Review: Vitellius' Feast - L. J. Trafford

Note: I received a copy of this in exchange for review.

Vitellius' Feast is a truly epic story from the heart of the Roman Empire, during the Year of the Four Emperors. It is the last in a series from L. J. Trafford, which I will be collecting in due course as this is the first time I had heard of the series.

The book opens with young Domitian being watched over by a freedman, Philo, who is charged with watching the Flavian family. Vespasian is in the East with his legions, and remains a distant worry. However, for the victorious Vitellius and his two generals - Valens and Caecina - the party is just beginning.

And it is a party. Not since the days of Nero's successes has the palace seen such hedonism and debauchery. But it is not all harmless fun. Vitellius quickly proves to be much darker and crooked than any of his predecessors. Shining eunuchs such as Sporus quickly crumble under Vitellius' burdens, and it isn't long before whispers of mutiny start to float through the palace.

The painstaking research Trafford undertook to produce such an epic literary account of one of Rome's most turbulent times is seen throughout. The world building, the characters, the whispers and betrayals, the friendship and family dramas, and the grand soap opera of the story kept me flicking page after page well into the night. If you are a fan of the Roman period, or even just historical fiction in general, then this is the book for you.

Review: Lethal White, Robert Galbraith

I have been SO looking forward to picking this up ever since J.K. Rowling revealed the title MONTHS before the book was released. So, quite a while. It's been three years since the last Strike novel - and the first ever novel in this series (The Cuckoo's Calling), was released way back in 2013! (Just to think, the political chaos now exhausting us all was still years away then...)

Anyway, back to more pleasant thoughts. J.K. Rowling, in the acknowledgements, said (as Robert Galbraith) that this was the most complex of the Strike novels she had written so far, and she's not wrong. At 656 pages, (over 100 more than Career of Evil), this book is not only a thrilling and mind-bending read, but also a pleasingly substantial one.

We begin in the aftermath of Robin and Matthew's wedding, which Strike inadvertently interrupted so well in his Strike way. However, this sets Robin and Matthew to arguing straight away, which is not helped by Robin finding out that Matthew had deleted Strike's voicemails. (By the way, it would be handy to re-read the last few chapters of Career of Evil before getting onto Lethal White, as there are more important throwbacks to understand).

The rest of the novel takes off a year after the wedding. Strike has become famous thanks to finding the Shacklewell Ripper, and the agency has now become so busy that Strike has had to hire more staff. The cases they are handling are interesting but quite standard for private detective agencies. However, that all changes with two events. One - a young man called Billy, clearly suffering with some kind of mental illness, storms into Strike's office and claims he saw a child strangled when he was younger. Two - the Minister for Culture, Jasper Chiswell (Chizzle, as pronounced properly), hires Strike to help him uncover a blackmail case.

Due to commonalities in people and events, Strike is convinced that the cases are linked. And this is where Lethal White becomes more complex, because in previous novels there was just one clear area of focus, whereas this is more than one but they are all interlinked.

There's also more focus on relationships in this one - Robin's deteriorating relationship with Matthew; Strike's relationship with a woman called Lorelei; and, of course, the increasing 'will they, won't they' between Strike and Robin. (I won't give that one away).

It all takes place against the backdrop of the London Olympics in 2012, and what I really enjoyed was reading about the fictional (though, undoubtedly, based on some real life aspects) of the background of the Olympics never really thought about. There's plenty more class issues and dilemmas, and the stark juxtaposition of Conservatism and Socialism provide an interesting undercurrent to the whole plot.

Galbraith, with his usual panache, weaves a web through London and beyond, from wealthy and aristocratic central London to the eclectic and more working-class outskirts. The murder in this one is certainly more palatable, (especially after The Silkworm), and altogether more intriguing due to the many moving parts and myriad of people involved, not least the various families we come across.

If you've never picked up a Galbraith novel before, I highly recommend you do so now. It is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying series I've ever read, the puzzle pieces so brilliantly put together one by one throughout the whole.

Review: The Name of the Star, Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star is Book 1 in the Shades of London series. The blurb below is from Goodreads:

"Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London to start a new life at boarding school just as a series of brutal murders mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper killing spree of more than a century ago has broken out across the city. The police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man believed to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him - the only one who can see him. And now Rory has become his next target...unless she can tap her previously unknown abilities to turn the tables."


Rory Deveaux is a smart, determined, and self-sufficient young woman who relishes the chance to spread her wings a little and delve into London life for herself. Although she has a baptism of fire at the beginning of term with the workload and extra-curricular requirements, Rory soon gets into the swing of things thanks to some new friends. 

This book hooked me from very first page. The premise brings together several popular styles - the supernatural; the setting of boarding school; and the ever-present allure of the mystery of Jack the Ripper. For a Young Adult book, it handles the gore well - the descriptions, while graphic, are not too shocking for the reader to handle (although I would recommend a minimum of age 14). The friendships and variety of characters are well-put together, and the backstories of the main cast are developed well as to not render the book superficial or shallow. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I am looking forward to picking up more books from this series. 

Review: I am Apache, Tanya Landman

I am Apache follows the story of a teenager called Siki from the Apache tribe in the Black Mountains. She and her brother are both orphans, and tragedy strikes Siki yet again as she watches her four year old brother being brutally cut down by Mexican warriors, while the male Apache warriors are off on a trade mission with the Mexicans. Siki vows revenge on the Mexicans and trains to become a warrior, though she has to contend with the jealousy of another would-be warrior, Keste. Keste hints at a dark secret in Siki's past, which gnaws at her until she finds out the sad and terrifying truth.

It took me a while to get into the flow of this book as the way it is written is very different from most books on the Young Adult market. It is marketed as YA but it is written much more maturely, perhaps reminiscent of Siki needing to grow up more quickly than normal teenagers due to the tragedy in her life.

Knowing the history of the Native Americans, it was clear that this book was not going to end well, but it is nevertheless a very moving and, in some places, romantic read. Siki is a very thoughtful, observant, and determined young woman, and makes a very good role model. It's immensely poignant to read about the structure of the tribe, their relationship with the land, and their desire to protect it. It raises thought-provoking and challenging questions about the way we relate to people who live in such different ways to us. It is a book that, in these turbulent times of identity and race politics, we could all do with learning from.

Review: Battlemage, Taran Matharu

The beginning of Battlemage picks up immediately after the end of The Inqusition, when Fletcher and his team have entered the ether. The ether is another realm from which the humans and orcs harness their demons. The air of the ether is poisonous to humans, but Fletcher's team were able to grab some flowers (discovered in the temple of the orcs) that make them immune to the poison, but not for long. They're in a race against time - not just to find more flowers, but also against the orcs that pursue them.

After they make it out of the ether, that's when the really war begins. They know the orcs will be coming for them in one, final battle, and they need to prepare.

Unlike some third books of trilogies, Battlemage doesn't suffer from the feeling that the story got rushed in order to make a deadline. There are some truly spectacular races against time, well-organised battles as if Matharu was truly there himself organising the varying sides. There are some tragedies, as in any war, that moved me immensely, which shows the power of Matharu's characterisation.

Overall, this was a brilliant trilogy that I would recommend to any fan of YA or fantasy or both.

Review: The Inquisition, Taran Matharu

The Inquisition picks up a year after the end of the Novice. At the end of the tournament, the final big set piece of book 1, Fletcher is picked up by the Justices of the Peace (the Pinkertons), and is taken to prison back in Pelt.

Fletcher is put on trial for the murder of his nemesis in Pelt but, thanks to Arcturus, he is freed. However, trouble soon comes in the form of the rise in orc wars to the south. A secret plot has been discovered - the orcs are breeding thousands of goblins, and they need to be destroyed. Fletcher and other teams form to go into the orc jungles, find the eggs and destroy them.

The novel takes us away from Vocans and Corcillum, but the themes of friendship, politics, and identity remain. We delve a lot deeper into demon mythology and the origins of the wars between the orcs and the rest of the empire.

The suspense really builds in The Inquisition. There is a lot more present danger than in the last book, as Fletcher and his friends are not just looking over their shoulder for orcs but for the other teams as well, whom have set themselves as not just rivals but enemies as well. The worldbuilding and pace of their journey through the jungles is superbly written, with each page bringing new and fresh revelations about the world that Matharu has built.

The Novice - Taran Matharu

The Summoner Trilogy is made up of The Novice, The Inquisition, and The Battlemage. Matharu himself described the trilogy as Hogwarts meets Pokemon, which I think is a perfect description of the series.

The main character, Fletcher, lives in a village called Pelt in the north of the empire. He is an apprentice blacksmith to a man called Berdon, his adoptive father. Neither Fletcher or Berdon knows why Fletcher was abandoned as a baby outside the village.

A soldier comes to the village on market day, nicknamed Rotter (James Rotherham). He brings with him a book that turns out to be a diary by a Summoner, that also contains a summing scroll. Through an explosive sequence of events, Fletcher finds out he has the power to summon and a demon who Fletcher calls Ignatius appears.

Fletcher, frightened for his life, runs away and ends up in a city called Corcillum. He is picked up by a Battlemage who sends him to Vocans Academy.

At Vocans Academy, Fletcher makes both friends (including elves and dwarves, neither of whom are friendly with humans) and enemies of the upper class. The entire year culminates in a tournament - but I won't give that away.

This is a fantastic book, and a sorely needed addition to the YA fantasy market. It's well plotted with well-rounded out heroes and villains. There's a good undercurrent of themes of politics, rights and oppression, that are well explored. The novel ends on a good cliffhanger - more about that in my next review.

Review: Jane Doe, by Victoria Helen Stone.

Jane is an unassuming, pretty, loyal woman who works at an insurance company in Minneapolis. Her meekness and insecurity makes her stand out to her manager, Steven Hepsworth, who quickly pursues her.

Too bad for Steven that Jane isn't who she says she is. She's revealed her real first name, but that's the only 'real' thing about her. It wasn't an accident that Jane works in a low-level entry position under Steven.

Jane is actually a high-flying attorney in Kuala Lumpur, but she has come back to Minneapolis for one reason. Revenge.

Jane's best friend, Meg, killed herself. What's the connection? Steven. Meg had previously been dating Steven in an on-off relationship for years. He was the classic hot and cold - he could be warm and generous one minute, then cruel and cold the next. For years, he whittled away at Meg's self-esteem until she could see no other way out.

And Jane will not accept that. So, she plays the long game, slowly letting herself be pursued by Steven, getting in with his family and his church, until she knows exactly what she can do to destroy his life like he did to her best friend's.

This book is definitely a page-turner. Each page brings some new point of dramatic tension or fresh new idea, and it's interesting to see Jane's frankness to the reader as a self-confessed sociopath feed into everything she's doing. She confesses that Meg is the only person who ever made her feel close to real, and the weight of grief and sorrow (not normal for her) that she felt when Meg passed away made her feel vengeful as hell.

There is some light relief, however, presented in Luke. Luke is an old boyfriend of Jane's from college, who quickly identifies her despite the dramatic change in her appearance. He provides the new normality in Jane's otherwise double life (although she obviously doesn't tell him what she's doing).

I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), Paula Hawkins, (The Girl On The Train), and Sophie Hannah.

Review: This Is Going To Hurt (Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor), by Adam Kay

I think this book should be required reading for anyone who has ever benefited from the NHS, or is a supporter of an NHS, or (God forbid) anyone who thought, during the government's war on the Junior Doctors, that they were being stubborn or greedy (they weren't).

It's not hard to see why the NHS is almost like a religion in this country. Unlike other countries (*cough USA cough*) there is literally no-one in the U.K. who would be afraid to go to the doctors' or the hospital because they couldn't afford to. (They'd be more worried they were just wasting the doctor's time). "From cradle to grave" was Nye Bevan's vision, and even though the NHS is on its knees, that much is generally still true.

But anyway. Back to the book. Adam Kay writes his book as a series of diary entries (some just a few sentences, some running over a couple of pages), from the first week on the wards to his final shift six years later. (No spoilers but... be prepared for the ending).

The entries run from the sublime to the ridiculous to the downright heartbreaking, and none of them are what ever any of us working outside of a hospital or doctor's surgery could call a 'normal' day's work. From retrieving objects from patient's anuses when they got a bit too experimental over Christmas, to having to perform 5 Caesareans in the same amount of hours, it seems that anything goes and you just have to meet it? Break times? For wusses. Food? Nah, you don't need it. Sleep? What, you mean you would like a rest in between the first five deliveries you've performed and the next five you'll have to do? Pfft.

Honestly, I knew life for junior doctors was hard but it's not until you read or hear the personal stories of someone who has done it for such a long time that you really appreciate just how much goodwill the NHS runs on. There are so many more stories from the book that I'd love to share here but I couldn't do them justice and I wouldn't want to deny anyone reading them for the first time.

So, please, if you love the NHS, if you value doctors, if you want to see them being actually treated by the government like the decent human beings they actually are, then please read this. And please do whatever you can to get involved to support them.

Review: Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery, Cathy Bramley

Hetty is a farmer's wife up in Cumbria, but she longs for more than that. Both she and her husband put their lives on hold when Dan's father suddenly died and Dan wanted to take up the farm with Hetty by his side.

Over a decade later, and they're still at it, yet Hetty yearns for more, prompted by her daughter, Poppy, declaring the Aunt Naomi (Hetty's sister in law) is her inspiration.

It is actually Naomi who provides Hetty with the chance she's always wanted. On the pretext of having no pies for the farm shop's open day, Naomi persuades Hetty firstly to bake pies that could become own-brand produce for the shop, and then to enter it into a regional competition. Hetty's pie wins, so then gets invited to a national competition, Britain's Best Bites.

Hetty is thrilled but terrified in equal measure. The thought of becoming an entrepreneur while being a mum and a farmer's wife - particularly when the farmer is not being hugely supportive at first - is overwhelming, but she decides to take the opportunity while she can.

There are a whole range of fantastic characters in the book, from Hetty's best friend Anna, to the extended family beyond the farm. They all bring their own interesting backstories that play into the main plot without hijacking it, and there are plenty of twists along the way.

If you're a fan of Jojo Moyes authors like her, I would definitely recommend this book.

Review: Secrets of the Lighthouse, Santa Montefiore.

I love Santa Montefiore's books, particularly when I just want to read something lovely, with a gripping plot that I know will ultimately have romance and a happy ending.

Ellen Trawton, the main character, runs away to Ireland. She wants to get away from her stuffy, aristocratic London life, particularly one that will see her get married in five months. Her mother, who is very secretive about her past, kept letters from her sister that Ellen ultimately discovers and uses them to track down a family who she never knew existed.

She tells everyone she is in Ireland for space and to write a novel, but she is hiding more than that, which her Aunt Peg eventually discovers. However, Ellen isn't the only one holding secrets. The whole of the town seem to be, in different ways.

Not least Connor Macausland, a man whose wife, Caitlin, tragically died at the lighthouse five years previously. Ellen is quickly drawn to him and they start up a quiet relationship, worried about reactions from people in the town, some of whom think that Connor murdered his wife.

Some of the opposition comes from Caitlin herself, who appears in this novel from beyond the grave. She keeps watch over Connor and her chilren, and becomes intensely jealous when Connor and Caitlin start dating. Though she can't affect the material world as much as she wants to, her actions lead to Ellen's mother discovering her in Ireland, which has (at first) destructive repercussions.

Santa Monterfiore's descriptions of Ireland are intensely beautiful, and I adored the place she was building almost as much as the characters themselves. There was such depth and warm - and plenty of romance - in this story that made me sad to end it, although the conclusion was so lovely I'm glad i did. This is definitely one for a fan of a happy ending. 

Review: The Crane Wife, Patrick Ness

Patrick Ness brings his magical and elegiac flair to this novel. George, one of the character's main protagonists, wakes up in the middle of the night hearing a strange sound. He runs down to his garden and finds a crane with a wounded wing. He tends to the crane and. while a profound experience, puts the matter to one side.

George owns a print shop and, on a whim during idle hours, starts making cuttings of different models from old books. One day, a woman called Kumiko calls into the shop and George is immediately drawn to her. She shows George her own art, made from feathers and stuck on tiles, showing different scenes. She begins to add George's cuttings to her artwork and anyone who sees them pleads to buy them with a frenzied desperation.

George, and his daughter Amanda (whom eventually meets Kumiko), know there is something strange and almost magical about Kumiko but they don't know what. Kumiko is extraordinarily reserved with what she reveals about herself, which frustrates and intrigues them in equal measure.

The main story is inter-spliced with the narrative of the tiles that Kumiko is creating, about a crane and a volcano who are both in love and utterly loathe each other, and their relationship affects and impacts the earth in the most powerful and destructive of ways.

The story, which I would put into the genre of magical realism, is a well-crafted, and minutely managed tale. Though nothing much 'happens' per se, the story is alluring and compelling, with the way the characters interact with each other and the dynamics of their relationships with they have to work through in sometimes painful and confusing ways. Not least of all, Amanda, who seems to push away everyone she loves (apart from her son) while being completely confused and frustrated about why she does this.

It was a very enjoyable read, and certainly something a bit different if you're looking for a fresh new story.

Review: Tinfoil Sky, Cyndi Sand-Eveland

The novel opens with Cecily urging Mel to get together her things and leave - as soon as possible. Craig, Cecily's abusive, soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, leaves the house after an argument leaving a small window of time for Cecily and Mel to leave. 

Cecily announces that they are going home to Mel's grandparents' house - something that Mel doesn't want to hope too hard is true, but imagines how wonderful it would be to finally settle somewhere. However, Cecily's grandmother refuses to accommodate them and Cecily and Mel are left living in their Pinto car and relying on the generosity of the soup kitchen. However, when Cecily is arrested and jailed for shoplifting, Mel has no choice but to live with her grandmother, who is as angry about the situation as Mel is sad. 

Mel has had no security in her life but soon finds some in her local library. She is there every day (the novel takes place during summer break) and soon, her grandmother thaws. Mel's hope for a real home begins to come true again, piece by piece, and the only thing that is needed for Cecily to be released. 

Mel is a very stoic and solid-seeming character for a twelve year old whose life has known nothing but upheaval. It's sad that she has accepted this as the way of life, "Cecily likes change", and even more so that she accepted it's the way it would always be. She's shy and unsure of her own worth until external, solid characters tell her she is important. She is supported by a good community of characters in the novel. Conflict in the novel presents itself in the chaos of her life circumstances, rather than a traditional bully or villain, but as a reader your heart aches for her no less than it would for a character facing a more traditional kind of conflict. 

Though it is narrated by a twelve year old, the frankness and straightforward nature of the writing makes it seem more mature. Description is sparing, as the focus of the writing is, if not in dialogue, more about Mel's reaction to her surroundings and those of the people with whom she interacts. It is a good balance, though, and just enough description is given of the town for the reader to fill in the rest. 

The novel itself is just about a couple of hundred pages, though it does a lot in it. It is enjoyable, saddening, and moving, and an insightful glimpse into how important it is for children to have stable homes. I would highly recommend this book. 

Hiatus

After my last review in August last year, (The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas), I decided to take some time out from the blog. I wanted to devote more time to my own writing and this blog was an easy way of procrastinating from that! I have missed it, though, not least to share my thoughts on some cracking reads but also missing a way of keeping track of what I have read!

Below I'll list some books I've read over the past year that I would also recommend.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor (fantasy, top end of YA/New Adult crossover)

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Web of Darkness by Bali Rai

Still Me by Jojo Moyes

The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes

Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes
The Break by Marian Keyes

Sea of Lost Love by Santa Montefiore

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

Butter by Erin Jade Lange

Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange

I'm sure there have been more but those are the ones I can remember!