Becky's Book Reviews

Hi everyone! I’m back to blogging after a long hiatus and have loads of new stuff in store (including a blog revamp, giveaways and more).  But, today, and in partnership with the wonderful people from Bargain Books, I’m here to tell you about all the fantastic books you can find at their warehouse sale, which takes place on Tuesday, 24th September. The warehouse sale has proven to be tremendously popular because: a) the prices of the books are fantastic b) their warehouse is so vast that it never feels like you’re in an overcrowded room (this point, in particular, is something that makes me happy, because I’ve always associated it with too many people who forget the concept of space and kindness in the bid to get their hands on whatever they want with no regard for others). c) the books on offer are incredible – many of them actually released this year. So, as you can tell, I’m a huge fan.  And at the recent pre-sale event I was invited to, I spotted some fantastic reads I tho...

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian Published in 2018 by Pan Macmillan As part of the South African blog tour, a few instagram bloggers and myself have teamed up with Pan Macmillan to share our excitement for debut novelist Laura Sebastian's epic fantasy novel, Ash Princess - the first book in a trilogy. "Is it better to have your life ended by someone who hates you or by someone who loves you?" 👑 The answer to this is a hard and difficult one for Theodosia, protagonist of Ash Princess, the debut novel by #LauraSebastian and the first book in a trilogy. 👑 It's also the one question that sparks her rebellion and forces her to channel years worth of pent up rage in a mission to destroy the Kaiser and his court, the very people who murdered her mother, overtook the throne of the Astrean people and forced Theo into a role of the token ash princess.  👑 A world that was once filled with the brightly burning power of elemental magic and the blessings of the deities associate...

Grief, hope and unexpected connections form the foundation of Kemmerer’s beautifully nuanced contemporary young adult novel. Review originally appeared on W24.co.za Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer (first published in 2017 by Bloomsbury UK) Struggling to come to terms with her mother’s death, Juliet spends her time writing letters to her mother and leaving it at her grave.  When the local community’s resident tough guy, Declan – doing community service at the cemetery – discovers Juliet’s letters, he feels compelled to respond. What follows is an exchange that’s rooted in the sharing of their grief; Juliet devastated by her mother’s death and unable to move forward and Declan struggling with the guilt and pain of losing his younger sister who died in an accident. While they find comfort in the anonymity of their exchanges, it’s only a matter of time before their lives unravel and devastating truths are uncovered, forcing both of them to come to terms with the fact that someti...

Sometimes you don’t win the war, but you learn how to navigate the battleground. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (first published in 2017 by Penguin Random House) Disclaimer: A shortened version of this review originally appeared on W24.co.za . Click on the link at the bottom to purchase a copy of the book. If I could sum up John Green’s latest book -  which focuses on a young teen with severe obsessive compulsive disorder – in one sentence then this is what that sentence would be: Sometimes you don’t win the war but you learn how to navigate the battleground.   I say this because as someone with depression and social anxiety disorder, I’ve been around the bend a few times. I have as many good days as I have bad days and sometimes the one outdoes the other.  I hope to win the war some day, but for now, I do what I can to keep going. Like I said, navigating. John Green is a household name in the YA genre.  The bestselling author of hits like Paper Towns, Lookin...

Today I’m super excited to host an interview feature plus a giveaway of bestselling author, Cressida Cowell’s magical new book, Wizards of Once. The bestselling author of the How to Train your Dragon series introduces us to a wonderful new world in which a Wizard boy with no magic encounters a Warrior girl with magic and chronicles the events of what happens when their worlds collide.   I’m super excited to read it and will be reviewing it later this month. In today’s post, Cressida shares her top 5 books every child should read before he or she turns eleven – with thanks to PanMacmillan and Hachette for the opportunity to post! 5 books every child should read before he or she turns 11. Image courtesy of Hachette The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne Jones   When I was eight I read this book, and it made me realize how wonderful books could be, with wicked stepfathers, and chemicals that make you fly, and magic that feels true.  This is a great one to read even to the most ...

A dystopian novel that asks why we focus on chasing and upholding archaic notions of perfection, when perfection is a) unattainable and b) paradoxically enough, rooted in imperfection.   Perfect by Cecelia Ahern (first published in 2017 by HarperCollins - UK edition) Read the review of the first book here : (Review originally published on W24.co.za ) Warning: May contain spoilers for the first book I think if there's a YA duology that I feel is really underrated, then it's probably Cecelia Ahern's Flawed series.  The bestselling author, who is best known for her adult fiction, has written a stunning conclusion to a duology that explores a despotic society governed by a morality system that demands nothing but perfection. If you're guilty of anything that does not fall within the rules of the system, a branded F appears on different areas of your body, depending on the nature of your so-called crime.   This is essentially the concept that forms the foundation behind b...

About the book (Summary from Goodreads): Seventeen-year-old Anouk has finally caught the break she’s been looking for—she's been selected out of hundreds of other candidates to fly to France and help with the excavation of a vast, underground palace buried a hundred feet below the suburbs of Paris. Built in the 1780's to hide an aristocratic family and a mad duke during the French Revolution, the palace has lain hidden and forgotten ever since. Anouk, along with several other gifted teenagers, will be the first to set foot in it in over two centuries. Or so she thought. But nothing is as it seems, and the teens soon find themselves embroiled in a game far more sinister, and dangerous, than they could possibly have imagined. An evil spanning centuries is waiting for them in the depths. . . A genre-bending thriller from Stefan Bachmann for fans of The Maze Runner and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods. Review:   Stefan Bachmann's A Drop of Night is a bit of a mixed bag for ...

It's been an age since I've updated my blog, and an even longer time since I've featured one of these discussion  topics. I've been struggling with my depression over the past few months, so the only time I really get to write is when I'm doing so for my job (and then cross posting my book content here). Moving on... a while back a wrote a piece originally featured on W24 and in one of my book newsletters. In it I talk about authors being agents of change and asks the question: do we as readers have the right to ask them to use their voice to speak up when it comes to political and socioeconomic issues. Check it out below: The wonderful thing about social media platforms is that it gives you the chance to connect with people you wouldn’t normally have been able to simply chat to. Ask any reader, book blogger or reviewer, and many will tell you that being able to engage with your favourite author online is pretty awesome. Given that the platforms are available on a ...

If you want to be a better ally to black people, do yourself a favour and get several copies of this book. One for you, and the rest for every one of your friends who has ever uttered the phrase “I’m not racist, but...” The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (first published in 2017 by Walker Books) Review originally appeared on W24. There are going to be a lot of people who will use the following words when recommending this book to you: “If you only read one book this year, make sure it’s this one.” My advice to you? Listen to them (because I’m echoing their sentiment right now, and as a reader and reviewer who generally eschews reading a book because of hype, that’s definitely saying something). We may only be three months into 2017, but I’m pretty convinced that this book will be on every bookseller and reader’s best of 2017 list, and for a very good reason. The Hate U Give is simply brilliant. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this novel is not just a profoundly important nov...