Young Adult – BookMarked

Book Review: Foretold

*Foretold* by Violet Lumani | View on Amazon | View on Book Depository

I just have to say, first of all, that I love this cover. I’m generally not into anything to do with scrying or psychics or mystics or even really astrology, but something about that delicate violet cloud of smoke and the golden lettering… It just really screams magic and fantasy, doesn’t it? It definitely drew me in immediately.

If you’ve read any of my other reviews on my blog, you’ll probably know that I’m a sucker for any novel that includes mental health issues – as long as it’s told well. This is one of those. The protagonist, Cassie, has OCD and extreme anxiety and catastrophic thinking. It’s not the focus of the story, but it’s also obvious how it impacts her life in so many ways. This is a delicate balance. As someone with their own struggles, I know how irritating it is to be defined by your diagnoses, yet it’s equally infuriating when people don’t understand how these illnesses can affect you in so many ways. I loved how Cassie’s compulsions showed up seemingly out of the blue at times, or how such ‘random’ things could be so meaningful or triggering for her. But, like I said, I also appreciate that this isn’t the main plot, and so it isn’t focused on too much, either, in my opinion.

As for the fantasy side of things, that was also great! It was all explained well – as in, I was made to believe that it was plausible, it was possible. I was immersed in the world of Cassie and her friends as they learned to harness their gifts, and I was fascinated to see how far Cassie would go in order to change the fate she’s seen. It was exciting and action-packed for sure, and I’m beyond intrigued to find out more.

There was, of course, a romance element, too. I’m not much into teen/YA romance but I didn’t hate it. There was a sort of love triangle that develops, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Even so, I was invested in Cassie’s aim to save Collin, and I generally liked all the characters and enjoyed their relationships and interactions.

*Thank you to the author/publisher for providing me the opportunity to read and review this book*

This was one of those proper fantasy books that you can get lost in, which is what we all need sometimes, right? It definitely was not sugarcoated – there are a lot of harsh realities, moments of grief and pain and loss, and no fairytale happy ending. But there are elements of humour, too, bittersweet memories and touching moments. It certainly left me wanting to read on. 4.5 stars.

Book Review: The Iron Raven (The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1)

*The Iron Raven (The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1)* by Julie Kagawa | View on Amazon | View on Book Depository

It’s about time I finally got round to writing this review as I’m now halfway through the second book of the Evenfall series. I read this first one back in June 2021!

Before reading this, I had not read any of Kagawa’s works. I did not read any of the other Iron Fey series and so I was not acquainted with any of the characters or settings in this. Luckily, as this is technically the start of a new series, it laid out the essentials of the world and history of certain characters, so I didn’t feel too lost. That said, there were a fair few references to events that I wasn’t privy to, so in hindsight, it may have been better to read some of the other books first. But I want to stress that reading the other Iron Fey books is not necessary to enjoy and appreciate this one.

I love modern takes on stories regarding fey and magic, and I adore seeing well-known characters such as Puck (or Robin Goodfellow) portrayed in different ways. Puck, in this novel, was cheeky and mischievous but certainly had a dark side to him. I really enjoyed him as a character; even if, at first, I found him perhaps a little too cocky. But the other characters – in particular Nyx and Meghan – were just as wonderful and interesting. While Nyx is new to this series, I believe Meghan features heavily in previous books. I’m really quite tempted to go back and read those other books to find out more about her, as well as Puck’s history with Ash, another major character.

This book has a ton of excitement and adventure, action, magic, and fighting. It’s what I love about the fantasy genre, with its ability to transport you to a whole new world. And of course, it leaves us wanting more! It’s such a great take on the concept of fey and the different courts, and I particularly love the whole idea of the Between. (Kieran is another great character I’d like to mention; if you like him, you’ll definitely be interested in the next book. I’m only halfway through but I’m enjoying it immensely so far!) This is just perfect for curling up on a rainy evening, a way of escaping into a magical world of equal beauty and danger. 4 stars!

Book Review: Between Perfect and Real

*Between Perfect and Real* by Ray Stoeve | View on Amazon | View on Book Depository

I want to begin this review by pointing out that I, personally, am in no place to really comment on the accuracy of many of the themes in this book. I’m not transgender or gay or queer and so I can never fully understand anyone in any position similar to that of Dean in this book.

The main character of this book is 17-year-old Dean, seen by most as a female. But Dean knows he’s not ‘Deanna’, and when he’s cast as a non-traditional Romeo in a school production, he gets to experience being male properly for the first time. He doesn’t want to go back to living a life of pretend; but how will he tell his girlfriend that he’s not a lesbian, he’s a guy? Not to mention the huge ordeal of coming out to his parents…

This book follows Dean through a real rollercoaster of emotions and experiences that many of us may find hard to even comprehend. It’s a story of love and loss, of growth, of self-acceptance, of strength and empowerment. Dean is bullied, his once-perfect plans are tossed in the air, and everything seems so uncertain. Yet he navigates his way through this tremendously difficult time and builds some valuable relationships along the way. Most importantly, though, he begins to understand the importance of accepting himself.

Overall, the book was a really enjoyable read. There was a lot of emotion, and I really felt connected to Dean as a character despite not necessarily relating to him/his circumstances. I can’t say whether this is a particularly good representation of LGBTQ+ themes, but I felt it at least raised awareness of some important topics. A strong 4.5 stars from me.

Book Review: Destination Anywhere

*Destination Anywhere* by Sara Barnard | View on Amazon | View on Book Depository

I love Sara Barnard’s writing so had no doubt I would enjoy this to some degree. However, it’s not my usual style; yes, I love YA, and I love travel, but I usually like a bit more of a mystery or thriller aspect to my books. I don’t particularly like romance, and this does have some aspects of romance in it, but is not centred around it which I definitely appreciated.

First of all, I have to say I related to Peyton in a few ways. No, I never experienced exactly what she did (I’ll avoid spoilers, but it was certainly dramatic). But I get the feeling of needing to run away, to start over. I also understand her struggle of finding friends, of wanting to fit in and be liked; it’s really quite sad how it all backfired on her. And of course, no 17-year-old should really drop out of school and run away from home, but I’m sure a lot of us had times when we were tempted, right?

The journey that Peyton undertakes is quite wonderful. It made me want to travel more myself. At times, Peyton did get emotional and overwhelmed, and I don’t blame her. It wasn’t a holiday. She had literally run away. But she managed to enjoy herself, meet some wonderful people, and even patch things up with her family who were halfway around the world from her. (Plus, meeting some family that’s not so far away, for the very first time.)

It was a pretty feel-good book overall, despite the rather emotional and traumatic backstory. Peyton was certainly a flawed character, as every single one of us is. That made it so much easier to like her and relate to her. It was really easy to read and just enjoyable. 5 stars, though I wouldn’t quite put it on my ‘favourites’ list.

Book Review: Body of Stars

*Body of Stars* by Laura Maylene Walter | View on Amazon | View on Book Depository

So apparently I read this back in May. How time flies!

I love anything to do with stars, the night sky, galaxies, constellations and so on, so naturally, I was drawn to this book instantly. I had no idea how much I would fall in love with it! It’s beautifully written, addressing such potent topics while still being enjoyable, and has a fantastic sense of mysticality and magic realism alongside a torrent of emotion. It’s a coming-of-age story with a strong feminist core that I think readers of varying ages can appreciate. It’s not actually about stars exactly, but rather the constellations of marks that females have across their bodies that can give insight into what one’s future holds. All girls go through a ‘changeling’ period when they gain they adult markings. For this time, the girls have a sort of ethereal glow about them that draws others in. Many girls look forward to this time, but it can be extremely dangerous.
The book follows one particular girl, Celeste. She sees older girls becoming changelings, and often going missing. Then when they return, no longer in their changeling phase, they often can’t remember a thing. Walter avoids any explicit details of what happens to these girls, but it’s not hard to piece together. When they return, there is a huge amount of stigma around these ‘taken’ girls, and they are always blamed for what happened to them, rather than the men who actually abducted and abused them. Sound familiar? Yeah.

As I mentioned above, there is a lot of relevance in this book in regards to misogyny in society. Not just the blame on the taken girls, but also the amount of strange rules women and girls have to abide by, including showing their new marks to their fathers. In fact, the girls’ bodies in this book are hardly their own; their marks must be regularly documented and interpreted.

There are also some key moments in Celeste’s personal life. For one, her brother, Miles, has always been fascinated by the markings on his sister’s skin. Boys don’t get markings; they’re also unable to pursue the career of interpreting, which is what Miles dreams of. When Celeste changes into her adult markings, Miles is desperate to see them, but Celeste refuses. She hides her marks from everyone; the stars on her skin have revealed a terrible truth that she is not ready to face.

There’s so much more to this book than what I’ve written, though. There are girls who’d dreams are dashed by the abuse they suffered; girls who are raising children when they are hardly more than children themselves; there are even girls who are ‘fated’ to be taken. But I won’t get into all that.

If you can’t tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though I know the plot, I think it’s one of those books I’d happily reread. It’s definitely on my favourites list for 2021 – 5 stars!

Book Review: A Conventicle of Magpies

*A Conventicle of Magpies* by L.M.R. Clarke | View on Amazon | View on Book Depository

This was an interesting read. I had quite mixed feelings about it, honestly, but overall I liked it. It’s kind of a clash of various genres in my opinion, and is a little different to what I’d usually go for. The plot is kind of complicated to describe but it involves a group of girls called the Conventicle of Magpies, an equivalent male group called The Shadow of Jaguars, and a longstanding feud between the Avanish people and the native Saosuiasei. The main character, a Magpie who goes by the name of Rook, is also trying to figure out who the mysterious murderer is that’s going around and killing Saosuiasei people, known as Billy Drainer. Oh, and some people have magical abilities, too, including Rook. Magic burns through blood, so some people even inject blood for extra power.

Inequality is a big theme throughout, and a horrific Avanish plan is uncovered exploiting the Saosuiasei for their blood. Rook has to go undercover, and a group of Magpies even breaks into the high-security prison where the worst criminals are kept. I’m probably not doing any of this justice, but hopefully you get the gist of some of the story.

Something particularly good about this is Rook’s best friend, a woman going by the name of Kestrel. She’s actually transgender, which would have been rather uncommon during the time period the book is set in. Rook is really protective of her, and the whole Conventicle of Magpies is wonderfully accepting. Her character was great in so many ways; she’s tall and large, but she giggles about boys and wears heels and makeup all the time (which Rook could never understand doing).

Another character of interest is a boy called Pit, who Rook was very close with. He’s half Avanish, and when he decided to work for the Avanish police (or the ‘Filth’) Rook pretty much cut all ties with him. Rook has to decide whether she can trust him anymore, or if he is truly one of them.

My main criticism of this book was that the dialogue seemed rather clunky and awkward, and the book was just a little slow going at times for me. But it was unique and interesting and I still enjoyed reading it. There are some very poignant themes, there’s action, there’s mystery, and there’s emotion. 4 stars!

Book Review: Witherward

I saw this book described as something fans of the Shadowhunters books would like, and I definitely agree that it has a fair few similarities to The Infernal Devices in particular (which, incidentally, was my favourite series of the Shadowhunters). We have a strong female protagonist, Ilsa, who lives in Victorian London. But she’s never quite fit in – mainly because she has powers that barely anyone else seems to have. She keeps them secret but uses them to her advantage in sneaky ways.

Then one day, her best friend is killed in front of her and a mysterious man claims to be here to rescue her. He tells her she’s a Changeling, and not from this world at all. He takes her to the parallel London of Witherward, where various factions of magical beings live not-so-harmoniously. She’s returned to a family she never knew of – though she’s still an orphan, as she’d always believed.

The book takes us through various areas of the Witherward’s London, with an array of odd and wonderful and dangerous characters. There’s a bit of action, a fair bit of emotion and heartache, betrayal, and mystery. The mystery element was particularly appealing to me, especially combined with the magical elements.

The characters were really lovable, too. I loved Fyfe possibly the most, and although Eliot was perhaps a little cliché as the dark and broody type, I still found myself very emotionally invested in him. And Ilsa was wonderful, of course – strong, proactive, and a bit of an odd-one-out no matter where she goes.

The ending was also pretty great – a decent conclusion, but definitely leading on to something more I should think. I can honestly say I’d be keen on reading any sequels! 4.5 stars.

Book Review: Paris by Starlight

Wow. I had hoped I would love this book and probably had my expectations set quite high, but I was still pleasantly surprised.

As the title suggests, this book mainly takes place in Paris – but not Paris as we know it. Isabelle, at twenty-three, is travelling around the city in search of her father. She last saw him there seventeen years ago, and with no particular leads or hints as to his whereabouts, Isabelle is left roaming from bar to bar in hopes that someone remembers him. Like her, he’s a talented harpist. Hence her list of bars and clubs; places he may have played.

In one of these establishments, Isabelle comes across a young girl, clearly starving and not speaking a word of French. Isabelle takes her for a meal and escorts her back home: an apartment full of women and girls, all equally un-fluent in French. This is where she meets Levon, the only French-speaking member of the household and brother to Arina, the young girl.

Over some time, Isabelle becomes trusted by the family, particularly Arina and her grandmother or Bebia, Maia. She begins teaching them French, and helps care for Maia when she falls ill. In turn, Isabelle learns to read Maia’s Nocturne, a book full of stories from their ‘old country’. Levon also speaks of his home, eventually explaining how they came to be forced from it.

Maia clings to her Nocturne and the tales it contains. She believes that the People of her homeland should still be living by night as their ancestors did, back when there was magic in the world. She also frequents the night garden growing on the roof, despite her ill health. Nobody is quite sure how she has grown this garden of plants from their old country; Maia is adamant that it sprouted itself, though nobody believes her. Night flowers that glow in the starlight begin to flourish – a piece of magic restored.

Thus, Paris-by-Starlight is established. The second home of the People, populated by enchanting nightjars and flowers of all different colours. On Christmas – or the Night of Seven Stars, as in the Nocturne – a breathtaking spectacle enthrals the entire city. Everyone rejoices in the beauty of Paris-by-Starlight and all the magic it holds.
But, of course, not everyone is happy. People begin to complain about the People; foreigners taking over their city, their home. A resistance is formed – and things go downhill very fast.

Through all this, Isabelle continues her search for her father, and is shocked when she actually finds him. Levon and Arina’s father, believed to be dead, suddenly appears. He is angered by the resistance and demands the People fight back.

I’ve probably not done the story justice at all. The plot is really quite intricate and difficult to summarise. But believe me when I say it’s emotional, magical, and heartbreaking in equal measure. There’s romance, there’s loss, and there’s prejudice. Despite the fantastical nature of Paris-by-Starlight itself, I found this story to be extremely reflective of the world we know. The attitudes of the resistance, so prejudiced and angry, are sadly very real in our society. Dinsdale’s narrative of this issue is just fantastic, in my opinion.

I realise this review is getting a bit rambly. Basically, I really loved this book. I absolutely adored the magic of Paris-by-Starlight, and was truly heartbroken by the negativity and prejudice of some of the characters. As for Isabelle and Levon – they had flaws, but I really liked them. Their relationship is far from perfect, and that’s exactly why I liked it. Beneath all the magic, I think there’s something in this book for everyone to take away.

Book Review: Kelpie Blue (Out of Underhill #1)

*Kelpie Blue (Out of Underhill #1)* by Mell Eight

I do love faerie stories – and modernised retellings and adaptations are always interesting to read. This book has a variety of fae but mostly focuses on Blue, a kelpie, and his relationship with the human boy, Rin. Blue’s form varies between human, semi-human, semi-horse, and horse – but is mostly nearer to human. The scene is set by Rin in a journal entry, where he describes his childhood, the accident that injured him so badly he could no longer ride horses, and the downfall of his mother’s business. He also talks of how he met Blue – but the book itself is written quite some time after their meeting, and their relationship is already very much established. Blue actually lives with Rin and his mother, who are fully aware of his fae nature and extremely accepting.

Much of the book is set in the ordinary human realm, with the three main characters struggling to keep the business afloat. As Blue is the only ‘horse’ that Rin is able to ride, they decide to enter a race to earn some money (and publicity). And while they’re preparing for this, Jim comes along. He’s another kind of faerie, and he’s looking for Blue.
And to top it all off, Rin’s mother is kidnapped soon after the big race. This demands a rescue mission, wherein Rin and Blue venture Underhill, to the faerie realm.

This sounds like a very epic fantasy adventure – and it is. But the actual adventure Underhill is a rather small proportion of the book. A much more prominent theme is Blue and Rin’s relationship, which becomes increasingly sexually explicit.
There’s also some mystery around Rin’s father, who he never met. His mother admits to him having some kind of magical heritage, which brings a lot of questions to Rin’s mind.

Thank you to the author/publisher for accepting my request to read and review this book

I enjoyed the Underhill journey, but it was disappointingly short. The general relationship between Rin and Blue was rather interesting, but I wasn’t keen on all the sexual scenes, honestly. I didn’t really feel that they were all that necessary. I actually really liked the kind of day-to-day narrative with Blue; if you’ve ever wondered what life would be like if you were living with a blue faerie, this book should give you some insight. Overall, I definitely did enjoy this. But it wasn’t quite what I expected, and it didn’t particularly resonate with me personally or emotionally. 3.5 stars.

Book Review: Lava Red, Feather Blue

I love a faery tale. But this is so much more than just that – yes, it’s an adventurous story that takes us into the heart of the mystical fae realm, but it’s also a modern story, a love story, a story of finding one’s place in the world. It also regularly mentions homosexuality, bisexuality and non-binary very casually; as in, it’s part of the story, but it’s not the main story. It’s just a piece of people’s identity and lives, but it doesn’t define them. I really like this way of including LGBTQ+ themes.

The book begins with a scene from 1799, where Prince Larkin is unwillingly put to sleep by a powerful witch. It’s done in an attempt to bring peace to an island under attack from a vicious fire faery, Ula Kana. Skip to 2020, and we meet Merrick. He’s a witch, but use of magic is strongly controlled in modern society. But, of course, Merrick still manages to get himself into a heck of a lot of trouble. And so he ends up hiding the Prince – awake, after over two centuries – and wreaking more than a little havoc. Thus the story begins, taking them to the palace and then through the realm of the fae, where they meet an array of characters, and come face to face with loss, death, and love.

This was a really enjoyable read. It’s a little steamy at times, and while the romance in this book isn’t forced, I wasn’t 100% sold on it, to be honest. Still, it was a good book, and I’m glad I read it. 4 stars!