4* – Prose Amongst Thorns

‘Over the Top’ by Jonathan Van Ness | Book Review

As a baby queer just coming to terms with their gayness through their first girl-on-girl relationship Queer Eye was a ray of hope – it showed me that being gay doesn’t hold you back, that you can be successful and fierce and confidant. Most of that was thanks to Jonathan Van Ness. His confidence, his exuberance, his dedication – Jonathan is himself unapologetically and if you’re not with him, well bye bye then. And reading his autobiography made me appreciate him even more.

‘The Last Greek’ by Christian Cameron | Book Review

I picked up The Last Greek on a whim after seeing the gorgeous cover and assuming it had ties to Greek mythology – I was right, kind of. The New Achilles and The Last Greek both look at Ancient Greece, but shift the focus from mythology and folklore to the real people of Greece. And honestly, it was amazing.

‘The Bear and the Nightingale’ by Katherine Arden | Book Review

This one was a birthday present from my parents that had been calling out to me from my bookshelf. I’m a sucker for anything that incorporates mythology and folklore! I buddy read this one with the lovely @freyreads from Instagram and had such a brilliant time. It made the experience so much more memorable and I was able to freak out about certain events that happened…

The New Achilles by Christian Cameron | Book Review

I’ll admit, I picked this series up because it had a brilliant cover and seemed to be about Greek mythology. As a family, we are obsessed with Ancient Greece. All our holidays were to Greece and each of us were enraptured by stories of Ancient Greece. Cameron deftly weaves fact and fiction together with this historical fiction series.

‘Cookfulness’ by Ian Taverner | ARC Review

As soon as I read the blurb for this fantastic book I knew I had to read it. Received as part of a book tour with the publisher, I am overjoyed to get my hands on this book. Cookfulness provides easy recipes for those suffering with disabilities and mental health conditions and attempts to really make cooking fun.

‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley | Book Review

Despite not being a fan of Victorian literature, this classic gothic text by Mary Shelley fully captured my attention. Frankenstein is truly gripping and is underpinned by deep philosophical questions. There is something here to capture every type of reader: from the casual peruser, to the tabber and analyser.

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron | ARC Review

I really struggled rating this book as there were parts I really loved and parts that let the book down a little. Ultimately though, it was a 4* read that provided a much needed re-imagination of the Cinderella story.

Bayron brings to the forefront a POC LGBT story and in doing so draws out many of the issues with the current format of our fairytales. Sophia desperately wants to marry her childhood best friend in a culture that strictly forbids any deviation from expectation. But, she stumbles upon a secret which drives her to move against the King.

At times I found Sophia annoying – she was naive and ignorant to the struggles of people around her. But, I do feel like this was in-line with her character and that, as a young adult, she was believable. The story was a little rushed, I would have loved to get more detail to help pad out the story – but I still thoroughly enjoyed the read.

Without spoiling too much, the ending was satisfying and is what took this rating up to a 4* read. I highly recommend it and it should be required reading for all YA and teen readers – I’ll certainly be sharing it with my younger sister. The book will be released July 7th 2020, so keep your eyes peeled!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing an ARC in return for an honest review.

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The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley | Review

This was my first Bookstagram made me do it purchase – as a fan of crime novels I knew I had to get myself a copy. I’ve seen so many brilliant reviews and whilst this book wasn’t quite a 5* read (and honestly I couldn’t exactly tell you why!) it was still fantastic.

The Hunting Party keeps you guessing throughout. You don’t find out who the victim is until right at the very end of the book, which was both original and captivating: how could I put the book down without knowing who is dead? It worked, because I didn’t stop reading until I had finished the entire book.

This decision to withhold information also made me get emotionally involved; I found myself hoping some characters were safe. But certainly not everyone: a lot of the characters in this novel were thoroughly dislikeable. This made the read more interesting as I was hoping my favourite characters would both survive ’till the end and also not be the killer.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one and whilst it wasn’t a 5* read for me I do highly recommend it to all crime lovers. I will certainly be checking out Foley’s newest book The Guest List.

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The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood | Review

This book was disturbing.

There’s no other way to describe it – disturbing, haunting, echoing, loitering. It sticks with you, it pulls you in every time you put it down. Certainly, it is deserving of its position as a must-read, as a classic.

Potentially most enthralling about it, is the unknown. We don’t know the narrator, we can’t fully trust everything she says – we can’t even be sure it’s at all true. Rather than take away from the story line, this acts to pull you in – this unknown women, Offred, could quite easily be you, or your mother, or your sister; she becomes a symbol for femininity.

However, it was not a perfect book. The idea that within the space of 10 years she has forgotten everything about her past life, that the state she lives in has changed so drastically, to me, seemed unrealistic. It bothered me that her level of distance from the ‘old world’ was so ingrained and yet did not seem to really push the plot forward in any way.

Other than this slight irritant, the novel was undoubtedly as good as everyone says and I will certainly be reading the sequel as soon as possible!

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The Fever King by Victoria Lee | Book Review

I decided to pick this book up after seeing it on Bookstagram and then finding it on Amazon Prime for free – I could not have made a better decision! If I’m honest with myself, this book was likely a 5* read if it had come after anything other than Bridge of Clay.

The Fever King is a beautifully executed LGBT fantasy book following the (love) story of Noam and Dara. Their often volatile relationship is set against the background of a new America, one where refugees are deported with a vicious efficiency, one where a virus takes the lives of thousands and leaves survivors with magic abilities.

If you look past the wonderfully tangled relationships, you are then forced to face the question: how far would you go for the greater good? Alongside Noam, you must decide what is right and wrong, what sacrifices should be made, when you’re fighting for what you believe in.

I can’t wait to get my hands on the second instalment, I just wish it had been available on Amazon Prime too – but, rest assured, as soon as my bank account is willing I will be purchasing The Electric Heir. If you haven’t read this book already, I suggest you pick it up now!