"And that becomes the point of this dark confection, an interrogation of the real and when you recognise it, you find yourself gazing about you like a tourist in a city of skyscrapers (could the luxuriousness of the Dubai section be imagined, could the apparent ease with which Henry moves through the world be imagined, is Kristen's plan pure wish-fulfilment, is the climax of the book the kind of thing a disappointed pessimist might imagine for themselves?). It makes for quite a game and the game is arresting in a devious way. There is a tension at work here, between the author and the reader, a tension you sense the author is having fun extending, a tension the reader experiences both as anxiety and exhilaration. All told, it makes for a great read and the kind of book you may be inclined to read over the instant you get to the end."
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Thursday, 31 January 2019
“How long does trauma last?” – Mothers & Daughters by Vedrana Rudan
"Given that care of the elderly often falls to daughters and not all mother-daughter relationships are loving this is an interesting exploration of an increasingly problematic issue. The author pulls no punches in portraying the grotesque elements of aging bodies and the resentments felt by both elderly parents and their children. Although well written it was not an easy story due to its honesty and lack of smoothing over the cracks that are widely felt but rarely acknowledged, perhaps for fear of public approbation..." - Jackie Law reviews Mothers & Daughters by Vedrana Rudan
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“How long does trauma last?” – Mothers & Daughters by Vedrana Rudan
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February's Hottest New Releases
Looking for a new book? You can't go wrong with one of February's new releases, which include a highly anticipated new fantasy from a Man Booker Prize-winning author (Black Leopard, Red Wolf), a couple of red-hot new mysteries (The Lost Man and The Silent Patient), and a new historical fiction novel from the author of The Alice Network (The Huntress).
Each month the Goodreads Editorial team takes a look at the books that are being published, how early reviewers are rating them, and how many of you are adding these books to your Want to Read shelf. We use the information to curate this list of books you can't wait to read.
A hunter searches for a young boy with the help of a shape-shifter and other unlikely allies in this first book of a new fantasy trilogy set in a reimagined Africa, from the author of the Man Booker Prize-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings.
Release date: February 5
Read our interview with Marlon James here.
In this new standalone mystery from The Dry author, two men meet at the remote fence line separating their cattle farms in the Australian Outback. In front of them, the stockman's grave landmark rises; at their feet, their brother lies dead.
Release date: February 5
A battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot work to track down the Huntress, a deadly Nazi war criminal missing in America in this thrilling World War II novel from the author of The Alice Network.
Release date: February 26
Read our interview with Kate Quinn here.
This sweeping epic about an American family begins as a renowned poet is asked about the inspiration behind her iconic work, The Love Poem. Her answer details the story of her family and a betrayal that reverberates through the decades.
Release date: February 5
Read our interview with Tara Conklin here.
In this surreal memoir, an aspiring violinist lands a job with a professional ensemble—only to discover that the group is a sham, "performing" while music that sounds suspiciously like the Titanic soundtrack blares from a CD.
Release date: February 12
Read our interview with Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman here.
A debut psychological thriller about a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
Release date: February 5
In her follow-up to The Hate U Give, Thomas takes YA readers along on a teen's quest to escape poverty and become a successful rapper.
Release date: February 5
Read our interview with Angie Thomas here.
In this novel about a dance-hall girl and an orphan boy in 1930s Malaysia, fates become entangled over an old Chinese superstition.
Release date: February 12
An epic high (feminist) fantasy about a world on the brink of war, replete with talking dragons, assassins, queens, alchemists, and pirates.
Release date: February 26
The author of Columbine offers a deeply moving journalistic account of the extraordinary teenage survivors of the Parkland shooting.
Release date: February 12
The novelist explores her own schizoaffective disorder in this collection of essays that dispels misconceptions of mental illness.
Release date: February 5
Which new releases are you looking forward to reading? Let's talk books in the comments!
Check out more recent articles:
The Best Young Adult Books of February
'Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat' Author Shares Some Favorite Cookbooks
21 Hot Picks from Book Editors to Start a Great Year of Reading
posted by Cybil on January, 30
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What to Read When Work Is Stranger than Fiction
Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman's new memoir, Sounds Like Titanic, may be the quirkiest nonfiction book of the spring. It chronicles her time "fake"-playing classical music on tour with an unnamed composer. But maybe it's best to hear it from Hindman herself. Here she tells us about her story and recommends five more books about the act of holding down a job.
Goodreads: Summarize your book for us.
Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman: Sounds Like Titanic is about a young woman from Appalachia (yours truly!) who gets a job with an orchestra in New York City that turns out to be a sham.
When I performed with this orchestra, the microphones in front of me weren’t plugged in and a CD recording of a far-more-talented violinist was blasted toward unsuspecting audiences. We were like the Milli Vanilli of classical music, or as I call us in the book, “Milli Violini.”
The mastermind behind this scheme is a mysterious man, The Composer, who has sold millions of albums and performed with the world’s most prestigious orchestras and on PBS. Who is this guy and why is he doing this scheme and how is he getting away with it? Those are a few questions the book seeks to answer. And yet the story about my becoming a fake violinist and touring around America with The Composer is really just the scaffolding of the book, which I use to launch bigger investigations about class, gender, geography, mental illness, and American culture in the years immediately following 9/11.
If I had to summarize this book in one sentence, I would say that Sounds Like Titanic is an investigation between the real and the fake, and what happens when society can no longer tell the difference.
GR: What did you learn from the process of writing your memoir?
JCH: First and foremost, I learned how challenging it is to write a memoir. I wanted the book to be structurally and thematically complex while adhering to a rigorously truthful firsthand account. I was so devoted to learning how to do this the right way that I got an MFA and a Ph.D. in Creative Nonfiction Writing.
And I did a lot of research into American ideas about classical music. Beginning in the early 1990s, classical music was seen to have almost miraculous qualities; it could cure your cancer and get your kid into Harvard. Of course, none of these claims turned out to be true. I learned a lot about the so-called Mozart Effect (which has since been debunked) and the simultaneous efforts to censor certain types of music, particularly rap.
I also delved into books like Mary Pipher’s Reviving Ophelia, Susan Faludi’s Backlash, and Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth in order to better understand my own adolescence. How had I gone from a happy, well-adjusted 11-year-old girl in 1992 to a suicidal, eating-disordered 13-year-old by 1994? Those books helped me understand the cultural moment in which I came of age, and why learning to play the violin was so important to me as a young woman who wanted to be seen for my talents rather than for what I looked like.
GR: Much of your memoir is about music. What role do you think music plays in people’s lives?
JCH: I love this question—it’s big and complex with no one answer. I’ve developed a theory over the years of watching people respond to music that there are two types of listeners. The first type intellectualizes music—think music critics, music theory professors, tastemakers, people who seek out new listening experiences, people who are into all the interesting new artists, your hip friend who has memorized the liner notes of a super obscure live album from an underground blues viola performance in Norway in 1967. The second type of listener approaches music almost like a mind-altering substance; music induces something akin to a mania or a religious ecstasy. These listeners are seeking a feeling. They don’t care whether the music that brings it on is “good” or “bad” or “cool” or “uncool” or popular or eclectic. These listeners are more susceptible to earworms and less interested in seeking out new music than they are replaying music that has an emotional connection to their past. I have always identified more with the second group.
As I write in the book, a random encounter with Vivaldi’s "Winter" when I was four years old shaped the course of my life—I only heard it once, in a cartoon movie, but it played in my head for nearly two decades until I could finally confirm its origin when I found an old VHS of the cartoon on eBay. And I think most of The Composer’s fans are also in this second group, which is why I empathize with them even as I don’t share their musical tastes.
Hindman Recommends Five Great Books About Life at Work
"While there are many fascinating books about life on the job, I think that literary memoirs about work are underrepresented, especially given the fact that Americans spend so many hours of their lives working. I hope more people will write about their crazy, horrible, no-good, very bad jobs and the toll that such employment takes on both the individual worker and our society as a whole," she says. Here are some of her favorite accounts of life on the job:
"Most Americans know Orwell for his fiction, but his nonfiction is just as thrilling to read. In this true account, he chronicles the working poor of Paris and London with an unsentimental, empathetic eye."
"This is the book I read in college that made me want to become a writer. Ehrenreich translates the realities of the working poor in an engaging writing style that became the required template for subsequent tales of life on the job."
"McMillan Cottom worked as an admissions counselor at for-profit colleges and then went on to become a professor of sociology at several prestigious research universities. As such, she offers unique and valuable insight into life on the job in American higher education while addressing important questions about the ways that gender, race, and class shape the divide between for-profit and nonprofit colleges."
"An investigation into a necessary yet taboo line of work: cremation. A vivid, disturbing odyssey of one woman's descent into America’s hypercapitalist version of the underworld."
"This is the only book on my list that is fiction, but as someone who has worked as a creative writing professor for over a decade, this is the truest account of life in my profession that I’ve ever read. Written entirely as letters of recommendation, as penned by a curmudgeonly creative writing professor named Jason Fitger, this book is hilarious, spot-on-accurate, and surprisingly moving."
Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman's memoir, Sounds Like Titanic, will be available on February 12. Don't forget to add it to your Want to Read shelf. Be sure to also read more of our exclusive author interviews and get more great book recommendations.
posted by Cybil on January, 28
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Wednesday, 30 January 2019
“A brilliantly funny book” – For The Good Times by David Keenan
"It’s a book that deals in idealism and so plays upon the mythic – Sammy’s own myths entwine genuine Hibernian legend with the world of DC Comics, as Keenan weaves a new superhero saga – but it’s a myth that leads only to rows upon rows of coffins, just as Sammy’s path leads him inevitably to the Maze, where Margaret Thatcher is letting Bobby Sands (MP) starve to death. And though it might sound otherwise, this isn’t a book that overtly supports the Republican cause (except to the extent that Keenan’s books clearly don’t offer any support to the Conservative cause): rather, it’s a book that, like any worthy piece of war literature, seeks to dismantle the simplistic portrayal of conflict as Good vs Bad. Everyone’s good, everyone’s bad, and, moreover, everyone’s hurting and everyone’s bewildered..." - Valerie O'Riordan reviews For the Good Times by David Keenan
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New Children's & Young Adult Book Picks February 2019 - Post Two - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books
Michelle Harrison - A Pinch of Magic - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (7 Feb. 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-1471124297 - Paperback
On the isle of Crowstone, set upon eerie marshes with a prison as its closest neighbour, the Widdershins sisters: Betty, Fliss, and Charlie, set out to break a deadly curse which has haunted their family for generations.
But the curse isn’t the only unusual thing about the Widdershins. Each of them possesses a magical object that’s been passed down the family. A scruffy carpet bag, a set of wooden nesting dolls and a gilt-framed mirror . . . none of them is what they seem.
Will they be enough to break the curse? Or will the sisters have better luck with the mysterious prisoner who claims he can help them – for a price?
Jasbinder Bilan - Asha & the Spirit Bird - Chicken House Books (7 Feb. 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-1911490197- Paperback
Asha lives in the foothills of the Himalayas. Money is tight and she misses her papa who works in the city. When he suddenly stops sending his wages, a ruthless moneylender ransacks their home and her mother talks of leaving.
From her den in the mango tree, Asha makes a pact with her best friend, Jeevan, to find her father and make things right. But the journey is dangerous: they must cross the world's highest mountains and face hunger, tiredness - even snow leopards.
And yet, Asha has the unshakeable sense that the spirit bird of her grandmother - her nanijee - will be watching over her.
From her den in the mango tree, Asha makes a pact with her best friend, Jeevan, to find her father and make things right. But the journey is dangerous: they must cross the world's highest mountains and face hunger, tiredness - even snow leopards.
And yet, Asha has the unshakeable sense that the spirit bird of her grandmother - her nanijee - will be watching over her.
Sinéad O’Hart - The Star-spun Web - Published by Stripes Publishing (7 Feb. 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-1788950220 - Paperback - Book Review Here
With her passion for scientific experimentation and her pet tarantula Violet, Tess de Sousa is no ordinary orphan. When a stranger shows up at Ackerbee’s Home for Lost and Foundlings, claiming to be a distant relative come to adopt her, Tess hopes to find some answers to her mysterious origins. But as she adjusts to her new life at Roedeer Lodge, it becomes clear that Norton F. Cleat knows more about Tess – and the strange device left with her when she was abandoned as a baby – than he’s letting on. And when Tess discovers that the Starspinner is the gateway between her world and a parallel world in which war rages, she realizes she may be the key to a terrible plan. A plan she must stop at all costs...
The Midnight Hour - Published by Chicken House Books (7 Feb. 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-1911490906 - Paperback - Book Review Here
Emily's parents have vanished into the secret world of the Midnight Hour - a Victorian London frozen in time - home to magic and monsters. Emily must find them in the city of the Night Folk, armed only with a packed lunch, a stowaway hedgehog and her infamously big mouth.With bloodthirsty creatures on her tail, Emily has to discover the truth to rescue her parents. What family secret connects her to the Midnight Hour? And can she save both worlds before she runs out of sandwiches?
S.P.E.A.R. - Published by Barrington Stoke (7 Feb. 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-1781128497 - Paperback
When Troy is caught up in a terrorist attack that takes the lives of his parents, he discovers an amazing power - bullets can't harm him. With this secret uncovered he's soon recruited into a underground organisation where he meets Scarlet, a girl with her own remarkable talent, and the two put their powers to use... Exhilarating action meets heart-pounding suspense in this three-part novel.
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The Best Young Adult Books of February
Welcome to the world of irresistible young adult fiction! Every month our team takes a look at the books being published and how they're resonating with early readers. We use this information to put together a roundup of soon-to-be favorites, from tales set in the suburbs to epics in realms of mystery and mischief.
For February we have a new novel from award-winning author Angie Thomas, a new duology set in the world of the bestselling His Fair Assassin series, plus an uptick of dark sci-fi and fantasy titles featuring spies, thieves, impostors, and more.
Add the books that catch your eye to your Want to Read shelf, and let us know what you're reading and recommending in the comments!
The acclaimed author of The Hate U Give returns with a new novel about a young girl who dreams of becoming the greatest rapper of all time, no matter the odds.
Release Date: February 5
Read our interview with Angie Thomas.
No one knows why the four queens of Quadara were murdered—not even the pickpocket Keralie Corrington, whose latest larceny puts her at the center of the conspiracy.
Release Date: February 26
Transforming metal into money is how Camille Durbonne uses her dark magic to survive. But to keep her family safe, she'll need to enchant the glittering court of King Louis XVI.
Release Date: February 5
Based on the historical legend of Anastasia Romanov, this sci-fi adventure recasts the famous Russian royal as the lost princess and the last hope of an entire galaxy.
Release Date: February 26
Guilt is Harley's constant companion after the night her sister ends up in a coma. She doesn't think she can move forward—until her childhood friend Raf shows her otherwise.
Release Date: February 19
Sybella is one of St. Mortain's deadliest assassins. Surrounded by enemies in France, her only hope of staying alive is to find a sister in arms who is just as lethal as she is.
Release Date: February 5
Series: Courting Darkness #1
In this dystopian debut, students of the Medio School for Girls are groomed to be society wives. But Daniela Vargas chooses a different career path: spying for the resistance.
Release Date: February 26
Which new YA books are you most excited to read? Let us know in the comments!
Check out more recent articles:
32 Big Books that YA Fans Can't Wait for in 2019
16 Completed YA Series You Can Totally Binge Right Now
The Must-Reads of 2018 from We Need Diverse Books
posted by Marie on January, 28
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Tuesday, 29 January 2019
“A fascinating approach to a controversial subject” – Cure by Jo Marchant #WBP2019
We're reviewing Cure as part of a blog tour celebrating this year's Wellcome Prize 2019, which rewards exceptional works of literature that illuminate the many ways that health, medicine and illness touch our lives, and s the 10th anniversary of this prestigious award. You can read more about the prize at: wellcomebookprize.org.
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“A fascinating approach to a controversial subject” – Cure by Jo Marchant #WBP2019
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Mini-reviews: Transcription by Kate Atkinson & Death in the Spotlight by Robin Stevens
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7 Great Books Hitting Shelves This Week
Need another excuse to go to the bookstore this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day.
To create our list, we focused on the top books Goodreads members can't wait to read, which we measure by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves. All these highly anticipated titles are now available! Which ones catch your eye?
You should read this book if you like: Literary fiction, debut novels, rural Trinidad, parents trying to understand their children, explorations of aspiration and love
Read our interview with Adam here.
You should read this book if you like: YA fantasy, Shadow and Bone, Russia-inspired realms of dark magic and mystery, rogue heroes, risking everything to save your country
Read our interview with Bardugo here.
You should read this book if you like: Contemporary romance, The Hating Game, ramshackle cottages, lifelong crushes, sexy house flippers, angst, friends-to-lovers relationships
Read our interview with Thorne here.
You should read this book if you like: Nonfiction, memoirs, the power of literature, To the Lighthouse, reflections on memory and understanding grief, literary criticism
You should read this book if you like: Science fiction, time travel, San Francisco, noble attempts to save history from unraveling, rescue missions and forgetful secret agents
You should read this book if you like: Thrillers, Orphan X, off-the-books operations, avoiding assassination, renegade agents, treacherous plots to take down the government
You should read this book if you like: Fiction, coming-of-age stories, New York City in the early 1990s, unrequited love, learning about life and relationships on the basketball court
Find our interview with Czapnik here.
What are you looking forward to reading? Let's talk books in the comments!
Check out more recent articles:
26 of the Hottest Romances of 2019
The 36 Big Mysteries & Thrillers of 2019
29 of the Biggest Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books of 2019
posted by Hayley on January, 28
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Monday, 28 January 2019
New video by Penguin Books UK on YouTube
Matthew Walker on Improving Bad Sleep Habits
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences: every major disease in the developed world - Alzheimer's, cancer, obesity, diabetes - has very strong causal links to deficient sleep. In this book, the first of its kind written by a scientific expert, Professor Matthew Walker explores twenty years of cutting-edge research to solve the mystery of why sleep matters. Looking at creatures from across the animal kingdom as well as major human studies, Why We Sleep delves into everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence. Out now: https://amzn.to/2JugGKV Watch a full interview with Dr Rangan Chatterjee on the Feel Better, Live More podcast: https://youtu.be/_N8zlEs6XVk ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to the Penguin channel: http://bit.ly/2ygTzig Follow us here: Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/penguinukbooks Website | http://bit.ly/xNmtGX Instagram | http://bit.ly/2ygyyo2 Facebook | http://bit.ly/2wmBKky
View on YouTube
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences: every major disease in the developed world - Alzheimer's, cancer, obesity, diabetes - has very strong causal links to deficient sleep. In this book, the first of its kind written by a scientific expert, Professor Matthew Walker explores twenty years of cutting-edge research to solve the mystery of why sleep matters. Looking at creatures from across the animal kingdom as well as major human studies, Why We Sleep delves into everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence. Out now: https://amzn.to/2JugGKV Watch a full interview with Dr Rangan Chatterjee on the Feel Better, Live More podcast: https://youtu.be/_N8zlEs6XVk ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to the Penguin channel: http://bit.ly/2ygTzig Follow us here: Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/penguinukbooks Website | http://bit.ly/xNmtGX Instagram | http://bit.ly/2ygyyo2 Facebook | http://bit.ly/2wmBKky
View on YouTube
Kesia Lupo - We Are Blood And Thunder - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books
A stunning and original YA fantasy from a fantastic new talent. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Laini Taylor
In a sealed-off city, a young woman, Lena, is running for her life. She has been sentenced to death and her only way to survive is to trust those she has been brought up to fear - those with magic.
On the other side of the locked gates is a masked lady, Constance, determined to find a way back in. Years ago she escaped before her own powers were discovered. But now she won't hide who she is any longer.
A powerful and terrifying storm cloud engulfs the city. But this is more than a thunderstorm. This is a spell, and the truth behind why it has been cast is more sinister than anyone can imagine ... But what neither Lena and Constance realise is that the stormcloud binds them - without it, without each other, neither can get what they desire.
What a fantastic start to the year already. As I skip and dance through the large pile of books in the hallway, I am delighted to have uncovered another absolute literary diamond. We Are Blood And Thunder has been written by a fantastic new voice, Kesia Lupo, who is a children's editor at Chicken House Books. This is an outstanding debut YA book that will be published by Bloomsbury in April 2019. I hear you cry but that's such a long time away. However, when a book is as good as this, I need to let you know early on so that you can get it pre-ordered and look forward to reading this in Spring.
So, what is it that has made me so excited? Well, it all starts many years ago in the Year of Kings 554 to be exact. A city is in quarantine and has been sealed off from the outside world. A young woman on the run, convicted for being a mage, crosses paths with a mysteriously masked lady on the other side of a locked gate. They each have a path to walk and an adventure to explore as they take the reader on a journey into a fantastic plot full of dark and deadly magic. The mysterious vapor will definitely crawl all over your skin and flood your senses as you explode onto the scene of this story. It will both hypnotise and enrapture you with delight.
When you first start this book, you will have no idea as to where you will end up as you follow a wide cast of brilliantly written characters. However, the book is particularly centered around two lead female characters - Lena and Constance. Their narrative weaves a spider's web of mystery. In fact, you'll get tangled up in the gossamer threads of dark fantasy as you become trapped in a storm of darkness, desire, and danger. The turbulent battle of magical disorder will captivate any readers' attention due to the intense and mind-boggling story. Lingering on key and pivotal moments enables a powerful chemistry to be developed between all of the characters.
The imagination is fully unleashed in this story. A ball of white light hits the reader with twists and twirls of darkness to create an atmospheric backdrop. Everything has been very well crafted and created. I particularly loved stepping into Lord Chatham's Emporium of Magical and Mechanical Delights. This is just one of many special moments that you will dip your fantasy toes into and come out wanting more. It was captivating just stepping through that fantasy door and watching the scene develop - absolutely amazing.
This is undisputedly one of the best YA fantasy books that I've read for some time. The world building and the setting of the story are faultless; cleverly written but not too complicated. The detail and the backstory are just exquisite - I loved the idea of radical mages and the concept of chaos. It all just added to the depth and fascination of the story. It is just a shame that a plot that is so fully delivered and immersive has to end.
This is a very special book. Within the YA age-range, this has to be one of the most memorable and exciting reads for me in such a long time. Wow, I can't wait for the next book!
When you first start this book, you will have no idea as to where you will end up as you follow a wide cast of brilliantly written characters. However, the book is particularly centered around two lead female characters - Lena and Constance. Their narrative weaves a spider's web of mystery. In fact, you'll get tangled up in the gossamer threads of dark fantasy as you become trapped in a storm of darkness, desire, and danger. The turbulent battle of magical disorder will captivate any readers' attention due to the intense and mind-boggling story. Lingering on key and pivotal moments enables a powerful chemistry to be developed between all of the characters.
The imagination is fully unleashed in this story. A ball of white light hits the reader with twists and twirls of darkness to create an atmospheric backdrop. Everything has been very well crafted and created. I particularly loved stepping into Lord Chatham's Emporium of Magical and Mechanical Delights. This is just one of many special moments that you will dip your fantasy toes into and come out wanting more. It was captivating just stepping through that fantasy door and watching the scene develop - absolutely amazing.
This is undisputedly one of the best YA fantasy books that I've read for some time. The world building and the setting of the story are faultless; cleverly written but not too complicated. The detail and the backstory are just exquisite - I loved the idea of radical mages and the concept of chaos. It all just added to the depth and fascination of the story. It is just a shame that a plot that is so fully delivered and immersive has to end.
This is a very special book. Within the YA age-range, this has to be one of the most memorable and exciting reads for me in such a long time. Wow, I can't wait for the next book!
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