My Riot by Rick Spears - Book Review

 

'1991—Val, a teenager from a conservative family, has grown up dreaming of becoming a ballerina, but recently something has changed. She’s begun feeling pressure to conform to a specific idea of beauty, body type, and a personality that just doesn’t fit.

'Val meets Kat, a smart, witty girl that doesn’t take any crap off anyone. Kat introduces Val to punk rock. Along with Rudie, another new friend, the three form an all-girl punk band they ironically name The Proper Ladies.

'Soon Val and her friends find themselves caught up in a movement with other girls also starting bands—also finding their voice. Collectively, these “riot grrrls” discover that their songs ring out loud and powerful, and for Val, there’s no going back.'

My Riot is a coming of age story that puts female empowerment front and centre, and gives readers a lead character that you can not only identify with, but who you want to try and be. Val is a fairly average teenage girl, she's struggling to find a part time job, not wholly successful in relationships, and has a hot and cold relationship with her parents. In essence, she's a regular person.

At the beginning of the book Val seems to be going through the motions a little, just trying to carry on the way she always has and trying to find something in her life that sparks her joy. She's been doing ballet since she was a little girl, but seems to be in something of a slump with it, especially as her teacher is trying to get her to lose weight to be a 'better' dancer, even going so far as encouraging her to take up smoking to try to suppress her appetite. Her home life isn't much better, and she's been getting into arguments with her mother, especially when her mother finds condoms in Val's room, acting as if her seventeen year old daughter having safe sex is an awful thing.

It's in this slump where Val meets Kat. The two of them go to the same school, but Val hasn't really spoken to the outgoing Kat much before, but when the two of them shelter in the same ice-cream parlour together when a riot breaks out a bond quickly forms, and Kat introduces Val to the world of punk rock. The two of them decide to form a band together, and soon discover that they've got a talent for music, even convincing another friend, Rude, to join with them. 

Things happen pretty quickly throughout My Riot, due to the constraints of the length of the book and not being able to show everything, as such, the progress of Val and the band does seem to happen a bit quickly. But, you can easily overlook this as just being something that's been dictated by things outside of the creators control. I've seen some reviews complain that it makes their journey seem too easy or convenient, but who knows, their band might actually be really good and deserve the early breaks they get.

But the book isn't really about the band, or the music, it's about Val and her journey to discovering herself and finding a place of happiness. At the start of the book she's an awkward teen who doesn't know who she is, but by the end she's a successful and confident young woman. 

There are moments in the book where this journey makes some big leaps, where Val stands up and makes the decision not to back down or have her life dictated by others, and these are some of the best moments in the book. When her ballet teacher is encouraging her to smoke, to develop an eating disorder, and is telling her that she's failing as a dancer because of this Val stands up for herself. She tells her teacher to shove it, and quits dancing. It's a great moment of empowerment, and one that's really healthy. With eating disorders and body image being a hugely relevant thing to teenagers seeing a character breaking out of what could be a very dangerous situation is great. And it shows how strong of a person Val is.

Another moment that stands out is when her boyfriend finds out that Val had sex before they were together, as he'd just assumed they'd both been each other's first experience. He tries to make her feel guilty about this, to make her think that she's somehow the villain for having a sex life and normal desires. Rather than letting this be something that breaks her down she turns this into a moment that can inspire her music, that helps to make her a stronger person, whilst breaking out of a toxic relationship.

Val has these moments of wisdom and clarity that are needed to survive her teenage years, but never feels like she's older beyond her years, she's still clearly a teenager who says and does stupid things and makes mistakes. But that's what makes her so great. People reading this book after their teens will look at her and say 'yeah, I was a bit stupid as a teen too', whilst teenagers will be able to see themselves in her. 

The artwork throughout, provided by Emmett Helen, is really nice, and fits the tone well. It's minimalist, with nice smooth line-work that doesn't go into huge detail, but still manages to convey everything. I don't want to say that the art is simplistic, because that would sound too mean, as it's not, but it's not detail heavy. It provides readers with everything you need to be able to experience the story. The fairly minimalist style means that you always focus on the characters and what they're going through, rather than having your eye drawn to other things in the panel, or searching through the background for tiny details. The book is a great example of artist and writer coming together to tell a story about people, and making that the focus.

My Riot didn't take me long to read, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved the characters and their journey, and the really positive message that the book tried to get across. Whilst I don't think we'll ever see more of Val again as her story's done, I'd love to see more from these creators working together in the future.

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The Man Who Shot Chris Kyle by Fabien Nury - Book Review

 

'A former Navy SEAL and Iraq War veteran, Chris Kyle is the most lethal sniper in American military history. His autobiography, American Sniper, was a best-seller in the US. On February 2, 2013, Chris Kyle is killed by another veteran, Eddie Ray Routh. The murder takes place on a shooting range in Stephenville, Texas. But that’s only the beginning of their story.'

The Man Who Shot Chris Kyle is a new graphic novel that takes the real life story of Chris Kyle, the man behind the book an film American Sniper and focuses on the events around his death.

I was aware of Chris Kyle in the absolute broadest sense when I first picked up this book, I knew that the man behind American Sniper was a real person, and that he was once a soldier; but that was all I knew. As such, I went into this book with little information to colour my opinion of him, or with ideas about what to expect.

The book skips over much of Chris' early life, as well as his military career, instead jumping into the narrative following his return from duty; at the point in which he found fame. Instead, the book focuses on the events leading directly up to his murder, and does so in a way that feels more like a documentary than a normal graphic novel. The book is full of detached narration, with some third person telling the reader the story of Chris, rather than it being told from the point of view of anyone present in the narrative.

This feeling of reading a documentary was further built upon when the book included pieces of interviews that Chris had attended to promote his book, small images of events that would have been recorded on camera, and even advertisements for different services and events. It's not hard to see how this would play out transplanted to a televised documentary, and I think that was the intention of writer Fabien Nury.

One of the things that let this down a little, personally, was the art. The art style of the book was incredibly simple and lacked any real depth of flare. Characters were often quite flat looking, and seemed to be basic approximations and caricatures rather than detailed drawings of real people, and backgrounds were hardly ever used; instead having blank, single colour panels behind people's heads. Whilst this didn't bother me most of the time as this seemed to have been a deliberate choice to allow readers to focus on the story over the art, there were times where it really jumped out at me. 

These moments tended to be in the interview segments of the book. There's a section of the book with quite a long interview between Chris Kyle and Bill O'Reilly where the two of them talk about American Sniper and Chris' time in combat. The scene consisted of switching between a close-up of the characters faces when each of them were talking. This wasn't bad in itself, but it quickly became clear that each panel was exactly the same. No variation in expression or pose was used a lot of the time, and it felt like the artist, Bruno, had simply copy/pasted the images. Once it became apparent here, there were other times that I began to notice a repetition of the images, where it looked like the artist had reused old panels without any variation. Whilst I understand that reusing artwork can save time and effort, it began to feel like it was laziness, and every time that I noticed it it would pull me out of the book.

The biggest issue I had with the book, however, was the choice to split it into two volumes. The book ends with the dramatic murder of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield, leaving readers wondering what happens next in the story. The book itself is only 80 pages long, so it's a very short read. The decision to split the story into two volumes doesn't seem to have been made because the events are so long that it would make a book too large to read in a single volume, and it strikes me that the choice was made by the publisher in order to try and sell a second book. The fact that the book ends with the murder of Kyle but no resolution as to what happens to his killer definitely seems like an engineered hook, something to frustrate readers and have them wanting to find out what happens next.

Whilst I would have liked to have read a complete story this first volume kind of lets me down. The fact that it stops halfway through the narrative for no apparent reason, coupled with repeated artwork and little variation in the panels featured leaves the book with an overall feel of a project where few people seemed too bothered. It feels unfinished, and instead of leaving me wanting the next volume and eager for more it left me feeling annoyed, almost like my time had been wasted a little. That's not to say the whole thing is bad, on the contrary, I learned a lot about a subject that I had no idea of before, so for that I'm grateful. However, ending the way it does, the book had me going to Wikipedia to read about the rest of the events, rather than willing to wait for a second volume to come out.

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The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett - Book Review

 

'When Ekata's brother is finally named heir, there will be nothing to keep her at home in Kylma Above with her murderous family. Not her books or science experiments, not her family's icy castle atop a frozen lake, not even the tantalizingly close Kylma Below, a mesmerizing underwater kingdom that provides her family with magic. But just as escape is within reach, her parents and twelve siblings fall under a strange sleeping sickness.

'In the space of a single night, Ekata inherits the title of duke, her brother's warrior bride, and ever-encroaching challengers from without—and within—her own ministry. Nothing has prepared Ekata for diplomacy, for war, for love...or for a crown she has never wanted. If Kylma Above is to survive, Ekata must seize her family's power. And if Ekata is to survive, she must quickly decide how she will wield it.'

I enjoy YA books, they sometimes get classed as a genre itself, but there is such a huge variety within the category in tone and themes that it encompasses many genres; something that The Winter Duke does too. It's part fantasy story, with an amazing setting and magical creatures, part coming of age story where a young woman must find her place in the world, and it's part political thriller full of intrigue and mystery. It's also incredibly adult, it features a complex and layered story that doesn't talk down to its readers; and there were a few times I forgot that the protagonist was a teenager because of the level of maturity brought to the book.

The story follows the Avenko family, the rulers of the tiny kingdom of Kylma Above. Kylma Above is a frozen kingdom, with a palace made out of eternal ice on top of a frozen lake; beneath that lake lies Kylma Below, an underwater civilisation of fish people and magic. Residing above this mystical land, and having an accord with them, Kylma Above uses its position to trade magic with the outside world, granting it great prestige despite it's size.

The Avenko family, however, are a bit of a strange bunch. Raised to believe that power should be earned through cunning and strength it's perfectly normal for a new Grand Duke to take the throne by killing the previous one, along with any contenders. Despite this, other kingdoms are desperate for a better relationship with Kylma Above, and as such many have sent sons and daughters to attend a brideshow, where the next in line for the throne will be picking out his future consort. 

It's here that we meet Ekata, one of the middle daughters of the Grand Duke, and possibly the only member of the Avenko family who isn't a power hungry psychopath. More interested in getting away from her family and travelling south to study at university, she's more interested in science and medicine than politics. However, when on the night of the brideshow the entire Avenko family all fall into a deep coma, except for Ekata, she finds herself forced to assume the throne.

Acting as Grand Duke, Ekata must try to discover what has effected her family and try to save them. However, she soon learns that there are bigger threats than just this mysterious ailment, as she gets drawn into a web of political intrigue. Dealing with visiting dignitaries, a council of unhappy advisers pushing for democracy, and a challenge for the throne from a rival kingdom, Ekata will be lucky to survive herself, let alone awaken her family.

One of the best things about The Winter Duke is that we as the audience get dropped into things with little world building, being left to discover much of the culture of Kylma Above, and the surrounding politics, as they come up in the narrative. At first, I was a little put off because things were happening very fast, magic was introduced with no warning, and people were talking about other kingdoms and trade agreements without explanation. But after a while I began to suspect that this might have been the point. The readers aren't given explanations in the text and are left to discover things through the narrative because that's very much the same experience that Ekata has during the book.

Ekata has spent most of her life accepting that she's not going to rule Kylma Above. Even if she had desires to do so she would need to kill her father and several of her siblings, something that it becomes quite clear she would never do. As such she's poured her attentions into her studies, focusing on academia instead of political manoeuvring and policy. So when she's suddenly thrown into being the Grand Duke she's as unaware of the intricacies of the kingdom as the reader. 

Instead of us having things explained to us in large blocks of text that delve into the history of this world we have Ekata asking the questions for us, she turns to her advisers and asks them who diplomats are and what they're after because she genuinely doesn't know.She not only gets to be the protagonist, driving much of the narrative forward, but becomes an audience stand in at times, something that quickly endeared me to the character. We both got to be a little lost and unsure of this world together.

There are times when this doesn't quite work, as there are things that Ekata would definitely know, such as the society of Kylma Above, their history, and their traditions. But Claire Eliza Bartlett found another good way of avoiding just having to info dump in these moments; Inkar. Inkar is one of the perspective partners being offered up to Ekata's brother at the brideshow, but when Ekata has to take over the throne, and in order to avoid the political machinations of a rival, she picks Inkar out to be her royal consort. Inkar is thrown into being Ekata's wife (on a week's trial basis) and suddenly finds herself in the middle of a kingdom she's unfamiliar with. Inkar doesn't always know things that would be taken for granted by Ekata, and as such she can also act as an audience mouthpiece by asking questions about the city, their belief systems, and where they grow their food in an ice covered kingdom. 

That being said, Inkar isn't just there to ask questions, and is one of the more interesting characters in the narrative. The twenty-fifth daughter of the jarl of another kingdom, she's proven herself to be a hardened warrior and general for her people, and brings a degree of self assured cockiness with her. Where Ekata seems to be barely getting through things, often overwhelmed and close to exhaustion, Inkar always seems to be full of energy, and almost constantly has a sly grin on her face. I loved how the two of them complimented each other, and how the scenes between them would often play out. And my god, the sexual tension.

I loved that there was no heteronormativity in this book, and that a sapphic slow-burn romance was given centre stage. The relationship that built between the two of them was easily one of my favourite parts of the entire book, and I found myself desperately hoping that Ekata would throw her advisers plans away and not try to alienate Inkar out of breaking their marriage. I wanted the two of them to end up together, and craved more of these quite scenes of the two of them learning about each other and discovering that there was something real between the two of them.

This wasn't the only place where the book had good queer representation, however, and LGBTQ+ people seemed to be incorporated well into the narrative without any big fuss being made. All of the titles seemed to be gender neutral, with Duke being the rank of the ruler regardless of gender, and their being a mix of genders represented in the brideshow, both when it was for Ekata and her older brother. There were also characters with they/them pronouns in the story who weren't treated any differently from anyone else, and some even held high ranks within the political structure of Kylma Above. The simple ease at which these things were included, their lack of impact on the story, and how none of it was highlighted as being special or out of the ordinary was brilliant, and reinforces the point that representation and inclusion needn't be a hard thing, or something that writers should be afraid of having in their works.

Claire Eliza Bartlett also does an amazing job at world building with Kylma Below, and made the handful of segments of the book dealing with them some of the best. To begin with I wasn't sure what Kylma Below was, and some of the descriptions made it sound like a sub city of some kind; leading me to suspect it would be the trope of the rich and powerful living in luxury above whilst the poor lived in an 'under' city. When I discovered it was an actual underwater kingdom full of fish people and sea creatures I was hugely excited to find out more about it. 

The handful of times that we get to follow Ekata below the surface of the ice and see her discovering this alien world that had been below her feet her entire life were stunning. The world below the surface was something truly different from everything above, and I wanted to spend more time there exploring and learning more. I'd love to see Bartlett return to this world, not so much to continue with Ekata's story, but with a whole book set beneath the ice.

The Winter Duke was a book that I was unsure what to expect, the narrative and intriguing world constantly kept me on my toes, and meant that I never knew what would be coming next. The characters were diverse and had believable motivations and desires, some of whom I came to adore, and others I absolutely hated. Part of me wishes that the story could have been longer, that I could have had more time in this world and with these characters, but alas, all good things have to end. 

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Deep Space Nine: Too Long A Sacrifice #3 - Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Whilst the first two issues of new murder mystery focused comic Deep Space Nine – Too Long A Sacrifice have been enjoyable, they’ve kind of felt like they’ve been treading water, setting up the stakes of the central story, but not doing a huge amount to move things forward. Issue three finally feels like the place where things begin to move forward in much more important ways.

This issue sees Odo having to contend with Retlaw, the special investigator sent in by the Federation to assist him in getting to the bottom of these crimes. Retlaw definitely feels like a breath of fresh air, and kicks events into gear by being something of an antagonist for Odo to work around. This isn’t to say that he’s being a bad guy in any way, but anyone coming onto the station to take over one of his investigations will immediately be seen as an obstacle to Odo, and writers Scott and David Tipton seem to know this, and embrace it.

The two investigators butt heads more than once, and seem to enjoy pushing each other’s buttons. Odo, for his part, resents having to defer to another investigator, and any suggestion that he’s incapable of solving the case will get his hackles up; as such he seems to take a lot of joy in reminding Retlaw that DS9 is his station, and doesn’t mind making him look like he’s on the back foot if he can. Retlaw, in comparison, makes it clear from the start that he has some issues with Odo after his home world, Betazed, fell to Dominion forces, resulting in him and his daughter having to flee their home.

Not only does this flashback help to establish why Retlaw is so invested in getting to the bottom of things, wanting to make sure that the Federation doesn’t lose any allies it desperately needs in the war, but it also gives him a reason for butting heads with Odo. It’s also great to see the fall of Betazed depicted here, as it was an event that was only briefly mentioned in the television series.

The interplay between the two investigators is one of the better aspects of the comic, and it shows that if the two of them are able to stop trying to get a rise out of the other and actually work together they make a good team. They manage to find a number of new leads by working together, and a number of the unanswered questions begin to finally make sense, though there is still a good way to go to solve the entire case.

Issue three ends with the two of them working towards these final answers, answers that could help to save the war effort, but it still manages to pack a lot of story into its pages, moving the mystery on more than the first two issues combined. With only one issue left to wrap everything up I was initially worried that things might feel rushed, but seeing how things have played out here I’m eager to see what the two of them can do in the final part of the story.

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How To Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess - Book Review

 

'Brave, witty and empowering, this graphic memoir follows Rebecca as she navigates her asexual identity and mental health in a world obsessed with sex. From school to work to relationships, this book offers an unparalleled insight into asexuality.'

Every day the LGBTQ+ community becomes more and more mainstream, awareness becomes more commonplace, and queer people are more accepted than ever. This doesn't mean that things are perfect, and hatred towards the queer community is still incredibly prevalent, though more and more people are becoming open to learning about our community, and learning to accept us for who we are. One of the parts of the LGBTQ+ community that is often overlooked, however, is the ace community, people who fall under the asexual and/or the aromantic umbrella.

How To Be Ace focuses on the real life experience of its creator, Rebecca Burgess, who is themself asexual, and seeks to normalise asexuality. The book follows Rebecca through their teenage years and into their early adult life, showing the difficulties they experienced navigating a world obsessed with sex.

The book does a good job of highlighting just how much of western society puts a focus on sex and physical relationships, something that most people probably wouldn't even realise until it's pointed out to them. It shows what it's like for an asexual person, who has no interest in being sexually active and even feels discomfort at physical attraction, to exist in a world where movie and TV push romance, where songs are about finding love or having lost it, where if you're not in a relationship people will constantly ask you when you're going to find a partner. Rebecca shows that whilst these things might seem small or inconsequential to others, to a young ace person it can be a constant, painful reminder that they're different.

This difference is one of the main focuses of the book, and we get to see Rebecca trying to figure out what this difference means. They're told by others that they simply needs to give things time, that they'll eventually feel sexual attraction, or that once they 'gets over' having sex things will be okay. This advice leads them down the path of thinking that there's something wrong with them, that they must be broken in some way, or that they're not 'normal'. Sadly this is a journey that is all too common for ace people, and one that needs to stop.

That's the beauty of this book, it tries to normalise the experience of being asexual, to teach those who might be unaware of asexuality that it's a real thing. Rebecca, like most ace people, are left feeling alone and 'wrong' until they discover that they're part of a bigger community, and that there's nothing wrong with who they are. Books like this are important for helping raise awareness of the ace community, both for those who are members, and those who aren't. For members of the community it can help them find their community, and for others it helps to educate.

How To Be Ace has an engaging story, but that's not the important part, it's the push to help others like Rebecca that makes it special. This isn't a book that I'd recommend for the story, as good as it is, but as a resource to normalise asexuality, to allow younger people to learn about the ace community and to treat those who are a part of it as regular people.

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To Your Last Death – Film Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

To Your Last Death is a new horror film from director Jason Axinn, and one that if it was done any other way wouldn’t stand out half as much as it does. However, To Your Last Death is something pretty rare in the world of horror films, as it’s animated. Purposely animated in a way to evoke images of graphic novels, the film very much feels like someone threw together Saw, Groundhog Day, and Archer. And it’s pretty good for it.

The story begins where most would end, with our hero Miriam (Dani Lennon) walking out of a building, covered in blood and carrying an axe, having survived something awful inside. She’s picked up by police, and we next see her in hospital, where she’s telling her story to a detective. She reveals that she’d been summoned to the building by her father, Cyrus DeKalb (Ray Wise), who she and her siblings had not spoken to in years, ever since costing him a political career.

Cyrus has gathered Miriam and his other children together to announce that he’s dying, and that before he goes he wants revenge on them, trapping them in horrific and deadly situations. Fortunately, Miriam was able to escape. However, the police don’t believe her story, and think that she’s behind the killings. That’s when she’s approached by The Gamemaster (Morena Baccarin), a being of great power, who tells Miriam that she can send her back in time to try for a different outcome.

Miriam is sent back in time, and gets the opportunity to try to save her siblings. However, the Gamemaster isn’t doing this out of the goodness of her heart, as she and other powerful beings are watching events unfold, betting on their outcome. With killers out to get her, and god-like beings changing reality, can Miriam and her family make it out alive?

The initial set-up for the film sounded interesting enough, but the inclusion of this fantastical, science-fiction element changes it from something that feels like it’s been done before into a whole new thing. It makes the film unpredictable, and you never know what to expect to happen. And even then, there’s no guarantee that what has happened can’t be erased away and changed. It means that you’re always having to keep on your toes, and expect the unexpected.

The fact that the film is animated helps a lot too, not only in making the gore and violence more palatable, but making it stand out. We don’t have the gritty realism of early Saw films, or the awful CGI of later Saw films when the siblings are in their traps. Instead, things are either over the top vibrant, with bright colours, or they’re hyper stylised. The animation helps the grosser parts of the film for those who might not normally be up for a film full of gore and death traps, whilst also making it stand out amongst its competitors.

One of the best things about it is how open it is. It might be following Miriam and her story, but it establishes a much bigger world in the Gamemaster and her cohorts. It means that there could be more stories in this universe, more events where the Gamemaster comes for entertainment. Whilst this film is a stand alone I could easily see a slew of sequels, or even an animated series. Hopefully we’ll get at least one more thing set in this universe to see a bit more.

To Your Last Death might not be the most original or amazing horror film you’ll ever see, but it’s a hell of a lot better than it really has any right to be. It looks unique, it blends different genres together in fun ways, and it has a great cast. Definitely one that’s worth a watch.

To Your Last Death is out now on Digital HD, Cable VOD, and Blu-ray.

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Darkness Loves Company by Sarah L. Blair - Book Review

 

'Sidney Lake traded the glitz and glam of New York’s high society for a desk job at Manhattan’s premier paranormal investigation agency, and she’s tired of paperwork.

'When an old flame mistakes her for the head of the agency, Sidney takes her chance to break into the field, but doing so means she must return to a life she left behind for good. Even the bright lights of the paparazzi fail to illuminate the dark underbelly of the city’s most privileged citizens, and Sidney quickly finds herself tangled in an intricate web of murder, lies . . . and hexed koalas.

'Finished with a career at the FBI, Mitchell Harris turned to the private sector to pursue his interest in a world of shadows the Bureau refused to acknowledge. However, one unsolved case still haunts him. A decade after he promised a young girl he would find the monster who killed her parents, Mitch’s vow remains unfulfilled. Now Sidney Lake is grown and determined to chase down the answers herself, even if it means running headlong into the darkness Mitch has tried so hard to protect her from.

'Faced with a devastating personal loss, all Mitch wants to do is retire for good. But his vow to Sidney isn’t the only oath he’s made. His powerful benefactors have their own interest in her, and Mitch begins to suspect their meeting was no accident.

'With Sidney on the road to becoming a full agent and Mitch’s past failure still heavy on his conscience, they soon discover the journey into darkness is better with company.'

Earlier this year I gave a pretty favourable review to Darkness Shifting by author Sarah L. Blair. It was a book that I'd had on my shelf for a long while but hadn't gotten around to reading, in part because I knew Sarah. I was worried that I would read her book and might not enjoy it, even though I could have just pretended that I still hadn't had a chance to read it and not mention it at all. Luckily for me I thought it was brilliant, and devoured the whole thing in a single sitting, something I rarely do.

All well and good until she tells me that she's written a prequel book whilst working on the sequel, and asked if I wanted to read it early. Of course I jumped at the chance to get my hands on it early, after all I loved the first book. It was only when I received the book that I suddenly started to think those same worried thought of 'what if I don't like it?' all over again. This time I wouldn't be able to pretend I hadn't had the chance to read it if I thought it was bad, and would have to tell her my thoughts on the book. Of course, I'm a complete idiot, and should have had more faith in Sarah's writing, as the book was great.

Darkness Loves Company jumps backwards a number of years, introducing Sidney Lake as a rookie agent instead of the veteran she is in the first book. This is a young woman who has been stuck in an office for years and hasn't been out in the field facing monsters and demons yet. I was honestly curious about what time period Sarah would set the book in. There were a number of reasons why she could have set the book during Sidney's childhood for example, or even going back hundreds or thousands of years into its past to explore the history of the universe that she had created. All of those options would have been great, and would have done a lot to expand upon the world and the lore, but there was something that seemed to be more important than world building to Sarah in regards to this book; character.

This might be a story about Sidney's first case, and her earning her stripes as an agent, but the heart of the story is her and Mitch, and their relationship. She chose to set it at this point to further explore their characters and what they meant to each other, and it was easily the better choice. 

The story has two main plots, one focuses on Mitch, an important character in the first book, who gets the chance to have chapters written from his point of view here. At the start of the book he learns that his ex-wife has died in a tragic accident, and then spends the rest of the book having to deal with that. The incident makes him question his place in the world, whether he's been making the right choices, and if he should continue what he's doing or simply retire.Knowing where his choices leads him in the first book it's a little sad that he makes the choices he does here, but despite knowing that he won't retire, but carry on with the agency, Sarah instead focuses on the emotional journey he takes, rather than any mystery about what he might chose to do.

The other story sees Sidney taking on a case of her own without Mitch's authorisation, investigating into the murder of a young socialite and charity worker who was engaged to an old friend of hers. The case not only puts Sidney out in the field and gives her the chance to show that she's capable of doing the job over Mitch's misgivings, but puts her back into a social setting that she's long put behind her, one that was leading her down a pretty destructive path. It also gives us demonic koala bears, so that's a hell of a bonus too.

These two stories come together a few times when Sidney and Mitch begin to explore their relationship, something that was already well established in the first book, and shows readers how the two of them get together for the first time. And yes, as Sarah answered during the virtual book launch, there is more sex in this book than the first one. I know that this is something that's a bit of a marmite subject for some readers, as some people feel a bit weirded out reading sex scenes in the middle of their urban fantasy book, but this is a book that's designed for adults over teen, and let's face it, these people would want to bang in real life.

Whilst there's much less mystery in this book than the first, as if you've read them in publication order you'll know a lot of what's going on and where things are headed, but there's still a good central mystery to keep you interested and engaged all on its own. And I definitely would advise that you read this in publication order, rather than how it's set chronologically, as there are certain things that will definitely read differently if you come to this book with no knowledge of the first.

Darkness Loves Company didn't have the same level of excitement and mystery that the first book had, and didn't grab me in the same way, and at first I thought that was a negative thing, but I was wrong. Instead it gave me a more personal narrative that I ended up caring more about because it put the characters front and centre and gave them a real chance to come into their own. 

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Someone's Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass - Book Review And Extract

 

'She wrote the book on escaping a predator… Now one is coming for her.

'Faith Finley has it all: she’s a talented psychologist with a flourishing career, a bestselling author and the host of a popular local radio program, Someone’s Listening, with Dr. Faith Finley. She’s married to the perfect man, Liam Finley, a respected food critic. Until the night everything goes horribly wrong, and Faith’s life is shattered forever.

'Liam is missing—gone without a trace—and the police are suspicious of everything Faith says. They either think she has something to hide, or that she’s lost her mind. And then the notes begin to arrive. Notes that are ripped from Faith’s own book, the one that helps victims leave their abusers. Notes like “Lock your windows. Consider investing in a steel door.” As the threats escalate, the mystery behind Liam’s disappearance intensifies. And Faith’s very life will depend on finding answers. '

Someone's Listening is one of those rare thrillers where I find myself trying to guess what's coming next, where I get sucked in and try to figure out what might be going on. I appreciate that this is something that most readers do when they read this genre, but I myself tend to be more passive in my journey in mystery books, enjoying the unfolding narrative and watching our heroes try to figure things out; as such, it tends to be a rare book for it to make me an active participant. But in this case I couldn't help but become so invested that I even cheered aloud at one point.

The book follows Faith, a successful psychologist with a popular radio show and book, who's ready to publish her second book. When Faith is accused of misconduct from a former patient she becomes harassed by the press, and found guilty in the court of public opinion. With her life spiralling out of her control around her, and everything she's doing being used against her, things become worse when she and her husband, Liam, are in an accident.

Faith wakes in hospital, having sustained serious injuries from the car crash, but there was no sign that her husband was in the vehicle with her. The police try searching for Liam, but find no trace of him. Months later Faith is trying to put her life back together, whilst searching for answers about Liam's disappearance. It's then when threatening notes begin to appear, passages taken from her own book. With this mysterious stalker closing in on her, Faith is pushed to the limit to try to find her husband, and stop whoever is trying to hurt her.

When I wake up, it’s black and still; I feel a light, icy snow that floats rather than falls, and I can’t open my eyes. I don’t know where I am, but it’s so quiet, the silence rings in my ears. My fingertips try to grip the ground, but I feel only a sheet of ice beneath me, splintered with bits of imbedded gravel. The air is sharp, and I try to call for him, but I can’t speak. How long have I been here? I drift back out of consciousness. The next time I wake, I hear the crunching of ice under the boots of EMTs who rush around my body. I know where I am. I’m lying in the middle of County Road 6. There has been a crash. There’s a swirling red light, a strobe light in the vast blackness: they tell me not to move.

“Where’s my husband?” I whimper. They tell me to try not to talk either. “Liam!” I try to yell for him, but it barely escapes my lips; they’re numb, near frozen, and it comes out in a hoarse whisper. How has this happened?

I think of the party and how I hate driving at night, and how I was careful not to drink too much. I nursed a glass or two, stayed in control. Liam had a lot more. It wasn’t like him to get loaded, and I knew it was his way of getting back at me. He was irritated with me, with the position I’d put him in, even though he had never said it in so many words. I wanted to please him because this whole horrible situation was my fault, and I was sorry.

When I wake up again I’m in a hospital room, connected to tubes and machines. The IV needle is stuck into a bruised, purple vein in the back of my hand that aches. In the dim light, I sip juice from a tiny plastic cup, and the soft beep of the EKG tries to lull me back to sleep, but I fight it. I want answers. I need to appear stabilized and alert. Another dose of painkiller is released into my IV; the momentary euphoria forces me to heave a sigh. I need to keep my eyes open. I can hear the cops arrive and talk to someone at a desk outside my door. They’ll tell me what happened.

There’s a nurse who calls me “sweetie” and changes the subject when I ask about the accident. She gives the cops a sideways look when they come in to talk to me, and tells them they only have a few minutes and that I need to rest.

Detective John Sterling greets me with a soft “Hello, ma’am.” I almost forget about my shattered femur and groan after I move too quickly. Another officer lingers by the door, a tall, stern-looking woman with her light hair pulled into a tight bun at the base of her skull. She tells me I’m lucky to be alive, and if it had dropped below freezing, I wouldn’t have lasted those couple hours before a passing car stopped and called 911. I ask where Liam is, but she just looks to Sterling. Something is terribly wrong.

One of the best things about Someone's Listening is that it almost feels like multiple books in one. There's the story of Faith's former patient accusing her of sexual misconduct and the affect this has on her career and personal life. There's the accident that she suffers through and Liam going missing. And there's this dangerous new stalker coming out of the shadows, leaving her threatening messages and shattering what little security she has left. Any one of these could have been the focus of the novel, and Seaphina Nova Glass is clearly skilled enough to take any of these plots and craft a novel around them; the fact that all of them are here though, is astounding.

Not only does she allow each of these stories have enough room to breath, to feel like full and satisfying narratives in their own right, but she weaves them in and out of the book to great effect. She's made it so that Faith is not only going up against one awful thing, any of which could ruin a person's life, but having to deal with them all at once. The effect is a series of events that's truly staggering, that would push any person to breaking point. Because of this, I can say with very little exaggeration that Faith Finley is one of the strongest lead characters I've read.

Over the course of this book Faith is pushed to some awful extremes, and as a result she does make some pretty bad decisions that I feel the character wouldn't normally make. She's supposed to be a well reasoned psychologist, a woman who is supposed to know better, yet repeatedly puts herself in dangerous and stupid situations. I've seen some reviews use this as a way to bash the character, to say that she's not very smart; but this is a woman who's at breaking point, who's lost damn near everything, and still has more awful stuff happening to her. Despite all that she not only manages to solve her problems but survives a killer. I'm pretty sure that's something that I wouldn't be able to do in her shoes. Even when close to defeated, when she's resorting to drink and drugs to survive she doesn't let things break her. She keeps on fighting throughout, and I found that astounding.

I was told before I started reading this book that it would be twisty, that I probably wouldn't figure out the ending. For a time I thought I had, and I actually cheered out loud when I thought my suspicions had been proven right to the point where I get a weird look from my wife. Unfortunately, I was too quick off the mark, and Seaphina proved to have completely tricked me. She set up a series of red-herrings and I'd blindly accepted them. When the real ending was revealed I was genuinely stunned, because it was something that I wasn't expecting at all. Not only had she drawn me into the mystery and made me actively excited to figure it out, but she then completely hoodwinked me. I loved it.

Someone's Listening was a book that I very quickly became invested in, with a lead who I was left wanting to see more from, and a mystery that had me scratching my head and left me stunned. Like I said earlier, not may mystery books manage to grab me in this way, so I was so grateful that this one did. I would definitely recommend it to any mystery and thriller fans, and am excited to see what the author does next.

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

 

'France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

'Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

'But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.'

The first time I heard of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was at a book signing event in 2019, where Victoria was talking about the re-release of her first novel, The Near Witch, as well as several of her other books. There were a number of questions about the upcoming book during this talk, and despite talking passionately about all of her books there was something different whenever she spoke about Addie LaRue. There was a passion there that showed this was a project that meant a lot to her, and during the talk she mentioned that this was a book that she had been working on for the better part of a decade. 

Jumping forward in time, it was announced that it would be coming out in 2020, and so many people in the publishing community, especially readers and reviewers, were getting very excited for the release. With all of the hype that was being built up around the book, I have to admit I became really nervous going into it. What if the excitement wasn't justified? What if I'd hyped myself up for something amazing that could never meet those expectations? I was worried that I'd built this monolith in my mind that the finished novel could never actually compete with. Luckily for me, I was worried for nothing, and Victoria Schwab has proven once again that she is a masterful storyteller.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue begins in the summer of 1714, where our protagonist Adeline is running away from her problems, quite literally. We get little context for what's happeneing, except for how desperate the young woman is. From here events jump forward three hundred years, where Adeline, who now calls herself Addie, is in New York City, in the bed of a man who doesn't remember bringing her home the night before. We learn that this isn't because of drink or drugs, he can't remember her because no one can. As soon as anyone stops looking at Addie she erases from their memories.

Over the course of the next several chapters we skip between modern day and three hundred years before, where we get to see both lives that Addie is living. In one she's a young woman living in rural France, fighting against her parents expectations to go off and get married, and in the other she's a ghost, walking through the world without anyone realising she even exists. Through her past we learn that in her desperation to escape her upcoming wedding she prayed to the old gods of the woods, made them offerings to help her, but none would. When she accidentally prays too long, offering up her prayers after darkness falls, she gets a response from something she should have never asked for help from.

This entity offers Addie a deal, a way to escape from the life everyone has planned for her and to be free for as long as she likes, in exchange for her soul. Desperate and out of options, Addie agrees, little realising just what she's agreeing to. Addie is given freedom, she can go anywhere, but the cost is that everyone has forgotten her. Alone in the world, the young woman begins to drift, a journey that will last centuries.

In modern day New York Addie is simply going about her usual routine, taking what she wants, going wherever she feels, and trying to enjoy her bizarre existence. However, when she's caught stealing a book from a used bookstore she thinks nothing of returning the next day, after all, the owner isn't going to remember her is he? Except he does. After three hundred years alone, three hundred years able to observe the world but leave no mark of her own she hears the three words she thought she would never hear again, 'I remember you'.

The narrative of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue makes great use of having a character exist for centuries, jumping backwards and forwards through Addie's life in order to tell her story. Schwab uses it to good effect, not only setting up hints at things to come in each narrative, but teasing out reveals. Some of these are moments that you feel you know are coming, things that are hinted at in the future fairly early on in the book, but that you have to wait hundreds of pages to get to in order to finally learn these secrets. I would say that it's a great way to keep a reader interested, but honestly, I found the narrative engaging enough that these little mysteries weren't what kept me hooked at all. If anything, I found them a little frustrating because I wanted answers straight away; but this was frustrating in a good way.

It wasn't the mysteries of Addie LaRue that kept me reading, but the character herself. Fictional characters, just like real people, are shaped by their experiences; where they go, what they do, and who they interact with. Whilst you could go through your entire life never interacting with someone I'm sure there are very few people who have. Everyone needs to talk to someone some of the time. When that option is taken away, what kind of person would you be? This is what made Addie herself so fascinating, as I think she's one of the few literary characters who is so completely alone for so long, even whilst surrounded by people.

I'm sure there are some people who are waiting for the chance to jump in now and say 'but Amy, she can talk to people, she's forgettable, not invisible', and you're right, she can interact with people, but this is in very limited ways. If you cannot form any lasting relationships with people how can you have any real, meaningful conversations? If people forget you as soon as they're not looking at you, how can you have any conversations that are anything other than a first meeting? And how long until you just get so tired of having a first meeting over and over again?

Addie is very different in 2014 to her time in the 1700's, and this isn't just because she's grown older and wiser over time, but because you can see the effect of bring has had on her. She doesn't look at people the same way that you and I do. She doesn't treat people the way we would. This goes beyond simple things like having to steal to survive, to at times not even really seeing people as people all the time. Everyone else is so removed from her world that she at times doesn't even consider herself one of us anymore.

This is explored in great detail with the introduction of Henry, a young man working in a bookstore who can somehow remember Addie. The reasons for this do get explored during the book, and add to the mystery that plays out over the novel; but much like Addie I think it's him as a person that's more interesting than his mystery. He, much like Addie, has detached himself from the world around him. He's had troubles in love and doesn't seem capable of letting anyone else in again. But when he meets Addie things change, for both of them. We get to see not only how she improves his life, but how he humanises her. Sometimes it's simple things, like her having to confront the morality of stealing from people in order to make her way through the world, but other times it's smaller, more personal things like her being able to wake up beside someone and see recognition in her eyes, and the peace that that brings her.

I sometimes have trouble getting into books that have romance be a central component, and can find some love stories to be overly dramatic and draining, but the story that plays out between these two is genuinely beautiful and fascinating. 

I don't want to talk too much about the story though, as there's so much that's best learnt as the narrative unfolds. There are reasons why Schwab chose to keep certain things back until certains points in the book, and I know talking about them in a review will ruin that experience for you. All I can say is, this isn't just a book about love, it's not just a story about a woman living through centuries. There's so much here that you don't realise at first. It's big and expansive, with layers, and it's so damn beautifully written.

I've enjoyed everything I've read of Schwab's so far, and have made a point to but all of her books because she's an author I know I'm going to get something good from, but if I wasn't already a fan this is the book that would make me one. It's a book that will take you on an unexpected and shocking journey, a book that you'll be thinking about days and weeks after, that you'll want to recommend to all of your friends. I can understand now why Victoria was so excited when she spoke about this book, I can understand why it meant so much to her. This is the kind of book that comes along very rarely, and you'll definitely regret missing out on it if you don't grab a copy.

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The Witching Stone by Danny Weston - Book REview

 

'Beneath this stone lie the remains of Meg Shelton, alleged witch of Woodplumpton, buried in 1705.

'After a messy breakup with his girlfriend, Alfie needs to get away for a while – so he decides to spend the summer holidays with his dad in a tiny village in the North of England. In the local church graveyard, he chances upon a boulder with a strange inscription – and meets Mia, who then tells him about the local superstition surrounding the stone.

''If you walk three times around the stone and say 'I don’t believe in witches,' Meg will come after you.’ Alfie, in a reckless attempt to show his bravery, accepts the superstition as a challenge. He thinks the story is nonsense. But it soon becomes apparent that he’s just made the biggest mistake of his life'

The Witching Stone tells the story of Alfie, a teenager who's in a bit of a slump and doesn't know what to do with himself. He's recently broken up with a long term girlfriend after she left him for one of his friends and needs to get away from home. So when his father is commissioned to travel to the village of Woodplumpton for several weeks to update the offices of a local business Alfie jumps at the chance to go with him.

When exploring the village Alfie comes across a strange grave in the local churchyard, a huge boulder with a plaque saying that a witch is buried beneath it. Not sure what to think, Alfie is told the local legend of Meg the witch by one of the local girls, Mia, along with the story that you can summon her spirit if you walk around her grave three times saying 'I don't believe in witches'. Being something of a non-believer, and wanting to show off a bit to the pretty girl, Alfie does what he's warned not to do. And of course, it works.

Alfie begins to suspect that the spirit of Meg is following him, leaving muddy footprints in his hotel bathroom, and leaving bruises on his skin where she's grabbing him in his dreams. Desperate and unsure what to do, he turns to Mia for help, and the two of them set out to find a way to break the curse that seems to be hanging over Alfie, and solve a three hundred year old murder.

I was expecting this book to be a scary story, the set-up seemed like this was going to be a very tense and creeping horror of a boy being haunted by a ghostly witch; and to be fair, it does do this for a little while, giving readers some very creepy moments. But then things change. This becomes less a horror story and more of a mystery when Alfie just straight up confronts the witch and asks her what she wants. And this was such a good choice.

This story could have very easily been about a malevolent spirit that needed to be stopped, but instead Meg is presented as a victim, a woman who was unjustly killed hundreds of years ago, and now needs Alfie's help. Not only did this change the expected horror formula, but it also broke with tradition of having witches being evil figures. So many innocent women were murdered for being witches when they'd done nothing wrong, over the centuries since people have come to understand that the victims of witch trials were ordinary, innocent people; but horror seems slow to adopt this view. Danny Weston's decision to present a more realistic view on witches, that they were unfairly victimised, is so refreshing.

That's not to say that Meg isn't completely toothless, however, and over the course of the book she proves to be a being with a lot of power, and the willingness to use it against others. Her ability to appear and disappear at a whim, to cause destruction and chaos around Alfie, prove to make her threats of worse feel real, and justifies Alfie trying so hard to get her what she wants. Whilst I wouldn't call her a villain by any means, she certainly makes for an interesting and engaging foe for our protagonist.

The other characters are equally as engaging, and Alfie proves to be an interesting protagonist. He's going through some tough stuff at the beginning of the book, and these issues are only compounded over the course of the narrative, but he always seems to try and do the right thing. There are moments where he loses his cool in situations where he should probably have stayed a bit calmer, but when the ghost of a witch is threatening people you love you can't really blame him. His reactions make sense, and are relatable, and this makes him one of the better YA protagonists I've read in a while.

Weston also manages to make the central mystery play out at a great pace, and doesn't spoil things by giving away too much too early. He knows to draw the reader in with the slow horror before turning things on their head and setting Alfie and the reader out on this mission. And there's enough clues given along the way that things don't just come out of nowhere. There was a small mention of something earlier in the book that proved to be the answer that Alfie needed, and it was obvious enough to pick out for me, but made sense that Alfie could have skipped over it in his panic. Some writers have great ideas for a mystery story, but stumble a little in the execution, but that certainly wasn't the case here.

The Witching Stone wasn't what I was expecting when I went into it, but I think I enjoyed it more when it broke away from horror and became a mystery. It had some engaging and interesting characters, all of whom had moments to shine and stand out, and the story moved at a well crafted pace. Definitely a book worth picking up, and I'm going to be looking through more of Weston's work because of it.

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