World Burn Down by Steve Cole - Book Review

                         

'Carlos’s mother is a soldier, helping to protect the Amazon from the farmers, loggers and miners who are illegally destroying the precious rain-forest. It’s a dangerous job – and when she makes powerful enemies, Carlos is kidnapped to teach her a lesson. Taken deep into the Amazon, Carlos manages to escape his captors only to find himself trapped by fast-moving forest fires. Can he outrun the flames as the world burns down around him …?'

World Burn Down is the latest release from Barrington Stoke Books, an independent publisher with books designed to be accessible to younger readers who might have difficulty picking up a book. With larger print, pictures, tinted pages, and a font designed to help people with dyslexia, World Burn Down is instantly accessible to readers, and is a great way to encourage younger people into picking up a book.

The story follows Carlos, a young teen who's living with his mother in Manaus in Brasil. His mother works for IBAMA, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, an organisation that sup[ports the anti-deforestation of the Amazon. As one of it's soldiers, she's responsible for keeping the forests free of illegal loggers, farmers, and any other activity that would threaten the environment. 

Because of her work, this means that both she and Carlos can become the targets of criminals who want to exploit the Amazon's resources, which is what happens one night when Carlos is alone in their apartment. With his mother working away he's by himself when a masked assailant breaks into their home and kidnaps him. Waking up some time later in the back of a jeep, Carlos discovers that he's been taken deep into the Amazon in order to coerce his mother into stopping her work.

However, due to the forest fires that are raging through the area, Carlos becomes separated from his kidnapper, and manages to make his way off into the jungle alone. With his hands bound and no idea where he is, he's left in a dangerous situation, one that's further complicated when a strange boy called Davi appears in the forest.

World Burns Down mixes together a story of desperate survival with some very real world facts about the Amazon, and the dangers it faces. Thanks to how Cole tells the story, moving Carlos from one extreme event to the other, he's able to slowly bring younger readers into a world that they might not be familiar with, and teach them a little about the plight that's threatening the Amazon right now.

The sad truth of the matter is that the world is on the brink, that we're getting closer and closer to the point where it'll be too late to stop the damage that humanity is causing. When that point comes it'll only be a matter of time before we've damaged our planet to the point where we wont be able to live on it anymore, and people will start to die out. This is a huge concept, and one that's absolutely terrifying; even for adults. But we're not at that point yet, we can still do something to change this. This is the message that this book is trying to make.

In the back of the book Steve Cole says that Carlos runs from danger to danger before he reaches the point where he realises running away won't work, and that action must be taken. This narrative mirrors us, it mirrors how this danger can seem so big and so scary that all you'll want to do is run away and hide, but that will only lead you further into danger. It's only through action that things can get better. This is a lesson that Carlos has to learn, and that this book can help to teach children.

Children are leading the fight to save our world. They're the ones who're making adults listen to them, who are going on strike and raising awareness. The most well known environmental activist in the world right now is Greta Thunberg, a teenage girl. These are the people who are going to be most affected by the damage being caused, who are going to grow up in a damaged world. By the time they're old enough to affect policy it will be too late, so they're having to step up and fight even earlier. 

World Burn Down isn't packed with science, or plans on how to make a change, but it could help a child realise that this is a very real problem. It could make them aware that our world is on the brink, and usher them to take action. It's a children's story first and foremost, but it's also meant to raise awareness and inspire; and I think that's something that it will certainly do.

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Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters by Jordan Kopy - Book Review

 

'Theodora was just a baby when Georgie rescued her from a hobgoblin-infested graveyard and delivered her to the Monstrous League of Monsters. The kind-hearted monsters vote to keep Theodora, risking Headquarters’ wrath if they’re ever discovered. They get away with it, too – until a series of anonymous letters coated in earwax threaten to expose them to Headquarters.

'As the monsters race to identify the letter-writer Theodora takes matters into her own hands, hatching a simple – no, clever – no, brilliant – plan. If she fails, her beloved monsters will rot in the dank prisons of Transylvania. Forever. But if she succeeds, Theodora will lose her own freedom. Forever. '

Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters is a book that will definitely appeal to readers who liked books like Amelia Fang, as it embraces the silly side of monsters and 'spooky' things, presenting them as fun instead of scary.

The book begins by introducing readers to Georgie, a zombie just risen from his grave, and vampire cat Bandit. Together, the two of them discover a baby girl left alone in a haunted graveyard at night. Searching around for her parents, they find nothing. Knowing that leaving her would result in some kind of monster coming along and eating her, the two of them take her to the Monstrous League of Monsters looking for advice.

The League live together in a huge mansion, a mummy, vampire, werewolf, witch, skeleton butler, singing ghost, and more. The League are dedicated to keeping the existence of monsters a secret from the human world, and to helping evil monsters to changing their ways and becoming good. They're unsure what to do with the child, but decide to take care of her, but only until they can think of a better idea. Well, after putting off those 'better' ideas time and time again, the monsters raise the baby, named Theodora, and fall in love with her.

Now Theodora is a lively ten year old, living with her monster family and going to the local primary school. Despite being surrounded by the monsters who love her she doesn't have any human friends, most of the other children being too afraid to come anywhere near her haunted home. However, when a new kid joins her school the two of them strike up a friendship, leading to Theodora trying to have a normal friendship whilst keeping the reality of her home life secret.

Whilst all this is happening the Monstrous League of Monsters begin to receive mysterious letters that indicate that they know about Theodora, and know that they're breaking the rules by raising her. Threatenign to out them to the rest of the MLM, they and Theodora try to find out who's sending the letters, the person who wants to break their family apart.

Despite being full of monsters and creatures the book tells a very human story, and focuses on family. Theodora might not be related to any of the MLM members, not even the same species in a lot of cases, but it's the love they all have for each other that makes them a family, and is the reason they'd all do whatever it takes to stay together. 

The book is full of these kinds of messages and morals, and will teach children that friendships and family can take any form, that you can care for someone and mean something to others even if you're not related. It's a nice moral, and one that will leave child readers feeling good.

There's also a lot of silly humour in the book, without it being too ridiculous. It's not full of silly fart jokes or gross-out gags, but relies on the monsters to get a laugh or two; such as when the werewolf has been glamoured to look human in front of Theodora's friend, but starts chewing on a bone, or when Bandit spits up three live mice whilst the kids are playing Monopoly. They're slightly farcical moments, but they'll make your kid laugh out loud, and can even elicit a chuckle or two from any parent reading along with them.

Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters is a fun little book, full of nice messages and great illustrations that will keep any kid interested. It's got a story that's complex enough to keep children engaged and guessing, but isn't too grown up that they'll begin to lose interest. If you've got a child who likes monsters and spooky things this is an ideal read, especially with Halloween coming up.

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Witch by Finbar Hawkins - Books Review

 

'Set in the 17th century, a breathtaking debut, and a potential prize-winner, about the power of women, witchcraft, fury, revenge and the ties that bind us.

'After witnessing the brutal murder of her mother by witch-hunters, Evey vows to avenge her and track down the killers. Fury burns in her bright and strong. But she has promised her mother that she will keep Dill, her little sister, safe. As the lust for blood and retribution rises to fever pitch, will Evey keep true to the bonds of sisterhood and to the magick that is her destiny?'

Witch follows Evey, a young woman used to living in the woods with her mother and little sister Dill. The three of them enjoy a quiet existence, occasionally coming to town to use their skills as witches to help those suffering sickness, or to help delivery babies. The three of them a good people, and haven't been hurtful to anyone, yet can't escape the brutal prejudices of their time.

When their mother is dragged from her home, beaten and killed by a group of witch hunters Evey and Dill are forced to flee the only home they've ever known. Setting out to find their aunt, Evey is consumed by only one thought, the thirst for revenge.

I was initially intrigued by the description for Witch, and have enjoyed similar books to this in the past. I was hoping for a book that would put Evey through a journey that would help her to learn about herself and her life as a witch, and whilst the book does give us this I never really connected with her as a character the way I wanted to.

The book is told from Evey's point of view, and as such we spend a lot of time getting to hear her thoughts and how she feels about everything that's happening. However, one of the downsides to this is that the majority of the book is written in some strange ways, using slang and language that's not quite familiar. Whilst this does help to make the book feel like it's happening in a different era, it sometimes made it hard to connect with Evey as a character as I wasn't completely sure what she was trying to say.

This happened a lot whilst Evey was talking with her sister Dill, mainly due to the two of them having this strange kind of shorthand, but did ease a little as the book went on and Evey was able to set out on her own as her mission for revenge begins for real.

Once Evey sets out to make her mothers killers pay the story actually moves quite quickly, and has a good pace as events unfold over what is only a day or two in the narrative. The benefit of this is that you never get a moment to really slow down and get bored. New characters are introduced pretty quickly, and weave in and out of the narrative at a pace that sometimes feels a little convenient at times though.

Despite the pace of the story, and the relatively short length of the book, it took me longer than I thought to actually get through the book. This was in part because once I put it down I was a little reluctant to go back to it. It took me a while to realise that this was despite how appealing the story sounded I never really felt gripped by it, and didn't really care how Evey's story went. Her quest for revenge never grabbed me because I never felt invested in her as a person. Yes, it was awful what happened to her family, but Evey just came across as jealous and self-centred, putting herself before anyone else, even her sister. 

She's also incredibly reckless, and instead of plotting or planning how she can kill the man who murdered her mother she simply announces herself to them when she comes across them, which results in her having to run away, or be rescued by others. Once would have been bad enough, but the fact that she does it again really boggles the mind. Evey is a reckless and self centred protagonist that I found hard to like, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, and speaks well to someone who might be going through trauma and still trying to find themselves in the world.

Witch was a book that I found difficult to get my head round at times, but was glad that I took the time to read. It was never what I was expecting, and managed to do some new and interesting things that definitely make it stand out. I can't guarantee that you'll enjoy reading this one, but it's one that will definitely stick in your mind for a good while.

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Mary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley's Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter by Brea Grant - Book Review

'Angsty teenager Mary Shelley is not interested in carrying on her family’s celebrated legacy of being a great writer, but she soon discovers that she has the not-so-celebrated (and super-secret) Shelley power to heal monsters, just like her famous ancestor, and those monsters are not going to let her ignore her true calling anytime soon.

'The Shelley family history is filled with great writers: the original Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, the acclaimed mystery writer Tawny Shelley, cookbook maven Phyllis Shelley…the list goes on and on. But this Mary Shelley, named after her great-great-great-great-great grandmother, doesn’t want anything to do with that legacy. Then a strangely pale (and really cute) boy named Adam shows up and asks her to heal a wound he got under mysterious circumstances, and Mary learns something new about her family: the first Mary Shelley had the power to heal monsters, and Mary has it, too. Now the monsters won’t stop showing up, Mary can’t get her mother Tawny to leave her alone about writing something (anything!), she can’t tell her best friend Rhonda any of this, and all Mary wants is to pass biology.'

For ease of convenience I'm going to refer to this book as simply Mary. Mary follows Mary Shelley, the sixteen year old descendent of the famous author, and her family. Ever since their ancestor became famous for writing the first science fiction story, the women in the Shelley family have all been famous in their own rights, usually for writing too. Mary's grandmother wrote a best selling cookery book, her aunt is one of the world's most respected biographers, and her mother has a series of best selling mystery books that's been adapted into a hit television series. Faced with the success of her family, and the Shelley's who came before, Mary doesn't know what she's supposed to do with her life.

It's during this period of self reflection that something strange begins to happen to Mary. At first a frog she's dissecting in class seems to move on its own, then she begins seeing a strange pale young man, a man holding a foot. This young man finally corners her, and reveals that he needs her help to reattach his missing foot. Mary's reluctant, but agrees to help, and discovers that she somehow has the ability to reattach the foot, without any sign that it had ever been missing.

Whilst Mary just wants to forget the whole experience more and more strange creatures begin to appear in her life, asking for her medical assistance. This includes a harpy with tooth ache, and a ghost stuck in the body of a plushy bunny rabbit. It turns out that Mary has inherited a very strange ability from her ancestor, the power to magically heal monsters.

The plot itself is pretty interesting, and I love the idea of there being this secret history to Mary Shelley, that the monster she wrote about was actually a living person. It's something that takes the Shelley legacy in a new direction, and gives a lot of scope to have a bit of fun. And it's clear that Brea Grant is having a great deal of fun with the concept, introducing so very silly yet charming characters and monsters. The possessed bunny teddy quickly became a favourite of mine.

The art, by Yishan Li is really good, and all of the characters and monsters all look distinct and bold. Mary in particular looks great, and whilst she goes through a number of costume and hair changes she always stands out and looks distinct. Li's art seems to be a great fit for this book, and she draws people who look really good, but also bold and dynamic creatures. 

However, there is something about the book that I'm not sure about, and that's whether this is just a first entry in a series or if it's intended to stand alone. Much of the book feels like it's just setting up a world and introducing characters, and we only ever really get a broad sense of who these people are, and the rules of the world they're living in. Come the end of the book it hardly feels like we've scratched the surface of things, and I found myself wanting more. I wanted to spend more time with these characters, to discover more of this world. Sadly, I can't seem to find any indication of if there's going to be more coming. If this is a first of many volumes it's a great start to a series, but if it's a stand alone it leaves the reader a bit disappointing. 

I don't know if Mary's going to stick on this path, if Adam is the creature from Mary Shelley's original story, and how the demons who hate the Shelley family will be defeated. I really hope that there'll be more to come from this world as I'd love to see these questions answered.

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Dracula's Child by J. S. Barnes - Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

'Dracula returns...

'It has been some years since Jonathan and Mina Harker survived their ordeal in Transylvania and, vanquishing Count Dracula, returned to England to try and live ordinary lives. But shadows linger long in this world of blood feud and superstition - and, the older their son Quincy gets, the deeper the shadows that lengthen at the heart of the Harkers' marriage. Jonathan has turned back to drink; Mina finds herself isolated inside the confines of her own family; Quincy himself struggles to live up to a family of such high renown. And when a gathering of old friends leads to unexpected tragedy, the very particular wounds in the heart of the Harkers' marriage are about to be exposed...

'There is darkness both within the marriage and without - for, while Jonathan and Mina wrestle with the right way to raise a child while still recovering from the trauma of their past lives, new evil is arising on the Continent. A naturalist is bringing a new species of bat back to London; two English gentlemen, on their separate tours of the continent, find a strange quixotic love for each other, and stumble into a calamity far worse than either has imagined; and the vestiges of something thought long-ago forgotten is, finally, beginning to stir...'

I read Dracula for the very first time last year, after trying to read it and never succeeding whilst in my teens. I found that now I'm an older and more experienced reader the book came a lot easier to me, and I was able to enjoy the classic story. Whilst I liked the book it never really wowed me or kept me excited. Dracula's Child, on the other hand, proved to be much more what I was hoping the original would be.

Much like the classic book Dracula's Child is written as a collection of diary entries, letters, and newspaper articles, collecting together a narrative that takes place over the better part of a year. The story takes place a dozen years after the conclusion of the original, and features the heroes of that novel, the Crew of Light, as they discover that they may not have managed to completely destroy the foul vampire.

In this new age, literally as it is now the 20th Century, these brave souls have moved on with their life. Doctor Seward has moved on to a new practice, Arthur Holmwood has settled down into his political career and marriage, Jonathan and Mina Harker are now parents to their son Quincey, and Van Helsing is enjoying his elderly years. They're all enjoying their lives since battling the monstrous count, and whilst things aren't perfect, they're all mostly happy. However, things begin to go wrong when during a gathering to celebrate Quincey's birthday Van Helsing suffers some awful kind of stroke, muttering a vague prophecy about Quincey, before collapsing and falling unconscious. This event is only the beginning, as from here things begin to go wrong not only for the Crew of Light, but the whole of England. 

At first the book seems to go on a few tangents, introducing new characters and situations that don't at first seem completely related, other than two new characters travelling together through Europe, who discover the remains of Dracula's Castle. However, after a while it becomes clear that there are many more connections than you first think, and that there is a huge web of plots and schemes just beneath the surface. Eventually it becomes apparent that there is a grand plan at work here, and that Dracula's claim that he would have revenge wasn't just a throw away comment, but a very real promise.

This is where the book really worked for me. The original novel felt very slow, and I found myself wondering what Dracula was doing during the long periods between events, and why he was taking weeks or months to do small things like turning Lucy Westenra into a vampire. Here, however, the long time frame makes so much more sense. There's always something happening somewhere, always a part of the plan unfolding or setting up something else that it never feels slow. Dracula never felt particularly calculating to me in the original, but here he and his minions are always a dozen or more steps ahead of the heroes.

Eventually Dracula's schemes lead to him returning to physical form and being handed power over London. He's not just a vampire hunting in the dark anymore, but the lordly Count he was in his homeland, reshaping England into a dark vision of his own making. Vampires have started to spread through the streets, and regular humans are living under a dark shadow, barely more than cattle. It's in this environment that a new Crew of Light are formed, with some of the original members and some new characters, people who hunt down nests of vampires and plan to destroy Dracula once again. 

J.S. Barnes has crafted a story that feels true to the original, but is so much more exciting. It starts slow, yes, but once you start to see all the pieces that are in play you understand the scope of the story he's been crafting, and then things go to hell and it becomes a desperate battle to survive. He's managed to take the original book and created a sequel full of energy and excitement, one that's bigger in scale and horror. There have been a lot of re-imaginings or sequels to the original book, but this is certainly one of the best that I've read, and if you like the original novel this one will make you feel right at home.

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Goosebumps: Secrets of the Swamp #1 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Goosebumps: Secrets of the Swamp is the start of a new Goosebumps adventure from writer Marieke Nijkamp and artist Yasim Florez Montanez, and is easily one of the best Goosebumps comics I’ve read yet.

In this first issue readers are introduced to Blake, a young teen who’s been sent to stay with her aunt Camila in the town of Fever Swamp for the summer. Blake is a fairly average teen, wanting to spend her time inside playing video games rather than having to go out and try to make new friends in this strange town. Despite this, her aunt insists on getting her to meet Lily, one of the local teens who’s into the same video game as Camila.

Camila seems to like Lily, but there’s some definite feelings of rivalry between the two of them, especially as Lily is one of the best players in the world. When Lily gets Camila to agree to accompany her into Fever Swamp later that night, Camila discovers that maybe monsters exist outside of her video game.

This issue is very much set-up, and spends the majority of the book establishing the characters, which is great. By the time the issue is over readers have a very clear idea who Camila is, what makes her tick, and why she makes the choices she does during the book. Whilst we don’t get as long a time with Lily, she’s given enough of a personality that we can understand her motivations, and why she and Camila could have a competitive friendship.

One of the things that I really loved about Camila, however, is the fact that she’s a female lead who’s also Black and disabled. I’m sure there will be some people who’ll cynically say that this would be someone ticking boxes for inclusion, but this is actually some really nice representation.

Even though Camila is visibly disabled, having a prosthetic on her left arm, it doesn’t even come up until towards the end of the book, and even then when asked how she’s able to play video games because of it she simply replies ‘very well actually’ and shuts down any invasive questions; which is awesome. I’m not completely surprised that the book has some good representation, with both the writer and artist being women, but it is still really pleasant to find in what was a very male-centric franchise when I was a kid.

The book has a really nice art style too, and artist Yasmin Florez Montanez and colourist Rebecca Nalty work really well together, creating a look that’s clean and simple, that doesn’t overload the reader, yet manages to look really good at the same time.

This issue proves to be a great start to this new volume of Goosebumps, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes next.

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Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia – BookReview

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Adapting pre-existing things to comics can be hard, and more often than not something will end up being cut out to make sure that the broad strokes fit the length the creators are given. I’m struggling to really think of any film adaptations that don’t fall afoul of this. However, the first part of manga Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia manages to stay pretty close to the source material and includes most of what’s in the episode.

The manga follows the same plot as the first episode of the second series of the BBC show, and sees Sherlock and John brought in to a very delicate case to try to retrieve compromising photographs of a young royal from a dominatrix, Irene Adler. This simple task ends up becoming more complex than the duo expected when Adler proves to be a more than capable match for the detective.

The artwork for the book is provided courtesy of Jay, and they do a great job at not only capturing the actors’ likenesses, but also recreating a lot of the energy of the series. The scenes where the leads are taking out a room full of CIA agents manages to capture a lot of the flash and dynamic energy that the sequence has in the show. And this is by no means the only place in the book where this happens. Jay is able to capture a lot of the visual style that makes the series stand out in some very subtle ways, and many of the scenes have a sense of movement and energy to them, even if they’re quite static moments.

Whilst the artwork is great, and really elevates the book, much like the show it’s the writing that lets things down with this story. In the original story, ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, Sherlock and Watson are the bad guys. They’ve been hired by a king to steal a photograph from his mistress so that she has no evidence of their relationship. This woman genuinely loved the king, and has the photo as a keepsake, and doesn’t intend to do anything malicious. But Gatiss and Moffat have changed things to make Irene the villain, to make her a sexy antagonist.

Irene Adler became an iconic Sherlock Holmes character because she managed to outsmart Holmes, and he gained a great deal of respect for her because of her resourcefulness and smart mind. Over the years other adaptations have had Holmes falling in love with her, and Sherlock really pushes this idea to the point where I just really wished this version of Irene had a completely different name, because this is not Irene Adler.

There are a few moments like this throughout the book, moments where the story goes just a bit too far and tries to be too clever and flashy. The montage of the different cases that are being presented to Sherlock, and his attitude towards them is just bad (yes, I know this comes back later on but that doesn’t make it great), and the whole scene at Buckingham Palace is amusing at first, but the pettiness and snark goes on just a bit too long for it to be charming. And the boomerang mystery. Dear god the boomerang mystery. I don’t think I can explain just how bad this whole thing is, a man is killed by a boomerang for god sake.

Despite these flaws – and I would say that the story has some glaring flaws – this is down to the original series, not the work done her by Jay. Jay has managed to translate the show incredibly well, and if you enjoy the series you’re going to really like this book.

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The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes - Book Review

 

'Aveline Jones loves reading ghost stories, so a dreary half-term becomes much more exciting when she discovers a spooky old book. Not only are the stories spine-tingling, but it once belonged to Primrose Penberthy, who vanished mysteriously, never to be seen again. Intrigued, Aveline decides to investigate Primrose's disappearance.

'Now someone... or something, is stirring. And it is looking for Aveline. Turn on your torches, and join Aveline Jones in her first charmingly spooky mystery, from debut author Phil Hickes.'

I was initially drawn to The Haunting of Aveline Jones because of the gorgeous cover art. I know that you're not supposed to be judging books by their covers, but let's be honest, we all do. This one immediately jumped out at me and drew me in, and once I read the blurb I was hooked.

The book follows Aveline Jones, who's gone to stay with her aunt, Lilian, for about a week or so when her mother travels up to Scotland to visit her ill mother. Aveline's aunt lives in the small coastal town of Malmouth, where she tutors some of the local children. Lilian and Aveline have something of a strained relationship, thanks to not having seen each other for a while, and Lilian's slightly removed and regimented way of dealing with children takes some getting used to.

Aveline explores Malmouth and discovers a second hand book store, run by the elderly Mr Lieberman. She picks out an old and unusual book about local ghost stories, and is soon enthralled by the local tales. However, the final story in the book is crossed out. Wanting to learn more about this, Aveline discovers a mystery about a girl that disappeared in Malmouth thirty years ago, a girl who was convinced was being stalked by a ghostly figure.

One of the things that I really likes about The Haunting of Aveline Jones is that there's not a huge amount of conflict. I thought the book was going to be setting up a stern and overbearing aunt figure that would cause all kinds of problems for Aveline, but instead she was a kind woman, just one who's not used to having a young teen around. And it was nice to see this relationship evolve over the course of the book, and see the two of them become closer.

In fact, there wasn't really any kind of adult foe or overbearing authority figure for Aveline to overcome, something that can become something of a easy trope in middle-grade books. Instead, the adults are well reasoned and kind people. They don't instantly dismiss the things kids say out of hand just because they're adults and know better. It also means that the mystery is able to be given centre stage without other issues that are superfluous. 

The central mystery is where the book really shines, and author Phil Hickes is able to craft a story that goes from slightly unsettling to very scary in no time at all. The book managed to get under my skin in a way that few horror books do. It might have been the cold and rainy coastal village on the edge of Halloween that helped with this, but it was also the fact that Hickes didn't give much away. He slowly built up the idea of something ghostly lurking in the background, laying small seeds that would later bloom into very real fear. I've read a lot of adult horror books that aren't even half as scary, and I think that it's because those authors didn't spend enough time building up the world and the atmosphere, slowly introducing more elements until you suddenly realise that you're reading curled up beneath your blanket, sitting on edge. And the fact that he managed to do so in a relatively short book aimed at younger readers was astounding.

There were times I was reading that I found myself wondering if perhaps things got a little too scary, if maybe this might be too much for the target audience, but I don't think it is. It's just a book that's able to appeal to a broader audience beyond just middle-grade readers. The Haunting of Aveline Jones is a story that can draw you in, that makes you want to devour it in a single sitting, and will have you turning on the lights to chase away the shadows. It might be best to read this on a dark and spooky night around Halloween, but just be warned that if you do you might end up hiding under your covers.

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The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison - Book Review

'This is not the story you think it is. These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the book you are expecting. In an alternate 1880s London, angels inhabit every public building, and vampires and werewolves walk the streets with human beings in a well-regulated truce. 

'A fantastic utopia, except for a few things: Angels can Fall, and that Fall is like a nuclear bomb in both the physical and metaphysical worlds. And human beings remain human, with all their kindness and greed and passions and murderous intent. Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of this London too. But this London has an Angel. The Angel of the Crows.'

I think one of the first things I should say before getting too much into this review is that I love Sherlock Holmes fiction, so I was going into this book with some tough criteria for Katherine Addison to meet. I wanted a book that would pay homage to the original stories but would stand on its own and be great. Well, I got everything I wanted and more. This book is amazing.

The story follows Doctor J.H. Doyle, a military doctor who is injured by a fallen angel on the battlefields of Afghanistan and sent home to England with a pension. Doyle meets an old friend in London, Stamford, who helps him to find a place to stay, with the bizarre angel named Crow. Now, anyone familiar with Holmes fiction can already see what this set-up is, and yes, it works so, so well.

Crow is fascinated with humanity, and in particular, crime; and as he sees the entirety of London as his domain he wants to help those in need throughout the city and solve crimes. Together with Doyle, the two of them end up getting involved in a variety of mysteries, including the mystery of the Agra treasure, the disappearance of Euphemia Rucastle who appears to have returned home to The Copper Beeches, and the sudden death of Julia Stoner who mentioned something about a speckled band before her death. Amid all of these retelling of classic Holmes stories the pair also hunt for the mysterious killer known as Jack The Ripper.

The thing that really makes The Angel of the Crows stand out isn't just that it's putting a new spin on classic stories, but is making an entirely new world. The book is set in a world where the supernatural not only exists, but are a part of everyday life. Angels exist and look over public buildings. Vampires have treaties with the humans and no longer kill, instead operating the equivalent of opium dens. Werewolves run respectable businesses. And there's more that are only hinted at, such as ghosts, curses, and other spectral beings. Addison spends a lot of time laying out the rules of this world and explaining how things work, and it feels like a very lived in place that could actually exist; and this information is always presented in very natural ways and never feels like an info dump.

It's also a lot of fun trying to recognise certain Holmes characters, and seeing how they've been translated into this new world. Obviously Holmes and Watson are completely different people, but there are occasionally characters who don't seem to have changed, such as Inspector Lestrade. Whilst it's fun seeing these characters in this new environment, I liked trying to pick out the altered ones, like Moriarty or Mycroft Holmes.

The biggest character changes are the main two, and if I'm honest they're the most interesting versions of Holmes and Watson I've seen in years. Doyle has a few secrets, one of which is teased during the first half of the book, with another that comes out of nowhere and changes everything about how you read the character. I'm not going to say what these secrets are, because it would be horrible to spoil either, but I'm definitely going to be reading through the book again to see how it works knowing these hidden twists to the character.

Crow, the Holmes counterpart, is a brilliant piece of writing; mainly because almost nothing is done to change the character. Obviously at first glance this sounds strange, because he's an angel here, but his personality is mostly the same. Crow is just a uncomfortable around people as Holmes, he doesn't understand the complexities of human emotions, he's not always polite, he's obsessive with small things, and he sometimes doesn't know things that others take for granted. There have been some adaptations that try to explain away these quirks as him being a sociopath (silly idea Sherlock) or even having him on the autism spectrum, but these always felt a bit odd. However, him being an angel, a creature that doesn't work the same as humans, who didn't grow up learning human interaction, fits Holmes so well. Crow might end up being one of the best versions of the character ever.

I wish I had more space in this review to talk about how much I enjoyed this book, for the love it clearly has of the source material, how it's bold and brave with that material and makes it it's own thing. I could talk about this book for hours. I fell in love with this world and characters so quickly that I pre-ordered the hardback version of the book before I'd even finished, and would love to talk to the author about the story and characters. If you're a fan of Gothic horror, historical fiction, urban fantasy, or Sherlock Holmes, this book will not only satisfy, it'll blow you away.

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The Stars of History: Charlie Chaplin by Bernard Swysen - Book Review

 

'In creating The Little Tramp, Charlie Chaplin became a legend. Who remembers now that he was English, that he came up from nothing, that he made his fortune in the United States, that he had to flee the country under pressure from McCarthyism, or that he created the very first production house run by artists? Full of humour, the “Stars of History” collection offers a fresh new look at the legends of cinema.'

I knew a little about Charlie Chaplin going into this book, and by a little I mean the bare minimum, that he was from the UK, and was a silent movie actor. Which is a pretty basic understanding to say the least. So, a book that would provide an overview of his life in a clear and understandable way was something that definitely piqued my interest.

I've not read any of the Stars of History series before, so had no idea what to expect going in, and at first I was a little surprised at how quickly the book moved. Sometimes the narrative would jump by months or years, but I never felt lost because of it, and it quickly became clear that if the book didn't move through events quickly it would have to be five times as long.

There were occassions where I wished more time could have been spent establishing some of the people who appeared in the narrative, and exactly who they were, as some people appeared one page, has an effect on Chaplin's life, then is gone by the next page. I know that it's because of the limits of the format, rather than an issue with the writing, but it did leave me feeling lacking at times.

However, the book covers a lot of ground, and manages to include a huge amount of events that happened during Chaplin's life, events that I had no idea about. I didn't know that he made as many films as he did, that he played a part in founding United Artists, that he was chased out of the US because of McCarthyism, or that he has multiple sexual encounters with underage girls. 

Bernard Swysen doesn't hold back some of the less savoury aspects of Chaplin's life, he doesn't try to make him a saint or a villain, but simply allows the reader to make their own decisions based on the events as they were. It allows the reader to decide themselves how they think of him, whether they consider him a good person or not.

The book also made me want to learn more about the man, to go and find another biography about him, so that I can delve a little more into some of the details that the book is unable to cover in depth. I went into it not knowing anything about Chaplin, but came out fascinated by the man, eager to learn more, and feeling like I had a decent grasp of the broad strokes of his story, and all from a graphic novel that's only ninety pages long; I think that's pretty incredible.

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