elementarymydear's reviews
967 reviews

Mary I might be one of the most controversial figures that Alison Weir has depicted in her fiction books. With her nickname ‘Bloody Mary’ her reputation leaves much to be desired, yet at the start of her reign she was a beloved monarch rescuing her subjects from an attempted power grab.

As Weir herself acknowledges in the historical note (it’s always worth noting how good her historical notes are), the challenge in this book was reconciling these different extremes of Mary’s character, and she landed it exactly right. It would have been easy for the book to become some sort of villain-backstory, or the tale of a tragically misunderstood anti-hero, but Weir approaches Mary’s story with the nuance needed for a real person’s life.

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As with her previous book about Mary’s father, the infamous Henry VIII, Weir does an excellent job of providing the context and grounding for us to understand the person’s actions, without endorsing them. There was a sense, especially as tragedy played an ever-increasing role in Mary’s life, of delusion bordering on madness towards the end of the book. We became immersed in Mary’s world and shared in her tragedies. Even when she was far from sympathetic, I still felt like I understood her.

This book successfully takes on one of Britain’s most notorious monarchs, exploring her humanity and tragedy while still acknowledging that her reputation was not unfounded. It’s another excellent historical fiction from Alison Weir, who continues to deliver on every front.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

 

A good graphic memoir just hits different, and Homebody is no exception. Even just the introduction had drawn me in by the heartstrings and wouldn’t let me go.

We’re taken on a journey through Theo’s relationship with their gender, starting in childhood through to the present. While it’s told in mostly chronological order, there are also particular subjects and topics that take us on a reflection of their life so far, such as looking back at hairstyles or nicknames. It’s a deeply personal story, but Parish does an excellent job of warmly inviting us in to share in it.

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The text is beautiful and very lyrical, to the point that out of its visual context there would be some incredibly poetry in there. That would deprive us, though, of the illustrations, which not only support but also enhance the text. The artwork has a cinematic quality, and from the very start I felt transported into Theo’s world.

This is an excellently crafted, moving but uplifting reflection on gender, growing up, and the joy of living as your authentic self. It could not have come at a better moment, given all that is happening to trans rights in the UK at the moment, but this book is a reminder not only that trans people exist (and always have done), but that the most powerful thing we can do as a society is give people the space to be their true selves.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

 

Inspired by a true story, this book takes the historical, the mystical, and the psychological, and expertly weaves them together (no pun intended!).

The story switches between two timelines. Christian as an adult is desperate to create the whitest thread in Britain, but she is constantly reminded of the events of her childhood, where half a dozen people were burned as witches because of her accusations. The childhood chapters are in first person while the adulthood chapters are in third person, and while I usually don’t enjoy switching between first and third person like this, I thought it worked brilliantly here. It really helped create a distinct voice between the two, and towards the end of the book, as Christian truly began to descend into madness, the two perspectives started to twist together which was really effective.

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I loved how colours were used throughout the story, which is no mean feat given that this is not an image-based medium! It made the world seem so tangible, and really brought out Christian’s obsessive qualities, particularly around the colour red. The emphasis on black and white really added to the bleak nature of much of the story. It really helped to bring out the various themes of the story and the characters, and gave the book a spooky, fantastical feel.

This is another excellent book from Victoria Williamson, atmospheric as always, that draws you in and doesn’t let go.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

 

In The Romanov Brides, Clare McHugh takes us back to the courts of 19th Century Europe, where romance and politics (and, let’s face it, family trees!) are all intertwined.

The book focuses on three sisters, all grandchildren of Queen Victoria, navigating the world as young women. We really got a sense of the pressure each one was under from various family members, and what it took to make their own decisions. Each of the three sisters had their own quiet strength, and across the course of the book found their own ways to live the life they wanted.

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It’s clear that a lot of research went into this book (I really enjoyed reading the information on the author’s website about the real people behind the characters), and it made the whole story feel much more grounded. Often real life is stranger than fiction, and McHugh takes this in her stride, presenting these people and events as they were, warts and all. I thought she did an especially job of depicting Queen Victoria, who could easily have overshadowed the other characters, but was well-placed as a well-respected but interfering grandmother.

I would have liked it to be slightly faster paced, especially as so much happened to the characters after the events of the book that I wanted to read more about. The book does take its time with the story and while sometimes this works really well, sometimes I wanted to have a little bit more of the wider events that these sisters were involved with, especially the Russian revolution.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

 

This was a powerful, moving, and whimsical story. Not only did the plot draw me in, but when I saw it was set in Derbyshire I had to read it! Little did I know I was in for an absolute treat.

Amy, a pre-teen girl, has moved to Derbyshire to stay with her aunt in a mysterious manor house. After a past loss Amy is healing from the trauma, and her parents hope that by staying with her aunt she will have the space to recover.

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The fantastical elements were so creative, so vividly depicted, and added so much to the story. I really felt the sense of awe and wonder that the characters had, as I too was drawn in by the magic. There was an air of mystery as well, as it was revealed across the course of the story what the magic could do and what it was there for.

At its heart though, this is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about grief. Although we don’t know at the start exactly what Amy has been through, we know she has been through something incredibly traumatic, and the more we learn about her past the more my heart went out to her. As well as Amy, we also see how the rest of her family copes with their grief, and how their different coping mechanisms can clash and cause tensions. The book doesn’t shy away from that, but instead takes them in its stride. Most importantly, the story is about healing and reconnecting with both ourselves and those around us after a tragedy.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

 

Of course I was very excited to get to this one, and as soon as I got approved on NetGalley I devoured it!

The Pairing has all of the drama, emotions and romance of a classic romcom, but with the characters, depth and humour we’ve come to expect from Casey McQuiston. There were laugh-out-loud moments, there were emotional ups and downs, and a larger than life cast of side characters.

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The book switches perspectives half way through, and while at first I was dubious, I quickly changed my mind! It came at the perfect point in Kit and Theo’s story as well as their individual arcs, and allowed for us to really see them from each other’s perspectives, complete with blind spots. I loved both characters, and I loved seeing not just their growth across the book, but flashbacks to how they were a few years earlier as well.

I was completely hooked from the first page, and by the end my partner was second-hand hooked too as I was giving her constant updates as to what was happening! I was so invested in what was happening that I was desperate for every opportunity to pick it up and read some more. Honestly, this book became my entire personality the whole time I was reading it, and will probably remain that way for a while longer.

I received a free copy for review.

 

This is a really lovely fantasy, that takes you on a magical journey.

The fantasy world had just the right balance of familiarity (and sometimes nostalgia) and originality. It felt reminiscent of children’s fantasy books such as the Narnia books, but with the author’s own fresh twist. The world was so immersive that it was easy to get lost in the story.

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There was also a really lovely cast of characters, including fantasy creatures of all shapes and sizes. They were entertaining and sometimes funny, but still had depth and complexity.

Overall this was a really enjoyable read that felt very nostalgic for the fantasy books I read as a kid!

I was provided with a free copy for the Book Blogger’s Novel of the Year Award.

 

This is certainly one of the most creative, interesting and detailed retellings I’ve read in a long time! In many ways Peter Pan is well-trodden territory, but Megan van Dyke does an excellent job of flipping what we know on its head, and using the building blocks of the original story to create something new.

I loved all the twists on the original story; the way pixie dust was used, the dynamics between the different pirates, and the world of Neverland in general. It was a full fantasy adventure! I’m tempted to compare it to Once Upon A Time, and I think it will appeal to fans of the show, but safe to say the plot was a lot more coherent and less convoluted than OUAT! There was just the right amount of plot twists and unexpected reveals, enough to keep you on your toes but not too many that you felt like you didn’t know where you stood within the story.

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I have to say though, I didn’t enjoy the romance quite as much. Again I had to repeatedly remind myself to picture Hook from OUAT rather than from the Disney film, otherwise it weirded me out too much. It took me out of the otherwise very immersive storytelling a little bit, and by the end I still wasn’t entirely convinced.

Overall though, it was a really fun, gripping adventure, that brought a new dark and twisted side to Neverland.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

 

This was a really sweet, straight-forward story about a teenager navigating high school, with the added pressures of being queer and neurodiverse.

It was a very easy and comfortable read, drawing me straight in, and keeping me there until the end. I flew through it, and it was fun to escape to Daniel’s world for a little while.

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The friendships between the three main characters were all really sweet, and it was lovely to see the different layers and complexities forming between them. While the plot was relatively simple and predictable, it was still really nice to see those characters interact and to explore their separate arcs.

There were a lot of aspects, though, that left me wanting more. Every obstacle or difficulty that was faced felt like it was resolved really quickly and easily, with most things coming up and being resolved within the same couple of chapters. As a result there wasn’t much drive, and beyond the romance and friendships not much to root for. There were some really touching moments that could have been a lot more impactful if they’d been built up more gradually.

Overall this was an enjoyable read, that ultimately left me wanting a little bit more.

 I received a free copy for an honest review.

This is only my second David Levithan book, and it’s really a crime that I haven’t read any more!

The story follows the first ten dates between Ryan and Avery, two boys from different high schools who meet at a dance for queer teenagers. The dates are told out of order, starting with their fifth date, and over the course of the book we get to know both of the boys, their relationship with each other, and their relationships with their friends and family.

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Mixing up the dates order was such a great and unique approach. We started in the middle, with date number 5, and roughly worked outwards, so we got to know the backstory and what was going to happen next almost simultaneously. It was the like the plot and the characters were unwrapped bit by bit throughout the book and I loved it!

The book dealt with some really challenging topics really well, such as the difficult relationship Ryan has with his parents. I thought that Levithan did an excellent job of embracing the messiness and difficulties of real life, where not everything gets neatly fixed and tied up with a bow.

The star of the show though is, of course, Ryan and Avery’s relationship. Levithan really captured the intensity of that first teenage love, while still giving them a solid grounding that made the romance all the more satisfying. They complemented each other really well, and even though we knew they would stay together, there was still a sense of glorious inevitability about their relationship.

I received a free copy for an honest review.