hideously flawed and that is what made them seem real. How can you root for people and their relationship if you don't believe they are actual people. The flaws also made it more charming that they came together.

I certainly came to care for them enough that during the final few moments of the book (even though you KNOW it has to happen) I was sad and secretly hoping something would happen to fix it all.

Well worth a read, but just know what you're getting into and you have to read the whole series to truly appreciate it!!

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Review: Girl in the Dark

Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was much more than I expected it to be.

It is not a pity me story, which it could have easily been. Instead it faced the harsh realities of a woman who is living with something I don't know I could handle, but it also celebrated the wins and joy that she could find. This is something that I found incredibly touching throughout the story.

Anna is a woman who develops a severe sensitivity to light and how she has to try to work to make the world around her livable. It chronicles how she occupies her mind during lengthy periods alone, her joy at brief moments of remission and most importantly of all her relationship with her husband.

While the book would have always been an important one, Anna's story deserves to be told, it is the central relationship with Pete that really spoke to me and I think makes the book as lovely as it is. They way they grow and handle things is touching, the moment where they made it to a rose garden together made me genuinely well up. Because of course a couple wants to go sit in a beautiful location together and the fact that it was made possible, that made me incredibly happy.

The book is also frank about the way that when you have an illness (I think any long term one, not just in Anna's case) that you will lose people who simply don't have time or find it difficult. This book is careful not to blame them for this and shows it in an understanding light. But also the network of people that comes out of it was something special.

I'm left rather rambling as I think back about this book, because I couldn't decide if I was happy or sad at the end. I rather think this is how it is meant to leave the reader. That is life. Nothing is all good or all bad and humans have an amazing adaptability to try and make the best out of any situation.

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Review: Armada

Armada by Ernest Cline
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a book that I so desperately wanted to like and have been waiting to read until I could sit down and consume in in one go. Ready Player One had totally blown my mind when I first read it and I was so ready to have it happen again.

I think that anticipation is what leads me to want to give this book a three star rating, but sadly I just can't justify it and had to remain strong at two stars. The premise of Armada is amazing, and as someone who loves to game (please can I go into a Final Fantasy world now??) I was excited to read about someone like me who had to face up to the reality of it happening. And the very start of the book lived up to this, mostly. Zack was interesting and there were so many facets of his character that could be explored, the people around him had real potential to develop and further the plot.

Then it was almost like the story got away from Cline. It started to unravel so quickly it was hard to keep up with it and I felt almost became a parody of itself. I rarely say this, but I feel the book could have benefited from being another 100 pages long. Many of the plot points that were brought up were just left in the dust as the action got underway.

For example, a lot was made of Zack's anger issues and that was the reason he wasn't recruited sooner, but nothing ever came of it. It was never dealt with. Once its stopped being a useful plot device it was discarded and I felt like it could have rounded him out so much better!

This is what happened with the side characters too. They had their brief purpose and just not enough time was devoted to anyone to give them real personalities. After Ready Player One had such an amazing cast of characters, I do feel this was the biggest let down of the book for me. I wanted to fall in love with them and wish them well through this journey, but they were stereotypes at best.

As I said, I like the premise of this book and I think with more space it could have been developed well. I will certainly read whatever Cline brings out next, because this could easily be a blip or second novel issues. His first book let me know that he has amazing talent. Sadly it just didn't shine in this particular novel.

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Review: Mirror: The Mountain

Mirror: The Mountain by Emma Ríos
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a really beautiful graphic novel, there is no doubt about that. The style of the art is gorgeous and totally dreamlike, but I'm afraid that is where my fondness for it ends. It's such a shame because I really felt as though the story had amazing potential - like serious potential.

BUT nothing gets enough time. This could have done with being at least two volumes this long, if not three, to give time for the world building to really have a chance and for us to actually get to know the characters. Some of them had the potential to be truly complex and in depth and I wanted to know so much more about them. The story is so rushed and the time jumps all over the place so you have to rely on really little details to try and understand what is going on.

It's such a shame because I loved the idea and the art is a dream. Then it just doesn't deliver. I wanted to loved it and couldn't make myself.

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Review: Mirror: The Mountain

Mirror: The Mountain by Emma Ríos
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a really beautiful graphic novel, there is no doubt about that. The style of the art is gorgeous and totally dreamlike, but I'm afraid that is where my fondness for it ends. It's such a shame because I really felt as though the story had amazing potential - like serious potential.

BUT nothing gets enough time. This could have done with being at least two volumes this long, if not three, to give time for the world building to really have a chance and for us to actually get to know the characters. Some of them had the potential to be truly complex and in depth and I wanted to know so much more about them. The story is so rushed and the time jumps all over the place so you have to rely on really little details to try and understand what is going on.

It's such a shame because I loved the idea and the art is a dream. Then it just doesn't deliver. I wanted to loved it and couldn't make myself.

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Review: Holding Up the Universe

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was nervous about reading Holding Up the Universe (after being able to give my hands on an advance copy) because of the topic at hand. Weight is such a sensitive topic and there has been so much media hype that I was concerned about just how it would be handled and how much of a big deal would be made of the romance aspect. Jennifer Niven isn't known for shying away from her strong opinions about things and having had the pleasure of meeting her I know that she is a writer who is very conscious about not shying away from difficult conversations.

I have to say that this was an incredibly quick read and one that just made me want to keep turning the pages. The reason for this is that the characters are strong, and in my opinion much stronger than in her first novel. I could empathise with both Jack and Libby.

Jack is like no other character that I've encountered before, by the very fact that he cannot recognise faces you are also left in the dark. Even when Jack thinks he knows who he is talking to you can never be certain because of his illness. It's unnerving to even read so I cannot imagine what it would be like to live with. I feel that he handles it in a way that is unusual. It would have been very easy for him to become a character who avoided people because of his inability to recognise them. However, instead he becomes the very life and soul of his school. He uses the jock stereotype to his advantage and has to deal with the fact that it will also make people totally misunderstand him.

We come to Libby at a really unusual time in her life, where she has overcome so much and used it to make herself stronger - but we get to see the vulnerable aspects that she still has. The parts that she doesn't let anyone (even Jack see). She is bold and so very smart. She understands how to support and help other people (even when she doesn't necessarily want to) because she has had to go on the journey herself.

I don't want to give too much away about what happens because I feel that this is an important storyline to experience with no preconception about what is going to happen and how things unfold. I didn't expect it and that made it even more enjoyable.


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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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