01.24.10
Skullduggery Pleasant – Derek Landy
I have had this book recommended to me so many times in the past few years that I was finally forced to bow to peer pressure and give it a read. It has been showered with awards, spawned two sequels and also a film adaptation is in the pipeline, so it has to be good. Right?
For those of you who have somehow managed to avoid it, it tells the story of Stephanie, whose uncle dies in suspicious circumstances and she encounters Skulduggery Pleasant, a detective who happens to be a living skeleton. From then on, it becomes your general “normal person is plunged into magic and mystery” story and builds up pace rapidly as the evil villain is eventually dealt with.
There are quite a few things that I really loved about the story. The first thing is that the story belts along at a hell of a pace. A lot of fantasy stories plod along so slowly that you find yourself thinking you’d rather be in the mundanity of real life than this alternate reality that moves in half speed. This book does not have that problem at all. There is always something going on and you are never left wanting for action.
But (you saw that coming), having action present is very different to the action actually being worth reading. Most of the time, I loved reading it and felt that he captured the tone of the situation beautifully. However, there were certain action scenes that just didn’t come off at all and I couldn’t help but laugh at some of them. It’s a shame really that they were so hit and miss as books like this hinge on the quality of their action.
Perhaps the thing that endeared me to this tale the most was the level of humour involved. Almost all of the characters have a lovely sarcastic streak and Skullduggery in particular has a smart comeback for absolutely every situation, which is great to break the depressing mood of the storyline. Several times I paused reading in order to read out one of the quality put-downs to whoever happened to be nearby at the time. I think that Landy could quite easily write a more comedy-centric book and pull it off perfectly. Project idea for once this concept runs its course?
There was a particular device that I think was overused throughout this story; betrayal. It seemed to me that every chapter (especially as we neared the climax) had at least one character betraying another, which was too much to be honest. I understand the idea that in such a complex tactical plot, there would be a lot of double crossing, but I don’t understand why every character had to change sides so often. It was ridiculous and seemed like a lazy way of facilitating the ending.
Despite its drawbacks, I did enjoy it and I will read the sequels at some point in the near future. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone as it is a nice way to spend your time and is certainly a long way ahead of other books in its genre.
Skullduggery Pleasant – Derek Landy ***
By Tom.
11.15.09
Massive – Julia Bell
This emotional and brilliantly well written book by Julia Bell provides an alternative take on a topic very important to our society: eating disorders.
This book addresses the issues teenagers have today with their weights. Obesity has hit the news hard, with celebrities like Jamie Oliver getting involved, and we have become a nation ruled by our diets. Unfortunately, the opposite end of the scale, anorexia and bulimia are also affecting teenage girls more and more. With size zero models twitching down the cat walk, and curvy celebrities being slated in the tabloids, no wonder we have such issues with out bodies. However, Carmen’s story is different. Carmen is a fourteen year old who was driven to an extreme diet not by the media, but her own mother. Carmen’s Mum has been extreme dieter for years, and she hates to see her daughter going fat. Carmen used to resist, sneaking Big Macs in on the way home from school. But when her life is uprooted by her Mum’s sudden decision to leave her husband and move to Birmingham and Carmen meets her Nana, who is an compulsive eater, Carmen is disgusted by what she sees, and is determined to lose weight, no matter what the cost.
In this stark, moving look at the world behind eating disorders, many teenagers will discover that eating disorders very often end in disaster, and show them that they don’t need to starve themselves to be happy and confident. Four stars. (:
By Eilidh.
Please note, if you wish to contact The Book Blog, emails should now be sent to ohsoeilidh@hotmail.co.uk
08.27.09
Dear Readers
Hello, I’m Eilidh, the recently elusive creator of The Book Blog. This post is an apology, an apology for forgetting about what was and still is a great project. I have no real excuse, to be perfectly honest with you all. School has been more challenging certainly, but I have still found time to get online. Past reasons behind me, I’d like to breathe some fresh life in to The Book Blog.
So, this post is also a note to say “Start reading again!”, because you guys are the reason I’m doing this. It makes me so happy to see lovely comments waiting to be approved, it makes me smile when I see how many views we’re getting.
My first review will be of Rubies in The Orchard by Lynda Resnick. This review should’ve been written a long time ago, when I was so kindly sent a free copy. I did read and enjoy it, but unfortunately… yeah, insert an excuse here.
So hopefully you’re looking forward to this new dawn for The Book Blog, I know I am.
02.27.09
The Escape – Robert Muchamore
The Escape is the first book in the Henderson’s Boys series, a spin-off of Muchamore’s fantastic spy series CHERUB, exploring the origins of CHERUB during the Second World War. Two more books, Eagle Day and Secret Army have been confirmed over the next two years.
Charles Henderson, a British spy, returns to his house during Germany’s invasion of French in 1940 to find an orphan named Marc Kilgour who has been badly beaten up by German soldiers who believed the boy was aware of the spy’s whereabouts. Henderson and Marc then race across the country, braving the enemy forces, in order to rescue the children (Paul and Rosie Clarke) of one of his fellow spies (Digby Clarke). The story ends on a huge cliffhanger as the ferry Paul and Rosie are on sinks and Rosie is left wondering about whether or not Paul survived.
A gripping start to the series that thrusts the reader directly into the horror and ruthlessness of the Nazi invasion of France and the no-nonsense brutal ends that people were willing to go to to survive.
The Escape – Robert Muchamore ****
By Tom.
Necropolis – Anthony Horowitz
Necropolis is the fourth and penultimate book in prolific teenage fiction author Anthony Horowitz’s Power of Five series. The series tells of five magical children known as “The Five” who have to gather together in order to defeat evil itself, the “Old Ones”. Necropolis is Horowitz’s first book containing a full-fledged female protagonist.
Scarlett Adams disappears through a door in St Meredith’s church on a school trip. She narrowly avoids capture by an army of unhinged monks and then refuses to describe what happened to the police. This story is published in the newspapers and Matt Freeman realises that he has found the last of the Five. Unfortunately, the Old Ones know that too. Throughout the book, Matt desperately tries to reach Scarlett in order to bring the Five together to fight the final great war that will banish the Old Ones but is continuously thwarted by the evil forces against them. The book ends with the Five split apart after scrambling into one of the many magic doors designed for them; separation leaving them vulnerable for the Old Ones to take action.
This is quite possibly the strongest book in the series. Despite his inexperience in heroines, Horowitz develops the character of Scarlett brilliantly, showing us exactly what is going on inside the girl’s head as she struggles with her true destiny and power. The huge amount of twists in the fantastically dense plot constantly keep the reader interested throughout. I am now gutted that it will probably be several years before we get to see the conclusion of this outstanding saga.
Necropolis – Anthony Horowitz *****
By Tom.
The Mighty Book Of Boosh – Julian Barratt & Noel Fielding
The Mighty Book Of Boosh is the latest project by the team behind the surreal comedy show. The Mighty Boosh has earned itself a cult following after a radio series, three TV series and two sell-out UK tours featuring their menagerie of engaging and often outrageous characters including the polo-eyed Hitcher and Bob Fossil, the retarded American zoo owner/erotic dancer.
The entire book continues with the surreal form that fans of the show are familiar with and contains a huge variety of Boosh goodies. There are short stories written in character by several of the stars, lyrics to the songs from the show and a tonne of behind the scenes photos as well as loads of other miscellaneous stuff.
Even taking into account its size, the book doesn’t take very long to read, but I guarantee that any Boosh fan would be laughing all the way through it. If you have never seen the TV show, you probably won’t get it, so should definitely watch that first. I thought that some of the content was absolutely amazing and almost every page had me in absolute hysterics. Brilliant!
The Mighty Book Of Boosh – Julian Barratt & Noel Fielding *****
By Tom.
Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer
The fourth book in Stephenie Meyer’s spellbinding supernatural love saga shows Bella Swan’s struggle to continue life with her vampire partner Edward Cullen and put up with the constant advances of her werewolf best friend Jacob Black.
The story starts, as with the rest of the series, from Bella’s point of view and deals with telling of her marriage to Edward and their subsequent honeymoon during which the couple finally have sex. Soon after, Bella suspects that she has fallen preganant, a fact that Carlisle then confirms. After this, the story switches to Jacob’s perspective as Bella’s baby grows at an accelerated rate. He is forced to split from the main wolf pack in order to prevent them from tracking down and killing the child. Bella eventually has the child, whom Jacob then imprints on, but is almost killed in the process and Edward is forced to finally grant her wish of changing her into a vampire. The final part of the book switches back to Bella who is just adjusting to her new life as a vampire when Renesmee (her child) is spotted by another vampire who assumes that she is an “immortal child”, a race forbidden by the Volturi. The whole Volturi force is then sent to destroy the Cullens who assemble an army of witnesses who can prove that Renesmee is a half-breed and not one of the forbidden children. The Volturi eventually are forced to accept this truth and leave the family in peace without bloodshed.
I loved this entire book besides the incredibly anticlimactic ending, the ending being the only thing preventing it receiving five stars. The change in perspective works incredibly well and the entire plotline is ingenious. A fitting end to one of the best series of books in recent years.
Braking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer ****
By Tom.
02.26.09
Bog Child – Siobhan Dowd
Siobhan Dowd’s new novel, Bog Child, is a twisting tale that takes us from Drumleash, in 1981, right back to 80 AD. In this inspiring story about first love, politics and family bonds, we follow the lives of 18-year-old Fergus, and Mel, the child he discovers hidden in a bog. Mel troubles Fergus’ dreams, and as Fergus’ own story unfolds, we learn more about Mel’s troubled life.
The book also looks deeply into Irish politics in the 1980s. Fergus’ brother Joey is a political prisoner, and joins the hunger strikes at the time. The author’s moving story examines moral issues behind the strikes, and as Fergus’ becomes more involved in political activities, and as tension between the North and South increases, Fergus has to choose between his beliefs, and his brother.
I’m giving this book *****. The first star is for the beautiful words of the author, who never misplaces a metaphor, and never wastes a word. The second is for the humorous and comic exchanges between Fergus and his friends, their attitudes and expressions make the book thoroughly enjoyable for any teenage reader. The third star is awarded for the feel-good vibe that seeps from the pages. Despite the hardships and troubles that weigh down Fergus’ life, the book will leave you with a smile. The fourth and fifth stars go to the moving and emotional perspective on right and wrong, life and death, and truth. I gave that two stars, because it was especially awesome.
I’d recommend this story to any teenage reader. Whether you like romance, action or any other genre, Bog Child will have you hooked till the last word.
12.12.08
The Bailey Game – Celia Rees
This is another of the books that has been recommended to me by my school librarian that is a contender for a book awards taking place in my city.
The Bailey Game tells the story of Alex, a girl who is still haunted by the terrible events that happened due to “The Bailey Game”, a game that involved the systematic bullying of a boy named Michael Bailey. She deeply regrets her part in this game and, when a new student comes to the school, she sees that the game is starting again and that only she can stop the terrible events from unfolding all over again.
I enjoyed the storyline of this book and it was a very powerful account of the terrible effects that bullying can have on people and how it can be dealt with. However, the plot did get confusing at times due to all of the flashbacks of the past and changing of viewpoints. A good idea that was slightly let down by the style of the writing.
The Bailey Game – Celia Rees ***
By Tom.
We’re British, Innit: An Irreverent A to Z of All Things British – Ian Aitch
I spotted this in one of my local bookshops and was intrigued by the amazing definition of the word “Innit” that was located on the book cover.
This book takes some of the most famous aspects of Britishness, including tea, crumpets and Queen Elizabeth II and describes them in a hilarious yet strangely informative way. It is one of the few books I have ever read that has made me laugh audibly in a public place (on the bus).
This hilarious journey through Britain is amazingly written by a very intelligent man who has a unique gift for being able to provide some very interesting information, but also be incredibly funny in the process. I would recommend this to anyone who has had enough of depressing fiction and needs a book that makes them giggle. It would also make an ideal Christmas gift.
We’re British, Innit: An Irreverent A to Z of All Things British – Ian Aitch *****
By Tom.
