4.5 Stars

The Midnight Lie is one of the best YA books I've read in a long time. It started off a little slow, and then I was pulled in and desperate to read more about Nirrim and Sid, and the world around them. Oh Nirrim and Sid have stolen my heart, I was eagerly devouring pages for a glimpse of their teasing, their glances, the brief touches shared between them. I've never read a Marie Rutkoski book and The Midnight Lie was entirely unexpected in all ways.

The world crafted was enchanting as we are whisked off to a world of class segregation, secret magic and an unknown ruler and unknown history. There are the High-Kith, Middlings, Half-Kith and Un-Kith. Nirrim is a half-kith who helps to forge passports for those around her with her 'mother-figure' Raven, to get people out of the world of Half-Kith. Half-Kith are subject to harsher laws, harsher rules and a much drabber lifestyle than those above them. They can't wear deep blues, or rich colours, they're not allowed books or luxury foods. If they are found to break these rules they will be forced to pay a penance or a tithe in the forms of blood, hair, skin, or anything the prison guards can think up and take from them; alongside a prison sentence. When Nirrim is thrown into prisoner she meets a strange traveller Sid

who turns out to be a girl

and from there their relationship develops. Nirrim at first is suspicious and unbelieving of Sid and everything Sid says. However, upon her release from prison she begins to question everything around her. It is this curiosity and questioning nature of Nirrim that I began to love as she blossomed and bloomed as a character.

Throughout the whole book, the identity of Sid is a mystery, although I guessed immediately who they were and this didn't feel very subtle. Although I think this was perhaps a point to the plot that Sid's identity was not subtle. Sid was probably my favourite character, as a strong and adventurous spirit. Sid came across as fanciful and fickle character that liked to seduce women, but beneath the surface was a caring, insightful and smart character. I loved watching the relationship develop between Sid and Nirrim and this was the real strength of the book.

The plot-line follows Nirrim and Sid trying to uncover the secrets behind magic in the Ward. They attended parties, took magic potions and occasionally sneaked around. I do think the sneaking and adventure was a little bit lacking in places, and I wanted a little more from the world-building and action in places. This book was very character driven, which was fine. However, I think future books could definitely benefit from more adventure and more focus on the plot as the themes continue to develop. The ending was a bit of a bit cliff-hanger (of shorts), so I am keen that we see more in terms of big world-building plot developments.

This book was a refreshing breathe of air that intertwined fantasy themes, class critiques, LGTBQ themes and more. I loved pretty much all of it, and I am saddened that I'm going to have to wait so long until the next book comes out as this one isn't even published yet. I will 100% be getting myself a paperback version when this book comes out (as I'm not a big hardback fan). I got a copy free from Netgalley.

But rather than leave the mind entirely, world help us leave a mind, and give us the building blocks to build another one, similar but better, nearby to old one but with firmer foundations, and very often a better view.

Reasons to Stay Alive is a difficult book to review based on the subject matter and ones own personal experience. What I would say is that I think the nature of this book, the openness with which Matt Haig talks about his experience, especially as a man is so so important. A statistic he mentioned in his book was that 1 million people a year kill themselves but between 10-20 million people try to kill themselves. Depression and mental health issues are endemic but frequently misunderstood; they are brushed under the carpet or not acknowledged because they're not seen.

I think it is difficult to understand if you've never experienced, never seen anybody suffer. However, Matt Haig offers an insight into his world when he suffered most severely with depression and anxiety. It's a very brave thing to do, as society considers that men opening up about mental a weakness and a fault in masculinity. This is a problem with society and one that Matt Haig challenges.

I liked that he talked about how he dealt with his anxiety and depression. He spoke openly about the problems of medication. He spoke about how he took to reading, running, yoga, sleeping etc to help. He offers people a path of hope, and at the back of the book he has a tonne of information about services people can get in touch with.

The book itself is easy to read, it's made up of lots of short chapters, of lists, of conversations with himself and I liked the style. I think the book is an important conversation starter and a glimmer of hope for those that really need it.
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"The key is to accepting your thoughts, all of them, even the bad ones. Accept thoughts, don't become them."

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This was a thrilling read as all the rest of the series. I love Eve Dallas. She's so strong and intelligent. Her tenacity and bravery continue to thrill me!

Whisper of Sin was a fun little interlude that introduced the story of Ria and Emmett. Ria is human and Emmett is part of the DarkRiver Leopard pack. When Ria is nearly raped and beaten up by a gang who are trying to take over downtown San Francisco, Emmett and the DarkRiver pack step in to apprehend the criminals.

This book is set before the main series and is the first introduction to the Psy-Changeling series. It introduces how the DarkRiver Leopard's are beginning to asset their dominance against the Psy in San Francisco and show that they won't be messed with. I think it's more enjoyable to have read this after reading several books in the series as you already have a feel for the world, the characters and the mood which makes the novella very easy to fall into. Without having read the main series, there wouldn't be much in terms of your understanding of the Psy-Changeling relationships.

I liked Ria and Emmett as characters, but as always with short novellas I find it hard to really connect with the characters and their relationship. Singh did stick strongly to her characterisation and focus on real relationships and family dynamics which I liked a lot. She still managed to flesh out the relationships and the storyline between Ria and Emmett (if a bit quick) fairly well for 88 pages.

If you want a short fun and flirty read with a decent sub-plot, then you'd definitely find this here. However, I think you'd benefit from reading this in tandem with the wider series, or at least after the first book where you've been introduced to more of the characters. Overall, an enjoyable read and one I devoured in a lunch-time sitting!

Verity by Collen Hoover had me hooked from start to finish. The only reason I didn't finish this in one sitting is because I knew I had to sleep and I stopped myself before it got too creepy. Hoover excelled at making the plot creepy, fast-paced, and just generally downright disturbing. She left you wondering what was real and what was not until the end, and even then, I wasn't sure what I believed. This book was very much a psychological thriller and whilst there were many aspects that were similar to other thrillers, Hoover managed to keep the plot-twists coming that still gave the book an edge of originality.

The premise of the book is all about Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who is offered a deal to finish a series of books by a famous author Verity Crawford. Verity was involved in an accident and is no longer capable of writing. Her husband and publishers have therefore sought out a new author to finish off the series. This all seems rather normal until Lowen has to go out to the house where Verity and her husband Jeremy live to go through the notes in Verity's office. There Lowen uncovers an unfinished autobiography that Verity never intended anybody to read. The contents of the autobiography begin to disturb Lowen and as the problems and the tragedies of the Crawford family begin to unravel the creepiness just ramps up.

Hoover really excelled with the elements of foreshadowing, the mind-tricks and the pacing. At one point I was lying in bed (in the dark - which I would not recommend) and my heart was hammering against my chest as I flipped page after page on my kindle to find out what was going to happen. I thought overall Hoover had a clever plot-line and I was genuinely still surprised by the end at the final plot twists. Some elements were obviously a little predictable, but I think there are always elements in thrillers like this that you will guess. Overall, this book was exactly what I wanted from a thriller and I can see why people have given this book so much praise. If you enjoy thrillers, I would definitely recommend this book.

4.5 Stars

Happy as Larry is a self-published book by Kaethe Cherney who uses her own childhood and experiences of losing her father, her siblings joining a cult to develop a novel that takes greater artistic liberties and reshapes her childhood as a work of fiction. However, the core elements of family, grief, friendship and life running off the rails were ever present and powerful throughout. I was honestly a little sceptical of this book because it was self-published, even though I was really interested in the focus on grief and family. However, I was absolutely blown away and devoured this book in about two sittings. It brought me out of my reading funk and touched me so unexpectedly that I cried a couple of times reading it.

The narrative focuses on Saskia, a young and rather precocious 14 year-old who loses her father suddenly and then watches her family struggle to pull together following his death. The family live in New York in an upscale apartment as her dad ran his own gallery. Following his death, her mum falls from Mr. Wrong to Mr. Wrong to try and keep herself together and is unable to focus on her children. This results in Saskia's siblings pulling away from her and ending up in a Cult, the Sullivanians, which was around in New York in the 1980s. Her family begin struggling financially for money after her father's death and have to move out of their nice apartment and move out towards Haarlem and the shady parts of New York City. Saskia changes schools and soon finds herself immersed in a world of drugs, drink and wild parties. There are so many elements that this novel touches on, but underlying all these huge changes and problems in Saskia's life the undercurrent to all of this is the grief and how she has dealt with her father's death.

This novel touched me on a deep level as I could relate to elements of Saskia's grief. I could relate to elements of her general attitude as she grew up and how she wanted to be liked, she wanted boys to kiss her, she wanted to have friends. She wanted to go to parties and be the cool, skinny and sexy girl. Saskia's desire to be liked edged into desperation and I think the book showed how key events in our lives can be turning points for us and our behaviour.

It was clear that Saskia and Kaethe Cherney loved New York and the 80's nostaglia and love for the city came through strongly. Cherney didn't shy away from dragging in the bad bits of New York, the shady characters, the homeless, or the positives. I did really enjoy this dip into the world of New York in the 80s through the eyes of a teenager.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a great coming-of-age piece that focused on the raw and emotional side of grief and how it can result in self-destructive actions, it can cause your life to spiral. It reminded me of the value of family, the promise and hope of the future and how it is never too late to change your life. Thank you to Kaethe Cherney for providing me a copy to review as I have been thoroughly touched and in awe of your book!

OH MERCY THOMPSON. IN TIMES OF SADNESS, DARKNESS AND DESPAIR YOU BRIGHTEN MY DAYS AS YOU FIGHT BACK THE EVIL.

GOD THIS BOOK MADE ME WANT TO CRY.

I READ THIS IN TWO STRAIGHT SITTINGS AND I NEED TO COLLECT MY THOUGHTS AND LOVE FOR THIS SERIES.

I read Kim Jiyoung shortly after finishing The Vegetarian by Han Kang last month and found the book equally as interesting and powerful. Kim Jiyoung is not as lyrical and prose driven as Kang's The Vegetarian. However, the lack of lyrical prose did not detract from the power of the message and impact in Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982. I thought the simplicity offered greater focus to the subject matter.
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Kim Jiyoung focuses on the gender inequality that is prevalent in South Korea and the pressure of being a woman. It looked at the life of Kim Jiyoung and how her life differed to her brothers. It jumped through her upbringing, college, her marriage, her work life and finally the birth of her first child. What made this quite powerful were the stats that Cho Jam-Noo managed to slip seamlessly into the narrative that made her arguments so much more powerful.
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The scenes in the workplace I felt for me were the most stark as the women's bathroom was found to be bugged to spy on the women. Kim Jiyoung was passed over for jobs because she was female. She was subject to shame for not working as long hours whilst pregnant, even then when she was judged for being pregnant and working. The double standards and hypocrisy was shouted out throughout the whole book and made for stark reading.
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I would say this book is a must read for those interested in gender inequality in South Korea and more facts based, stark writing. If you're in search for a more lyrical prose driven and metaphorical work I would pick up The Vegetarian. Both great works in very different ways.

3.5 Stars

Being a feminist is like being pregnant. You either are or you are not. You either believe in the full equality of men and women or you do not.

Dear Ijeawele was another great short feminist essay by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, although I have to admit that I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as We Should All be Feminists. I think because this one was a little more focused on parenting and raising a daughter. It felt like this essay collection was less inclusive on why people should become feminists and some of the importance of feminism. For me, this highlighted problems specifically as women we face and how we interact with the world.

I think one of the most important points Chimamanda spoke about was the use of language.

Language is the repository of our prejudices, our beliefs, our assumptions. But to teach her that, you will have to question your own language. A friend of mine says she will never call her daughter 'princess'. People mean well when they say this, but 'princess' is loaded with assumptions, of a girl's delicacy, of the prince who will come to save her, etc. This friend prefers 'angel' and 'star'.

When Hillary Clinton was running for president of the United States, the first descriptor on her Twitter account was 'Wife'. The first descriptor on the Twitter account of Bill Clinton, her husband, is 'Founder', not 'Husband'.

These two quotations about labels applied to women are honestly my biggest pet hates and it was refreshing to see this written in paper. Why do women primarily identify themselves as a wife? They are a woman, who has a job, a life etc. It was important and is important to me that we continue to challenge these expectations for women. Also, the terminology of princess (whilst not necessarily bad), like Adichie discusses feeds into this rhetoric of female delicacy. It is important that we as women continue to think about how we describe ourselves, how we identify and label ourselves as this speaks volumes to those around them. Men do not primarily identify themselves as a Husband, so why should women's summation of themselves be reduced to the term wife? This is not to say women should not (of course) describe themselves as a wife if they wish, however, I think you should think about 1) why this is your first description of yourself 2) does your husband/wife/partner perceive their identity by their marital status? These terms speak of power within relationships and how we set expectations for ourselves. If we teach our girls that they should aspire to be a wife, then their life achievements are limited by another person.

Overall, I think there were so many wonderful points Adichie spoke about, and so many important messages for imparting on the next generation. I am not a parent, so I think it's difficult for me to see how this can be applied to parenting in every instance. However, I think all parents should read this and think about how they raise their children.

That a woman claims not to be a feminist does not diminish the necessity of feminism. If anything, it makes us see the extent of the problem, the successful reach of patriarchy. It shows us, too, that not all women are feminists and not all men are misogynists.

3.5 Stars

Privilege not only blinds you to oppression, it blinds you to your own ignorance even when you notice the oppression.

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall is an exploration of feminism focusing on the areas that are often overlooked: poverty, hunger, gun violence, murder, education to name a few. Hood Feminism focuses on the concept that mainstream feminism often overlooks the essential necessities in life that women need in order to live. She calls out how often we focus on feminism being about equal pay, women in CEO positions, women in the media when we often forget about women needing food, women needing homes, women needing safety from gun violence, sexual violence and police brutality to name a few. She writes a series of essays that all focus on different topics and call out how these topics largely affect black and minority women (particular efforts were taken to consider trans and disabled women too), and that it is white feminists who often overlook these areas.

I would not say that this is the most accessible of feminists texts I have read, as at times I felt the language was a little convoluted and alienating. This comes from an individual that has studied history academically for five years at University and spent a lot of time reading academic texts. I felt like this book had a tendency to stray into academia when actually, the book's messages were much more basic in places. I also found that Kendall lacked appropriate references in her text which is something I personally prefer when reading a non-fiction book. She had a collection of sources at the back of the book, but I find it more beneficial and supportive of your arguments when writing non-fiction to have direct references as footnotes. It enables readers to immediately see where the statistics you are drawing are leveraged from and support the strength of your arguments. In addition to this, the book is focused almost entirely on American divisions and American problems. Some of those problems are definitely more universal, however, others were a little more difficult to understand as they relate specifically to the social/political systems of America. It would be interesting, I think to have seen reference to studies/works (if there are any) on how these topics affect women of colour in other communities around the world.

Despite these issues with the book, I did think that Kendall presented some interesting and important arguments. She spoke heavily about the role of women as oppressors of women and how feminism has enabled us as women to take power. However, it has also enabled women to limit each other.

"You can argue that conservative values are at odds with feminist ideology, but ultimately the question has to be not only "what women are we empowering?" but also "what are we empowering them to do?" White women aren't just passive beneficiaries of racist oppression, they are active participants."

This focus on how white women have harmed black women was particularly powerful. Kendall highlighted how 53% of American women voted for Trump. These were women who have been empowered by feminism to have this power. She spoke about the restrictive anti-abortion legislation in Alabama that was both written by and passed by the signature of women. She forces us to come to terms with the fact that women do not necessarily do good in the world with the power they have been given. However, she highlights how the most harm comes to women of colour. I think this was one of the biggest themes that ran throughout the book.

However, the most important points for me were when she touched on the violence that black women and ethnic minority women face. Her focus on gun violence as a feminist issue was interesting, whilst I have always been for the banning of guns and restricting gun access I have never initially thought of it as a feminist issue. However, when you look at the fact black women are more likely to be killed by their spouse/partner/relative, that 60% of American children/teens who are victims of homicide each year is as a result of gun crime. These simple facts play into how gun violence is intimately connected with feminism, with the right to safety for yourself, for your children and for an end to domestic violence.

The second most interesting aspect was her discussions about reproductive justice and reproductive health. Kendall drew out some rather horrifying facts about the rates of black mothers dying in the US, of the treatment inequalities and the struggles that even wealthy black women had to get the treatment they needed. She also touched on the fact that Indigenous American women were forcible
sterilized in the 1970s and 1980s when they were being told they were having appendectomies. This was a fact I wasn't aware of and will certainly be something I look into further. The essay really served to pinpoint how racial inequality manifests itself in many parts of women's lives and how it can be of considerable detriment to their lives.

Persistent racial beliefs in medicine and otherwise are at the root of ongoing racial disparities in treatment and patient outcomes.

Overall, I think Hood Feminism raises questions about a lot of important issues and I'm glad I read it. I think the execution was a little problematic in places, and would not recommend as the first feminist text to all. However, I would definitely read more books by Mikki Kendall.