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wordsofclover
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Cathar follows the life of Francois, a young Cathar knight who has to struggle to keep his faith and livelihood during the time of the Inquisition.
I wasn’t sure what to expect of this but I ended up really enjoying it. I found the telling of the Inquisition and the bad treatment of the Cathars really easy to understand and follow - I actually had no idea about Catharsis so this was also a learning experience for me. Francois’s voice was honest and kind and he was definitely an admirable character - I love characters like him who can try their hand at everything and over the course of a book seem to live multiple different lives from knight to pilgrim to sheep farmer. I did find his weird obsession with Blanche a bit annoying at times but overall, I could get over it. I found Stephanie’s treatment of Blanche to be irritating as well - real slut shaming but not surprising.
One of main problems with the book was the repetition. The chapters were split into multiple POVs and it seemed like when it switched POVs, we’d end up getting half of the story from the POV we’d just read, just from the other character and I don’t think this was needed most of the time.
Cathar follows the life of Francois, a young Cathar knight who has to struggle to keep his faith and livelihood during the time of the Inquisition.
I wasn’t sure what to expect of this but I ended up really enjoying it. I found the telling of the Inquisition and the bad treatment of the Cathars really easy to understand and follow - I actually had no idea about Catharsis so this was also a learning experience for me. Francois’s voice was honest and kind and he was definitely an admirable character - I love characters like him who can try their hand at everything and over the course of a book seem to live multiple different lives from knight to pilgrim to sheep farmer. I did find his weird obsession with Blanche a bit annoying at times but overall, I could get over it. I found Stephanie’s treatment of Blanche to be irritating as well - real slut shaming but not surprising.
One of main problems with the book was the repetition. The chapters were split into multiple POVs and it seemed like when it switched POVs, we’d end up getting half of the story from the POV we’d just read, just from the other character and I don’t think this was needed most of the time.
Flip is an 11-year-old boy living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, when his world gets flipped upside down and he has to move to a Dutch island to live with his uncle. While Flip begins to discovers the joy of country living, he also experiences some loneliness and bullying but one day rescues a horse from the sea who he calls Storm. Now Flip has to work hard at making sure he can keep his new friend, and keep him safe from those trying to harm him.
This is a brilliant middle-grade book and perfect for any one who loves horses or just loves some boyish adventures. Flip is an extremely adorable main character and I really love his character development throughout the book from a meek, mild boy afraid to even talk to his uncle to someone who isn’t afraid of standing up for what he believes in or who. Flip’s connection with horses is extremely enviable and his relationship with Storm is lovely to read about - while i would have loved a bit more of Flip learning to ride, this isn’t that kind of book. It focuses more on the building of relationships and the trust between boy and horse.
This book confronts bullying and Flip does suffer from bullying and intimidation throughout. He learns himself how to stand up for himself and be proud of who he is and i loved it. In typical children’s book form, the bad guys get their comeuppance which was extremely satisfactory. I also enjoyed the inclusion of the ‘Ghost Girl’. She was a bit of mystery added to the book but I really liked her.
I love that this was set in somewhere I’ve never been and somewhere i’m unfamiliar about so just the ways of life, and language was new to me and I loved hearing stories about the island, like the sunken village and the quick sand.
Adventure, friendship and horses. Perfect for fans of The Black Stallion or Black Beauty! Definitely recommend it.
This is a brilliant middle-grade book and perfect for any one who loves horses or just loves some boyish adventures. Flip is an extremely adorable main character and I really love his character development throughout the book from a meek, mild boy afraid to even talk to his uncle to someone who isn’t afraid of standing up for what he believes in or who. Flip’s connection with horses is extremely enviable and his relationship with Storm is lovely to read about - while i would have loved a bit more of Flip learning to ride, this isn’t that kind of book. It focuses more on the building of relationships and the trust between boy and horse.
This book confronts bullying and Flip does suffer from bullying and intimidation throughout. He learns himself how to stand up for himself and be proud of who he is and i loved it. In typical children’s book form, the bad guys get their comeuppance which was extremely satisfactory. I also enjoyed the inclusion of the ‘Ghost Girl’. She was a bit of mystery added to the book but I really liked her.
I love that this was set in somewhere I’ve never been and somewhere i’m unfamiliar about so just the ways of life, and language was new to me and I loved hearing stories about the island, like the sunken village and the quick sand.
Adventure, friendship and horses. Perfect for fans of The Black Stallion or Black Beauty! Definitely recommend it.
DNF - 25%
Unfortunately i had to put this down, I wasn't getting anywhere with it and i was just really confused about everything that was happening. There were way too many characters and they all became a jumble to me and i couldn't remember who was who and where they were - they all seemed to be different sort of creatures as well, which could have done with more explaining. AT 25% the story still hadn't kicked off properly and at another time, I would have kept going but unfortunately at the moment I'm too busy and have other books I need to read on my TBR, so chose to make the choice to DNF. Maybe I will go back to this book at a better time to finish the story, I don't know - the writing skill is there, and I really liked the chapters with Lycaste. I just didn't care about anyone else.
Unfortunately i had to put this down, I wasn't getting anywhere with it and i was just really confused about everything that was happening. There were way too many characters and they all became a jumble to me and i couldn't remember who was who and where they were - they all seemed to be different sort of creatures as well, which could have done with more explaining. AT 25% the story still hadn't kicked off properly and at another time, I would have kept going but unfortunately at the moment I'm too busy and have other books I need to read on my TBR, so chose to make the choice to DNF. Maybe I will go back to this book at a better time to finish the story, I don't know - the writing skill is there, and I really liked the chapters with Lycaste. I just didn't care about anyone else.
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Moon Chosen is PC Cast’s new book and much like her other books, this one focuses on goddesses of power and a lot of mystery and intrigue wrapped up in magic. Mari is an earth walker and a moon woman-in-training but she has a secret. She’s not 100% earth walker and only she and her mother know. Nik is from the Tribe of the Trees were dogs are the biggest asset, and a canine chooses his companion - Nik hasn’t been chosen yet. Mari and Nik’s world eventually collides and they have to help each other survive the fallout.
So PC Cast’s book are always a hit and miss for me. I never know if I’ll love them or absolutely hate them - this fell a little bit in between. Cast is an expert at coming up with fabulous goddesses and rituals and traditions, as well as tribes and families and great villainous creatures. This book is full of that - a lot of time obviously went into it and it definitely seems to be a good bit longer than the other books of hers that I’ve read.
However, this book ended up falling flat for me. Despite its richness in background and culture, there was so much building up of the world and the tribes and what type of people they were, I felt like the character’s story, which is the one I wanted to follow, got completely lost. Nik and Mari didn’t even properly meet each other until about 70% into the story. Which meant the big event that normally happens at about 80%, happened at like 95% and in my opinion wasn’t resolved properly. I felt like the book ended in the middle of a scene. Wham, it was over. The book could have been paced better and it could have ended in a cliff-hanger without it needing to be so severe. The dialogue in this book was also really juvenile at most times which I hated. I also didn’t appreciate the scene of animal cruelty when a stag was skinned alive and then let walk away in the kind of pain that makes me want to vomit just to imagine. While I know why this scene was in the book, I still hated it.
I might read on in this series just to see what happens but it’s not one I’ll be waiting anxiously for. I’ll go back to Partholon now.
Moon Chosen is PC Cast’s new book and much like her other books, this one focuses on goddesses of power and a lot of mystery and intrigue wrapped up in magic. Mari is an earth walker and a moon woman-in-training but she has a secret. She’s not 100% earth walker and only she and her mother know. Nik is from the Tribe of the Trees were dogs are the biggest asset, and a canine chooses his companion - Nik hasn’t been chosen yet. Mari and Nik’s world eventually collides and they have to help each other survive the fallout.
So PC Cast’s book are always a hit and miss for me. I never know if I’ll love them or absolutely hate them - this fell a little bit in between. Cast is an expert at coming up with fabulous goddesses and rituals and traditions, as well as tribes and families and great villainous creatures. This book is full of that - a lot of time obviously went into it and it definitely seems to be a good bit longer than the other books of hers that I’ve read.
However, this book ended up falling flat for me. Despite its richness in background and culture, there was so much building up of the world and the tribes and what type of people they were, I felt like the character’s story, which is the one I wanted to follow, got completely lost. Nik and Mari didn’t even properly meet each other until about 70% into the story. Which meant the big event that normally happens at about 80%, happened at like 95% and in my opinion wasn’t resolved properly. I felt like the book ended in the middle of a scene. Wham, it was over. The book could have been paced better and it could have ended in a cliff-hanger without it needing to be so severe. The dialogue in this book was also really juvenile at most times which I hated. I also didn’t appreciate the scene of animal cruelty when a stag was skinned alive and then let walk away in the kind of pain that makes me want to vomit just to imagine. While I know why this scene was in the book, I still hated it.
I might read on in this series just to see what happens but it’s not one I’ll be waiting anxiously for. I’ll go back to Partholon now.
3.5 Stars
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
In Dear Charlie, sixteen-year-old Sam is trying to deal with the fact his older brother Charlie was the perpetrator of a mass school shooting, leaving fourteen people dead before killing himself. This story follows Sam’s path to attempting to understand his brother’s action and forgiving him.
This is a very emotional and for the most part a very well-told story. Sam is the type of kid you want to take under your wing - he’s quiet and shy on normal days and now in the wake of the terrible acts committed by his brother he’s left to deal with the fallout of that and accepting the hate that’s thrown at his family for Charlie’s actions. There were parts of this book that had me choking back tears simply for the fact that I felt SO MUCH for Sam. I needed to hug him and tell him everything was okay.
I really loved that this novel focused so little on Charlie and the past events and events that led up to the shooting but mostly focused on Sam and the family as they dealt with the mess left behind. When these kind of massacres happen, there are social profiles and every aspect of the killer’s life is broadcast and analysed including who the parent were and how they raised the child - but I can’t remember specific incidents when I heard or even thought about a shooter’s innocent sibling. A sibling that still needs to just be a normal teenager and make friends, go to dances and kiss people they fancy. Sam let us see what it would be like for someone like that. He took on a huge part of the guilt for Charlie’s actions and seemed to think it was okay he be punished for what his brother did and for something he didn’t see coming or control. And not only that but Sam is left dealing with his parent’s grief and their growing hatred and misunderstanding of each other. This kid just had so much on his plate. There is also the fact that in between everything Sam also had to learn how to grieve for his brother, who no matter what he did, he still loved.
“She hugged me tightly and it was then that I realised that no one had ever acknowledged my brother’s death. They talked of his actions, his troubles, the monsters inside his head. But they never talked about his death, or my family’s loss. My brother was dead and he was never coming back. Yes, I mourned him. Yes, I missed him. And I was sick of being ashamed of that."
The bad sides of this story would be that once Sam fell in with Dougie, Izzy and friends, I basically felt like the story turned into another Perks of Being a Wallflower. From Sam feeling ‘saved’ by the group of friends and then completely lost when they turn their back on him to how his crush on Izzy develops and played out, I felt like Sam turned into Perks’ Charlie. There were just too many similarities for me.
Overall though, I liked this book and it was a fast-paced read and kept me gripped till the end. And as I said, all the hugs for Sam!
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
In Dear Charlie, sixteen-year-old Sam is trying to deal with the fact his older brother Charlie was the perpetrator of a mass school shooting, leaving fourteen people dead before killing himself. This story follows Sam’s path to attempting to understand his brother’s action and forgiving him.
This is a very emotional and for the most part a very well-told story. Sam is the type of kid you want to take under your wing - he’s quiet and shy on normal days and now in the wake of the terrible acts committed by his brother he’s left to deal with the fallout of that and accepting the hate that’s thrown at his family for Charlie’s actions. There were parts of this book that had me choking back tears simply for the fact that I felt SO MUCH for Sam. I needed to hug him and tell him everything was okay.
I really loved that this novel focused so little on Charlie and the past events and events that led up to the shooting but mostly focused on Sam and the family as they dealt with the mess left behind. When these kind of massacres happen, there are social profiles and every aspect of the killer’s life is broadcast and analysed including who the parent were and how they raised the child - but I can’t remember specific incidents when I heard or even thought about a shooter’s innocent sibling. A sibling that still needs to just be a normal teenager and make friends, go to dances and kiss people they fancy. Sam let us see what it would be like for someone like that. He took on a huge part of the guilt for Charlie’s actions and seemed to think it was okay he be punished for what his brother did and for something he didn’t see coming or control. And not only that but Sam is left dealing with his parent’s grief and their growing hatred and misunderstanding of each other. This kid just had so much on his plate. There is also the fact that in between everything Sam also had to learn how to grieve for his brother, who no matter what he did, he still loved.
“She hugged me tightly and it was then that I realised that no one had ever acknowledged my brother’s death. They talked of his actions, his troubles, the monsters inside his head. But they never talked about his death, or my family’s loss. My brother was dead and he was never coming back. Yes, I mourned him. Yes, I missed him. And I was sick of being ashamed of that."
The bad sides of this story would be that once Sam fell in with Dougie, Izzy and friends, I basically felt like the story turned into another Perks of Being a Wallflower. From Sam feeling ‘saved’ by the group of friends and then completely lost when they turn their back on him to how his crush on Izzy develops and played out, I felt like Sam turned into Perks’ Charlie. There were just too many similarities for me.
Overall though, I liked this book and it was a fast-paced read and kept me gripped till the end. And as I said, all the hugs for Sam!
Holding is set in a sleepy Irish town called Duneen where things are quiet and peaceful until a body is discovered at a building site. Suddenly, secrets that are decades old begin to be uncovered and Sergeant PJ Collins realises he doesn’t really know the people he has been living with.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this book, because honestly a celebrity wrote it and you just never know how those kind of books are going to be. But I was really, really pleasantly surprised by this book and how great it was and how solid the writing was. This book really echoes the little parts of Ireland where people are living closely together and everyone knows everything and really showed the ructions one thing can cause and how secrets can suddenly be exposed.
There were no major “get outta here” shock moments in this book because of the way it’s told. The characters all have their own moments, and it’s easy for the reader to identify who is acting weird and who is not and particularly with one character it was very easy to figure out straight away something was up (though I could understand why the guards would have never suspected her). I actually really liked PJ Collins, and he was one of those underestimated characters that proved he wasn’t as stupid as people thought he was. I liked the gentle camaraderie that developed between him and the detective and I feel like they possibly could make a great team! All of the characters in this are solid and well-written and I enjoyed how we found out about them as young people, and older people but how events had really shaped them. At a panel I went to, Graham Norton said he wrote all the young people in the past because that’s how he could write and identify with them as obviously he can’t really identify with youth of today and i really felt that - he wrote characters he could relate to and understand as well as a town that was very similar to the one he grew up in. Maybe it was a bit safe of him but he played it well, and it worked out.
I don’t think the epilogue at the end really worked out for me - I didn’t really care about it too much. I preferred the ending to the very last chapter, and though that would have been a better line to end up on.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this book, because honestly a celebrity wrote it and you just never know how those kind of books are going to be. But I was really, really pleasantly surprised by this book and how great it was and how solid the writing was. This book really echoes the little parts of Ireland where people are living closely together and everyone knows everything and really showed the ructions one thing can cause and how secrets can suddenly be exposed.
There were no major “get outta here” shock moments in this book because of the way it’s told. The characters all have their own moments, and it’s easy for the reader to identify who is acting weird and who is not and particularly with one character it was very easy to figure out straight away something was up (though I could understand why the guards would have never suspected her). I actually really liked PJ Collins, and he was one of those underestimated characters that proved he wasn’t as stupid as people thought he was. I liked the gentle camaraderie that developed between him and the detective and I feel like they possibly could make a great team! All of the characters in this are solid and well-written and I enjoyed how we found out about them as young people, and older people but how events had really shaped them. At a panel I went to, Graham Norton said he wrote all the young people in the past because that’s how he could write and identify with them as obviously he can’t really identify with youth of today and i really felt that - he wrote characters he could relate to and understand as well as a town that was very similar to the one he grew up in. Maybe it was a bit safe of him but he played it well, and it worked out.
I don’t think the epilogue at the end really worked out for me - I didn’t really care about it too much. I preferred the ending to the very last chapter, and though that would have been a better line to end up on.
