A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley is a little gem of a book. In many respects it is a pretty typical coming-of-age tale but the characters elevate this story beyond the usual. They are very realistic and relatable, even if you don’t particularly like them at times. The story is told in dual narrative, from the perspective of Charlie Duskin and Rose Butler, two teenage girls from different backgrounds. […]
Graffiti Moon is a truly exceptional book. Wonderfully written, with deep, well-drawn (pun intended!) characters and a simple yet affecting story, I just cannot say enough good things things about it. I had read through many of the reviews so had a fair idea that I would enjoy this one, but it more than lived up to my (already high) expectations. Graffiti Moon is told in dual narrative from the […]
The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke started slowly for me. It took until about 50 or so pages in to hook me in but once it did I could not put it down. This is the story of Ananna of the Tanarau, a young pirate princess who escapes from an arranged marriage with Tarrin, the young heir of the Hariri, a rival pirate clan. Annana has dreams of having […]
I came into this book expecting zombies and while the book did not disappoint on that score, it was so much more than that. A tense, atmospheric survival story balanced with a well-drawn character study, I really could not put this one down. This is Not a Test is a book about six teenagers who hole up at their local high school to out-wait the zombie apocalypse that is raging […]
I had already seen the BBC production of North and South (many, many times!) before reading this book so had a good idea of the story and the setting. North and South, in some respects, is like a grittier version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (another book and TV adaptation that I love). The story and characters are deep and full of imperfections which is why I think I […]