Release Date: October 7th 2017
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Pages: 240
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: I received a copy of this through ReadersFirst
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Synopsis
An extraordinary tale about the search for love from the acclaimed Costa and Carnegie winning novelist Sally Gardner.
Jazmin has been shunned ever since her best friend Becky disappeared. But Becky didn’t just disappear – she jumped off a tall building and seemingly never reached the ground. It was as if she simply vanished into thin air. Did Jazmin have something to do with her disappearance? Or was it more to do with Icarus, so beguiling and strangely ever youthful, with whom Becky became suddenly besotted . . .
Review
When I read the synopsis for this book I thought it sounded like a really fascinating read. When it arrived I couldn’t believe how beautiful it looked, I love the way that it’s meant to look like the notebooks that Becky is so fond of. This is my first outing in a Sally Gardner novel – I have long wanted to read her books but never quite gotten around to it. The story is told from the point of view of Jazmin, who is dealing with the disappearance of her best friend Becky, but Becky’s disappearance isn’t all that it seems.
The characters were pretty interesting and I was always eager to know what was going on, there are quite a few different narrative voices and I felt sometimes the plot did get a little lost in the different layers, but overall it was an enjoyable read. I think the concept for this book is quite an original one, and it makes for unusual reading. There’s also some really beautiful illustrations inside which help bring the story to life.
The book is really short, only 240 pages so I pretty much flew through it. I did feel like it could have done with being more in the action, rather than just being told about it afterwards. The story is told in quite a unique narrative style, which does take a bit of getting used to but this little book makes for a really interesting social commentary, mixed in with aliens and science fiction. If you’re looking for something a bit different to read, this could be right up your alley.
Series: Impossible Times #1
Mark Lawrence has once again made me completely fall in love with a wonderful cast of characters and an intensely gripping story. One Word Kill follows Nick – a mathematical genius who learns he’s dying of cancer. Nick and his friends play Dungeons and Dragons to escape this harsh reality but when a strange man begins following Nick and brings him some dire warnings, the gang’s real life becomes crazier than they ever thought possible.
This book is a quick and interesting read that touches on that difficult topic of grief. The book follows Robbie, a young boy who’s dealing with the death of his mother and the remarriage of his father. The book is a short one – under two hundred pages and most likely you’ll get caught in this fascinating story and read it in one sitting.
I was so excited to read this little beauty because I loved The Gospel of Loki and have always wanted to read more of Joanne Harris’s books. The story follows a young woman who lives in the woods, She has magical powers which she loses when she falls in love with a local lord’s son. Based on The Child Ballads, this book is beautifully written in a lyrical and poetic style.
The Bloodprint is the first in a new series by crime author Ausma Zehanat Khan. I confess I’ve always wanted to read The Unquiet Dead and haven’t quiet gotten around to buying a copy (that has since been rectified). Going into The Bloodprint I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but from the get go I was absolutely hooked, and I loved this book from beginning to end.
This book has instantly become one of my favourite books ever. Dark, unsettling and beautifully descriptive, it will keep you up late on these cold winter nights. Elsie is grieving for the unexpected death of her new husband when she moves into his old country estate, but not everyone welcomes her arrival. The Bridge is full of secrets and servants who do not like her, not to mention something more sinister that hides behind locked doors.
This book really caught me eye with that stunning cover and after reading the blurb I was desperate to dive in. I enjoyed this book so much and am just itching to read the sequel. It was so full of magic and has such a beautiful setting that you can’t help but fall in love with it.
Poetry isn’t something that I read an awful lot of and it’s definitely something I want to get into more. I’ve read the first two instalments in Amanda Lovelace’s Women Are Some Kind of Magic series and was incredibly excited about reading this powerful and inspiring third book.
Monsters in the Mirror is a fun and fast paced adventure full of charming characters and exciting action. The story follows Darwen Arkwright, a young boy forced to move from England to Atlanta. As he struggles to find his place and understand his new life he discovers he has the ability to step through mirrors into completely different worlds. As he makes friends in this new world, he learns that a dark power is threatening to destroy it. Monsters in the Mirror is the first in an all new series and I’m already looking forward to reading the next instalment!
This is the second book in the DC Icons series. Anyone who has seen my review of Wonder Woman Warbringer or my favourite reads of 2017 will know that I absolutely adored it and couldn’t wait to get my hands on book two. Growing up I absolutely adored Batman, and I was so excited to see what Marie Lu would do with the story – she definitely didn’t disappoint.
The Bibliophile Chronicles 