GUEST REVIEW: Lies We Tell Ourselves - Robin Talley

GENRE: YA
PAGES: 384
PUBLISHER: MIRA Ink
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

Lie #1: I'm not afraid. 

Lie #2: I'm sure I'm doing the right thing. 

Lie# 3: I don't care what they think of me. 

It's 1959. The battle for civil rights is raging. And it's Sarah's first day of school as one of the first black students at previously all-white Jefferson High. No one wants Sarah there. Not the Governor. Not the teachers. And certainly not the students - especially Linda, daughter of the town's most ardent segregationist. Sarah and Linda are supposed to despise each other. But the more time they spend together, the less their differences matter. And both girls start to feel something they've never felt before. Something they're determined to ignore. Because it's one thing to stand up to an unjust world - but another to be terrified of what's in your own heart.

REVIEW

It’s 1959 and the world is changing for two teenage girls who are thrown into each other’s paths as Jefferson High introduces black students to its halls for the very first time. Lies We Tell Ourselves is told between Sarah and Linda two girls who at the start of the book appear to be very different but little do they know are actually the flip side to the same coin in the battle for civil rights.

Sarah is one of the first black girls to be integrated and right from the first chapter I was equally horrified and heartbroken for her and the abuse she had to go through. Linda is a popular white girl who’s been told all her life that black people are beneath her and so when she gets to know Sarah during a school project she’s confused and torn by what she herself is learning to be true and wanting to uphold her family’s reputation and please her father whose career is built on segregation. Both girls are equally interesting to read about as they go on a tremendous journey to figure out for themselves what’s wrong and what’s right.

Lies We Tell Ourselves is set at a point in history where people’s minds were slowly changing towards equality and so I found it really interesting that author Robin Talley decided to take a look at gay rights as well for comparison. I thought this was well explored through Linda’s best friend Judy who’s one of the only white students to accept Sarah yet sees homosexuality as sinful and wrong. It was interesting to read about how minds move and at what pace especially when it comes to equality.

There’s a lot of important messages and themes throughout Lies We Tell Ourselves but my personal favourite is one that I believe stands the test of time and is at the root of all good change and that is to do what you feel in your heart to be right rather than what you’ve been told is right. Seeing Sarah and Linda find their own way and the strength it takes to do that is an incredibly empowering thought to take away from this book.

Every now and then a Young Adult book comes along that I want to push into every readers hands both young and old and Lies We Tell Ourselves is that book for 2014.

- Jess.

GUEST REVIEW: The Queen Of The Tearling - Erika Johnasen

GENRE: Adult Fantasy
PAGES: 448
PUBLISHER: Bantam Press
FORMAT: Hardback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother - Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid - was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea's uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea's 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother's guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding...

And so begins her journey back to her kingdom's heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother's legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive...

REVIEW

I really loved this book! It had many flaws but I was so engrossed in the plot that I completely ignored them and absolutely loved the book anyway!

Kelsea Glynn is an amazing character! In fact she’s quite possibly of my favourite fictional characters (up there with Hermione Granger, Hazel Grace Lancaster and Celeana Sardothien!) She is strong (but not necessarily physically like Celeana, Tris or Katniss) ! I’ve never known a character with so much resilience! Despite the fact that attempts are constantly made on her life she stays determined and focussed on being a good queen and restoring the Kingdom. I found her incredibly inspirational! Kelsea doesn’t develop much over the book (she had her strength and courage from the beginning) but I still really loved her!

Out of all of the books I have read recently, I have found most of them predictable! However ‘The Queen of the Tearling’ had me gripped throughout trying to work out what was going to happen next! I really felt that anything could happen and that made my reading experience more thrilling!

My favourite genres are dystopian, fantasy and historical and I was delighted to find that this book is a combination of the three making it the perfect choice for me! Whilst being set in the future, the world was very simplistic and the whole book is centred around the Monarchy, giving The Queen of the Tearling a historical feel. There are a few fantasy elements too!

So this book is already set to become a film (starring the wonderful Emma Watson.) I think it would make a really awesome film and I would love to see the book come to life on screen!

- Priya.

REVIEW: A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness

GENRE: Adult/Fantasy/Contemporary
PAGES: 703
PUBLISHER: Headline
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

This book is for older readers.

SUMMARY

A world of witches, daemons and vampires. A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future. Diana and Matthew - the forbidden love at the heart of it. When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it's an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft. Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she's kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires. Sensing the significance of Diana's discovery, the creatures gather in Oxford, among them the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire genticist. Diana is inexplicably drawn to Matthew and, in a shadowy world of half-truths and old enmities, ties herself to him without fully understanding the ancient line they are crossing. As they begin to unlock the secrets of the manuscript and their feelings for each other deepen, so the fragile balance of peace unravels...

REVIEW

Wow, this book is amazing!

This has to be one of the most beautifully written and engaging stories I've ever read. Deborah Harkness's historical knowledge suffuses the plot with incredibly vivid details that paint a wonderful picture of Matthew's life (good and bad aspects!). Diana is a fantastic character; Intelligent, funny, brave, kind, loyal and determined, she's the perfect heroine that readers would want to aspire to be. The romance between Diana and Matthew is captivating, thankfully it's not a typical swoony type supernatural romance, it's a beautiful relationship based on their protectiveness of each other and the romantic scenes are sensual and lusty and fit in perfectly with the way vampires have always been described to be. 

The plot is outstanding and incredibly intricate, the way that Deborah has rooted the history of witches, vampires and daemons in with science and evolution is mind blowing - it truly makes it seem plausible that these creatures exist! I never like giving away any plot points because it spoils it for others, but with each chapter that passed I fell more in love with this book. I'm so glad my friends Bex and Jane told me to read it. Don't be put off by the size, not even one single sentence is unnecessary - it will draw you in and not let you go until the last word and then you will be desperate for the next instalment in Diana and Matthew's adventure.

- Gem.

Soulless - Gail Carriger

GENRE: Historical/Supernatural/Steampunk (Adult)
PAGES: 320
PUBLISHER: Orbit
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

Alexia Tarabotti is labouring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire - and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Or will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

REVIEW

I absoluely ADORED this book. Think of Jane Austen; her wit, her characters and settings, and add in the freedom of a 21st century writer, vampires, werewolves and a host of other species, and what you'll have is the Parasol Protectorate series. The characters are happily flawed, especially Alexia Tarabotti herself, who's half Italian tan skin 'pales' in comparison to the fair Victorian trend.

This is the first Steampunk novel I've ever read, although there aren't that many definitive Steampunk elements. There are, of course, some fantastic machines, like the one that can make a you a cup of tea while you're happily rolling along in your carriage. It's rather a travesty that modern cars can't do this yet. Having said this, it's only the first in the series and I fully expect to see the Steampunk elements develop.

The main characters are Alexia Tarabotti, a spinster whom I desperately wish was real so I could experience her fantastic backhands and comebacks in real life; Lord Conall Maccon, a Scottish earl who tries to hide his accent and just happens to be Alpha of the Westminster Werewolf pack; and Lord Akeldama, a most flamboyant vampire and absolute delight to read. Carriger paints her characters with a combined grace and awkwardness - no matter whether werewolf or vampire each person is so brightly painted they could almost be real, and certainly people I would want in my life.

This is also the first novel I have read that has made me prefer werewolves over vampires, and that is a rather hard thing to accomplish. Well done Ms. Carriger.

- Bex.