26 Books: A Book You Loved. Read it Again.

This would have been number 24 in Bringing up Burns 2015.

Just E this time!

'Star Dancer' by Beth Webb (E):
(reread January 2015)

Tegen is born the night the stars dance. At the end of the Iron Age, the age of Roman invasion, of druids and of magic, her birth is auspicious. A prophecy has foretold that a 'star dancer' will be born who will be able to save the people in the face of the troubles to come. But, from everything the people know, their traditions, prejudices, knowledge, the star dancer just can't be a girl... can it?

The first in the Star Dancer quartet - we are introduced to our wonderful heroine, Tegen. She is young, but wise beyond her years: Webb has managed a good balance between this wisdom and youth - she deals with death and powerful magic, but she still weeps in her mother's arms. A realistic heroine, in comparison to many of the oh-too-strong heroines that YA books have. She and her step brother, Griff, learn to navigate the world of spirits and druidic life, whilst battling against those who would have them overthrown within their own village. Building to a thrilling climax, Star Dancer leaves you desperate for the next book.

It is nice to read a YA series that isn't dystopian. Don't get me wrong - I love my dystopias! - but it is so refreshing to read something original, and wholly unique. As a reader, you can tell the thoughtful and thorough research that has gone into the writing of this - from the food they eat and the clothes they wear, to their beliefs and superstitions. A fascinating insight to Iron Age Britain - not an age that gets much written about for younger readers. 

The story is entirely absorbing and you really warm to the characters. I have a special place in my heart for "half head" Griff. He has Down's Syndrome and it was interesting to see how someone with a disability may have been treated; Webb deals with this subject very sensitively. I enjoyed the variety of characters as well: different ages, professions, beliefs, backgrounds... Just so much to explore! It's like being placed in an Iron Age village and being given a personal tour! Every character is carefully crafted, and realistic - at times, painfully so. It is hard to see the failings of human nature presented so clearly, because it feels real.

It may feel like a younger child's read at the start, but as the novel continues it definitely moves into teenage territory! The themes explored are complex, and the story becomes darker as the story progresses. I won't give anything more away - but the ending is pretty terrifying!

Overall, a brilliantly unique story, perfect for YA readers - particularly for people who want something a little different.

E

26 Books: A Book Published This Year

So, here we are again with our 26 books for 2015 after a little gap. Lots been going on in the household what with awaiting lambs (!) and organising concerts and other bits and bobs. Poor 26 books got neglected. But here we go, a book published this year (this year being 2015 as we're so late!)

This would have been number five for Bringing up Burns 2015.

'The Honours' by Tim Clare (J):
(read October 2015)
Truly extraordinary. I am still reeling and don't know what to think. It was wild, exhilarating, weird, gruesome and probably very good. I do recommend it, and not to the faint hearted.

'Emma' by Alexander McCall Smith (A):
(just out of 2015, published a few months before:
(read January 2015)
First book of 2015 and I really enjoyed it! It's an extraordinary mix of the 'real' Emma with a modern twist. At times it felt as if it were jane Austen's words and characters and then suddenly modern speech and objects suddenly surfaced.











'Everything Everything' by Nichola Moon (E): 
(read November 2015)

Wow. What a book. There's been a lot of hype about this book, so I bought it ages ago and had forgotten the premise, and actually anything about it! A nice surprise.

I really enjoyed it. It drew me in from the start and even though I sort of guessed the ending, it kept me turning the pages until the end. It was sort of cheesy, sort of predictable, but I gobbled it up (1&1/2 hours straight). A fantastic read. I can't really explain why it was so enjoyable. It's not a masterpiece, and it felt far too short - I could've kept reading for a long time. I think it also could've gone into a bit more depth about Maddy living with SCID, as it felt as though her going outside wasn't actually shocking enough for someone in her position.

Definitely recommend - very, very fast (too fast!) and engaging from the start. Good book for an evening in. The ending was irritating, and cheapened the whole book. It made it much more of a generic YA romance that had stemmed from something different. I seem to be saying a lot of negatives for a book I've given four stars too! Basically, I enjoyed it despite its flaws.

Updated to add: thinking about this further, there are even more flaws in this book. It's actually pretty unsatisfactory and sort of silly. It's odd how perspective can alter your view on a book. I'll leave the stars up, as that was how much I felt on just finishing it, which seems valid.






Hope everyone's reading nice things, and enjoyed this post! Drop us a comment if you've read any of these books.

Book Review: Tell the Wind and Fire

When I saw that there was an ARC for something by Sarah Rees Brennan possibly up for grabs - I had to request it. Honestly? I didn't even read the blurb. I liked the Daemon's Lexicon trilogy so so much

The Lady herself

(though didn't get on with the Lyndburn Legacy) that it was a must.

Tell the Wind and Fire is set in a New York that has been split into two cities: the light and the dark. The light have their own magic, and the dark's is much weaker, but the clinch is that when a light wizard uses a lot of magic, a dark magician is needed to drain their blood to stop them getting a sort of 'magic overload' as I think. This is the story of Lucie, born in the dark, child of the light, darling of the poster boy of the light who becomes, not entirely through her own choice in a historic battle between the two cities. There's witty humour, swords, pretty gems, secret hiding places, lies, plots and characters being unexpected. Ooh, and there's dopplegangers.

Now, I found out that this book is based on Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, which I've read, and I had no idea. So, either: I have completely forgotten how that story goes, or this is a very loose adaptation. I can see the doppleganger idea with people looking alike and (wait for it...) the fact there are two cities. Please someone else enlighten me. To be fair, I haven't AToTT since I was about eight, so maybe I have just forgotten.

It was an enjoyable read. It did not remotely hit the spot of Dameon's Lexicon, nor was it as (in my opinion) poor as the Lyndburn series. It was told as first person from Lucie, but in a lot of ways I feel we still didn't really know here that well by the end. And we certainly didn't know any other character, bar Carywen. Makes sense because she's with him so much, but other characters are mentioned in a way that made me feel I should have the exact idea of who she's talking about, which is a little unnerving. 

To be published in early April

Unfortunately, there was a lot of information (no 'show don't tell') when describing the world at the beginning. Now, I really don't know how fantasy/sci-fi writers get past this because readers do need to know a lot before any action begins. It works better in other novels: e.g. Daemon's Lexicon, as opposed to Cecelia Ahern's Flawed I recently read, where it was horribly stilted. This was somewhere in the middle - and I really wouldn't know how to get it right!

Towards the end, where Carywn has little speech out about him not being 'good' and how he is still 'selfish' and that Lucie 'treated him like a was a real person'... Didn't work for me. A little OoC and a lot too cheesy.

Basically- I enjoyed it! At the end, Brennan said it can be a stand alone from A Tale of Two Cities. But surely this isn't a stand-alone novel in itself. There must be sequels!

PS Does anyone know has Carwyn is supposed to pronounced?