"A Confusion of Princes" by Garth Nix

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Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
I have died three times, and three times been reborn, though I am not yet twenty in the old earth years by which it is still the fashion to measure time. This is the story of my three deaths, and my life between. My name is Khemri.

Taken from his parents as a child and equipped with biological and technological improvements, Khemri is now an enhanced human being, trained and prepared for the glory of becoming a Prince of the Empire. Not to mention the ultimate glory: should he die, and be deemed worthy, he will be reborn...Which is just as well, because no sooner has Prince Khemri graduated to full Princehood than he learns the terrible truth behind the Empire: there are ten million princes, and all of them want each other dead. 


My Review
Honestly, I was kind of disappointed by this book.
I think my expectations were too high. So far I loved every single book Garth Nix wrote, especially with that wry sense of humour. However, I didn't really like this book that much.
This is a sci-fi book. Prince Khemri was taken as a baby from his parents and grew up to be Prince. We follow Khemri on his life journey growing up and making decisions that would change his lives.
The first chapter tells us right of the bat, that Prince Khemri died three times and that this book is about his life. This interested me from the start and the first paragraph was very intriguing. Then it went downhill from there on out. The first couple of chapters, in fact the entire first half of the book was a continuous information dump. I was bored out of my mind and put the book down for quite a while until I decided to finish it. I guess, that I am glad after all that I finished it, because it became really good. The world-building was really slow and boring though, but the second half of the book was way better and also exciting to read.
Khemri underwent some serious character development in this book, which I guess was the point. He was spoiled at first and also very, very arrogant. He believed that he was the best of the best and treated everyone else like dirt. However, I really liked Haddad and Raine. Haddad was responsible and you could really see how much he cared for Khemri near the end of the book. Raine was a really refreshing character, especially after reading about how arrogant and spoiled Khemri and the other Princes are.
Overall, Garth Nix finally retained his amazing writing style in the second half of the book. It took the first half of the book to create a very complex world, which I think should have been done more gradually and not dropped like a bombshell.
I was slightly disappointed by this book. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

"Fire and Ice" (Warriors #2) by Erin Hunter

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Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
'Fireheart could hear a roaring around him, like wind in tall trees. The acrid stench of the Thunderpath stung his nostrils, together with a new smell, sharper and more terrifying. Fire!'
 
Book Two of WARRIORS continues Fireheart's quest to be a true warrior, when he finds new danger lurking in the woods as the chill of winter sets in.

WindClan is missing, and hostilities between the remaining three clans place all the cats in peril. Illness and tragic accidents weaken the camp, and ThunderClan needs all its warriors to defend itself - but Fireheart suspects that certain cats may not be as loyal as they appear.

My Review
Continuing along my journey to reread this series, I picked up the next book immediately after finishing the last. This was a thrilling sequel and I finished it within a day.

This book picked up directly where the last one left off. The newly-made warriors Fireheart and Graystripe are sent off on their very first mission to retrieve the missing WindClan and bring them back home to the forest. However, things get tricky for the two friends when they start questioning where their own loyalties lie. Erin Hunter told a truly gripping narrative with fast-paced action and unexpected plot twists. I enjoyed every struggle the characters had to go through and contrary to my opinion on the first novel, I felt that the events fit together very nicely and had good pacing. The plot didn't feel forced, which made it very easy to be drawn into this amazingly detailed world of the Warrior Cats. 

I would even go as far as to say, that this book was even better than the first. Despite being primarily aimed at children, the author handles complex and deep themes within the book that adults can also fully enjoy. The core themes of friendship, trust and loyalty are excellently portrayed through the emotional turmoil the characters endured, which were as fundamental to the book as the battles that took place. Speaking of which, this might be a children's book, but wow the author really doesn't hold back from giving the characters a hard time!

Fireheart is such a likeable protagonist, that the reader can't help but sympathize with him and his struggles. His torn feelings of loyalty to his Clan, friends and kin are explored so deeply and thoroughly, that I could really envision the pain and loneliness he went through. Despite knowing how the plot gets resolved, I was still figuratively at the edge of my seat to find out what happens next.

I was also glad to see that the second book didn't suffer from the complicated worldbuilding the first book had. Instead, the author only had to build upon the existing world and gradually introduced new characters, rather than have another information-dumping session. I definitely didn't feel lost or confused like I did at the beginning of the first novel and that made this reading experience much smoother and more enjoyable for sure.

Final Thoughts: a thrilling sequel with gripping emotional suspense. This book did not let me down and is even better than the first novel because of how everything flowed better without being confusing for the reader. I am so glad I decided to reread this series again.
On to the next book!

"Into the Wild" (Warriors #1) by Erin Hunter

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Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their warrior ancestors. But the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger, and the sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying-- and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary house cat named Rusty... who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.

My Review

"Fire alone can save our Clan."

I remember reading this series many years ago in middle school and being a total fan. To this day I have fond memories of the books. However, it has been a long time since I read them and I was in the mood for some feel-good nostalgia again, especially given the current times. So I decided to reread one of my favourite series!

Honestly, I was not disappointed at all when re-reading this. It brought back soooo many good memories! I had forgotten just how much fun I had when I first read these books and wow; I totally understand now why I was obsessed with this series and why it became one of my favourites.  So yes, I guess I will be a little biased when writing this review...

Plot: Rusty, a house cat dreaming of a life in the wild, learns of the four wildcat Clans that coexist in the forest: ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan and RiverClan. He gets accepted into ThunderClan, where he is given the name Firepaw, training as an apprentice alongside his friend Graypaw to become a warrior.
I loved the fast-paced action of the book. Especially since I was looking for a light-hearted read, this one really got me sucked back into the world as twists and turns were thrown into the story. The plot itself was actually quite straight-forward with hints strewn throughout the novel as to who the real villain was. Because there weren't so many complexities, it was exciting to read how each plot twist escalated the tension and excitement.
I will say though, that at some parts, especially near the beginning when the story just kicked off, the events were packed too tightly together chronologically. As an example: just as Firepaw got accepted into the Clan, several disastrous events struck at the same time. He never seemed to catch a break! But as the story progressed, the events were spaced out more nicely along the timeline, so that it didn't feel as forced anymore.

Characters:  With such a huge cast of characters, it's a real achievement to have each of them be memorable - but the author has easily managed to do just that. Over time, it is easy to understand how some of these characters, like Firepaw or even Yellowfang, can sneak their way into the reader's heart. I honestly love the Clan naming system: the kittens are given the suffix '-kit', the apprentices '-paw', the Clan leader '-star', while the remaining warriors use their full names. It's just so... structured and organized and really lends the story a mysterious aura, which I absolutely adore.
However, at the beginning of the book, it did feel like a whirlwind of characters: names and appearances casually tossed at the reader, overwhelming in number and hard to remember.
It was great though that the book had a character glossary at the start to remedy that issue: showing information about to which Clans the cats belong, their rank and their appearance. Honestly, with the number of cats the reader is introduced to, the glossary is really a necessity.

Worldbuilding: Erin Hunter built a world that is really easy to fall in love with. I love animals and stories surrounding them already, so something like this was totally up my alley. Interspersed with fantastical elements, the author crafted an intricate world told from a new perspective (of a cat). There were rule and logic behind each aspect of the world, which is something I greatly appreciate in a novel.
However, introducing the hidden, albeit massive, lore of the world and the cat Clans comes with its own challenges because it can be easy to overwhelm the reader with a lot of information at once. That is something I sensed many years ago when I first read the book and I felt it again when rereading: once Rusty was accepted into ThunderClan, the onslaught of information began. It can be very confusing at first, even having read the series before. Many characters and rules of the Clan were introduced within two to three pages - information overload! However, this was an issue that was only noticeable at the very beginning of the book. As the story progressed, new information trickled in gradually at a good pace for the reader and by then, I was so acclimatized to the previous information I received, that I just took it in stride and added the new tidbits to the expanding world of the Clans in my head. I definitely remembered the information from the beginning now, because it gets rehashed very frequently throughout the book.

Writing: Rereading the book now, I, of course, realized that the behaviour of the cats is not realistic, but that honestly didn't bother me, because even though the cats were given such human-like traits, they were still meowing, purring cats doing extraordinary things. Common things like the seasons received new terms from the perspective of the cats, like leaf-fall for autumn, newleaf instead of spring, etc. These small additional touches really lent the whole story a sense of realism despite its fictional nature.
The writing style captivated me many years ago and it still does now. It conveys the emotions of the characters so well, that the reader could empathize with them. I could literally feel the restlessness that Rusty felt as a housecat, the freedom and exhilaration and unadulterated joy when he became Firepaw of ThunderClan.
Erin Hunter wrote in such a way that I was easily drawn into the created world: using great descriptions that truly excited the reader and compelled them to keep reading to find out what happens next. 

Final Thoughts: a truly captivating and exciting read that anyone of any age can enjoy. The novel suffers a little at the start from the sheer amount of worldbuilding that's happening, but if you bear through it, it's truly worth it. (I have absolutely no regrets rereading it)

"The Blue Horse" (The Red Grouse Tale) by Leslie Garland

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Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
A strangely dressed clergyman, wearing a pair of designer sunglasses, asks Peter for a lift to the Cathedral. And so starts four very strange and revelatory days of philosophical discussion on life and death, the nature of time and eternity, and resurrection. Desperately trying to understand, Peter is swept along from one situation to the next until finally he grasps what this strange and enigmatic man has been trying to explain to him.

A Red Grouse Tale which will keep you hooked and leave you with a lump in your throat.

My Review:

***I received this eBook as a free review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***

"Too many of us spend too much of our time looking and far too little actually seeing, and so only see what we want to see rather than seeing what is, actually seeing the truth."

This is the second novella I have read from the collection of Red Grouse Tales by Leslie Garland and oh boy, I must say that this one really threw me for a loop!

As with the previous Tales, a group of close-knit friends meet once a week in the Red Grouse Inn and spend the evening sharing experiences of their lives. On one of these evenings, the narrator of this Tale, Peter, decided to tell this story, which lay quite close to his heart. On the surface, the plot might seem to be about a series of coincidental meetings with a quirkily dressed clergyman, who appears to know more than he lets on. But there is more to him than meets the eye...

The plot of the novella is one of the points which I am unsure how to phrase because when it came to writing this review and I thought back on the actual storyline, it actually took me a little while to pinpoint what the story actually was. Yes, there is a story that the reader can follow and one that came to a somewhat predictable but still satisfying close and yes, I, of course, can recall what happened, having read the novella. However, the plot of the book, which is supposed to draw the reader in and prompt them to continue and eventually finish reading, was drowned out by the barrage of philosophical discussing the characters were undertaking. Oftentimes it almost felt like the philosophy and the plot were two different books, as the incorporation of the discussion did feel a little forced and unnatural for these characters. Seeing as this discussion was the main point of the novella, the author did achieve his goal. But having this span majority of the book is, despite the thought-provoking nature of the arguments, not what I am looking for in a story.

All novellas from this collection discuss and dissect certain themes and/or questions that the modern society as we know it takes for granted. This novella is no different and focuses intensely on our perception of reality and time. The quote above summarizes what I am trying to say very nicely in my opinion. This topic by itself is very interesting, intriguing and is something I could definitely spend some time discussing myself: seeing only what we want to see, believing what we want to believe. However, the theme was slathered on a little too heavy for my taste. It made me realize that despite its low page count, one cannot sit down and read this like any other novella by breezing through it. Some of the arguments and discussion points really left me scratching my head and rereading the passage several times (slowly this time) to allow my mind to process what my eyes had already read. Yeah, and to be honest, there are still several sections, where I think I understand the concept of what the author was trying to convey but it was still slightly beyond me to fully grasp. Now, this might just appear that way for me, as someone else may be able to read this without issue and glide over the theories with ease.

That said, I did enjoy the story elements of this novella. They were carefully crafted with little hints and clues strewn throughout by the protagonist, which all lead towards the ending. I had fun collecting and putting these puzzle pieces back together to predict the end. Additionally, the subtle shade of supernatural activity held its own appeal and was blended in well enough that it was satisfying to pick out, especially after finishing the novella and looking back. It made me realize the clever spin the author put on the story: not everything is as it seems and the reader will do well to remember that fact. 

The writing style itself was easy to follow and pleasant to read; the author was able to emulate what the protagonist, Peter, was feeling and make him appear human and real. Like the previous Tales, this one was told out of the perspective of the narrator looking back on an event that happened years prior to the current retelling. Thus Leslie Garland built a framed narrative, which is a style I actually quite enjoy, as the readers were essentially guided through unfamiliar territory with the help of this story and then eased into the topic of the novella.

As for every story, the characters also play an important role. Leslie Garland did great crafting characters that were unique in their own way, while the protagonist was made to be relatable to the reader, as we went on this journey alongside him; we were just as blind and confused as he was and found out more information alongside Peter. Towards the end, it was starting to get noticeable though, that almost all of the other characters, besides the main character, were written with similar traits, speaking patterns and tones. I could distinguish them by name and by who they were supposed to be, but they all started to sound like the same recycled character. They weren't memorable to me as a reader, because they were missing that one trait in their speech, actions or body language that would set each of them aside from the rest of the cast. 

All in all, the novella turned out to be an enjoyable read, that really let you think deeply on how we might perceive the world around us. Every person has different preferences, so I recommend this book to anyone who has a keen interest in theoretical philosophical discussions and can take their time going through this story. While it went a little overboard for me and the characters felt a little flat, I still liked the intensely thought-provoking nature of the novella. 

Final Thoughts: thought-provoking, with an important message at its core. 

"The Bat" (The Red Grouse Tales) by Leslie Garland

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Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
The Bat; a coming of age story involving a search after truth, doubt and a bat!

What is true? What is truth?

An old and now sceptical Thomas looks back on the events of his last term at school when his class returned to a new beautiful class teacher, a donation of stuffed animals and birds by an eccentric benefactor and the increasingly strange events which followed. Zoological specimens appeared to be not quite as dead as they looked. A bell-jar which had contained a stuffed bat shattered during an exorcism. Strange events then turned to being sinister and frightening.

As a then naive young Thomas searched for the truth, he found himself, questioning ‘good and evil’, realising that his task was not as simple and straightforward as he would have wished and in so doing losing his innocence and having to accept that truth may have as much to do with belief as facts.

An adult, speculative, spiritual and philosophical coming of age story.

(Warning to sensitive readers; the story is an adult one and so does contain references to sex)

My Review:

***I received this eBook as a free review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” St Thomas Aquinas, 13th Century.

This quote summarizes the central theme of this book very well and is often referred back to throughout the novel.

The novella itself is part of a series of stories told by a group of friends, who meet on a weekly basis in the Red Grouse Inn. On one such night, a certain series of curious circumstances led the narrator, Thomas, of this particular tale to recount his story from his schoolboy days. The reader gradually finds out along the way about a generous, albeit mysterious, donation of decrepit stuffed zoological specimens to the old school. Ever since then, seemingly supernatural cases crop up throughout the village. All seeming to lead back to the dead stuffed animals housed within the school building.

To be honest, I haven't read many books like this before. What made this book stand apart from others, is that while it does have a storyline, it is accompanied by many theological and philosophical debates. I was more used to novels in which it is purely focused on the plot, but it is clear that in the case of this novel, the ensuing discussions spawned from the story were as important to the book as the actual tale itself.

Unexpectedly, I found that this combination worked out much better than I had anticipated at the start. The plot was interesting to follow. I felt a bit like a detective, trying to piece the story and the mysterious happenings together into a picture that might make sense and is something I can personally believe to be the correct course of events. Over the course of the novella, the reader realizes that there are in fact two stories, if not multiple, contained within one, which I actually enjoyed and fully appreciated at the end once I realized what was going on.

The core theme of the book is truth - or more accurately, our perception of the truth. The discussions and the back of forth between the different sides of the same coin were really intriguing and written in such a way that every argument had a valid point. The purpose was clear: to provoke thought and consideration in the minds of the readers. To not take all the facts of life at face-value. To perhaps look beyond the obvious and find a truth that's right for you. To question yourself: what is the truth? What is my truth? I personally really like deep discussions that might go against normal social conventions or thoughts, so I sincerely appreciated the thoughts the author put behind this novella because while it may be a quick read, there are many memorable quotes that stick in the reader's mind and thus might even impact how they perceive the world at large.

However, halfway through the book, these debates started becoming excessive to the point where I felt that many of the same arguments about belief, faith, truth and religion have been rehashed over and over again, just worded differently. Even though this is a book clearly grounded in philosophical thinking, gently prompting the reader to think about these things while continuing on with the tale instead of having entire sections of theological discussion revisited again might have been more enjoyable and captivating.

The writing style itself was pleasant to read with a lot of very elaborate imagery that conveyed the desolate atmosphere that seemed to permeate through the village after the first haunting incident occurred. It was a very sophisticated tone, but in certain parts of the story, I was unsure if it was entirely suitable for a young schoolboy and his group of friends, who I thought might not necessarily always express themselves in that way.

Due to this being a retelling of a tale, there are some transitions between the present time and the past. This has been executed very well, as I was able to distinguish, most of the time, between the present Thomas thinking about his story and interacting with his listeners and the actual Thomas uncovering the happenings in his village.

All in all, this is a short read but definitely worth the time as debates about truth are especially relevant in our current society, where news and media can document events differently and deliver their own versions of the truth, distorting our perceptions. In that way, this story, despite its supernatural and mystical elements, draws parallels to our own lives: just like in this book, we have to decide for ourselves what's true.

Final Thoughts: A well-written and thought-provoking read with strong relevance in our own culture.

"The Pause" by John Larkin

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Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Declan seems to have it all: a family that loves him, friends he’s known for years, a beautiful girlfriend he would go to the ends of the earth for.

But there’s something in Declan’s past that just won’t go away, that pokes and scratches at his thoughts when he’s at his most vulnerable. Declan feels as if nothing will take away that pain that he has buried deep inside for so long. So he makes the only decision he thinks he has left: the decision to end it all.

Or does he? As the train approaches and Declan teeters at the edge of the platform, two versions of his life are revealed. In one, Declan watches as his body is destroyed and the lives of those who loved him unravel. In the other, Declan pauses before he jumps. And this makes all the difference.

One moment. One pause. One whole new life.

From author of The Shadow Girl, winner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2012 Prize for Writing for Young Adults, comes a breathtaking new novel that will make you reconsider the road you’re travelling and the tracks you’re leaving behind.

My Review
I think that John Larking has done a good job for writing a book about a very serious topic.
This book is about a boy called Declan, who has a happy family, an amazing girlfriend, friends and everything he asked for. Yet he was willing to throw it all away after a mental breakdown. The Pause shows the reader what could have been if only he would have paused before the train came.
Like I said before, this is a very serious topic. Depression and suicide effect many people around the globe. I was honestly quite impressed at how well John Larking handled this topic and how he managed to write an enjoyable book about it as well as give a very clear message to the people reading the book. I really enjoyed reading this book, but I'm still unsure about what I really think about it.

I'm going to talk about the beginning first. Honestly, I was quite bored at the start. Nothing within the first 50 pages caught my attention. I put the book down several times until I decided to power through it. I'm glad I did that though, because after that it definitely became way more interesting. 

The concept of this book was unique, I haven't read something like this yet. As an example, the ending is left ambiguous because there seem to be two endings to this book and the reader is left wondering what actually happened. This veiled ending is something that I found really cool. The same goes to the content of the book. I liked that the story revolves around what could have been.
I thought that the characters were definitely very interesting. They all had different personalities and mind sets. I thought that John Larkin was fairly successful at portraying the mental states of the individual patients in the psychology ward. Declan's humour was actually really funny and was at times what kept the book going. Sarah on the other hand was a really sweet girl and I could really see her being together with Declan.
Overall I thought that the book was written in a matter of fact way, although it is still written our of Declan's perspective. However, I thought that the story and the writing wasn't very captivating and didn't really capture my attention. Despite that, I admire the message the author is sending through the book: "You will get through the dark times. There are many beautiful moments to live for."
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

"A Time to Dance" by Padma Venkatraman

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit.

Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who’s grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.

My Review
This was actually the first book I have read that was structured like a poem in verses and still had a story plot like a regular book and I really enjoyed it.
The book is about a girl called Veda, who has always loved dancing, especially the Indian dance called bharatanatyam. She danced until she won a bharatanatyam competition. However, soon after, she lost a leg due to an accident and her old dance teacher refused to teach her because he believed that Veda could never dance again.
This book was beautifully written. At first I was really curious how the story will still be told in an efficient manner so that the actions and plot are still conveyed to the reader, but it worked out really well in this book. The verse and lyrical style of this book also really matched the theme of this book. That was also really enjoyable. I loved how the author tackled the heavy topic of spirituality, religion and finding oneself. The theme itself was already very interesting; it was great to read about the importance of religion to a person. In this case the book focused on the religious dance. For Veda, dance became less about the religious meaning and more about the fame she was going to receive at the start of the book. I loved how more of the religious meaning of the dance came back to Veda as the book progressed and that she realized that dance wasn't about winning or losing; it was about the meaning and spirituality behind it.
The verses were a new writing style for me but I really enjoyed it in this case. The verses helped to make certain phrases in the book stand out and gave some sentences a heavier meaning. This style also worked really well with the writing style of the book. Even though the end of the sentences didn't rhyme, the story was still told using a lot of poetic devices, which made it really unique and still gave me the feeling of reading and not really reading a poem. Despite that, I found the beginning kind of shaky, meaning that the verse-like writing just didn't really work out that well, but that is probably just me not being used to it yet.
The amount of character development that took place in this book is remarkable. Veda went from dancing for the applause to finding the real meaning of dance. While she did that, she lost her anger and spite she still had leftover from when she lost her leg. It was great to see her mature in that way. It was also kind of sneaky, how the author incorporated a kind of love triangle into this book. (And personally, I was happy with the outcome.)
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The lyrical writing style took some time for me to get used to, but the rest of the book flowed by really quickly. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!