...(book review) into the spotlight by carrie hope fletcher

 

Brilliant Aunt Maude visits seasides the world over and has become quite the pebble collector. Pebbles of all shapes, sizes and colours and even one that looks like Elvis Presley if you squint a bit.

Her favourite pebbles however, are Marigold, Mabel and Morris. One by one, and by strange and unusual ways, each child arrives at the stage door of Brilliant Aunt Maude's theatre in the heart of London, home to an extraordinary cast of performers. There's Dante the miraculous magician, Petunia the storyteller, and seventy-year-old contortionists - the Fortune Sisters! But ticket sales are dwindling and the curtains might have to close - for the final time.

One day as the Pebbles are exploring the many nooks and crannies of the theatre, they stumble upon something they were never meant to find...something that just might save the theatre after all...

INTO THE SPOTLIGHT by Carrie Hope Fletcher

Published: Sep 2020

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

As someone who grew up loving and relating to the story of Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield, this book ticked all the right boxes for me! 

Inspired by the original story and the characters of the Fossil sisters, Into the Spotlight was very much in keeping with the theatrical, inspirational and aspirational themes of the original book.

"We all wanted to play the best and biggest part we could, so you were taught to see everyone around you as competition. As you get older  you realise there's just no room for such pettiness. You either get the part or you don't. Life moves on either way."

Marigold, Mabel and Morris Pebble are family by chance, all of them orphaned and rescued by their Brilliant Aunt Maude, also known as BAM. Sounding familiar yet? But this is more than just a modernised retelling as I had first anticipated. When Marigold finds a secret book written by the Fossil sisters - Pauline, Petrova and Posy - behind a broken bit of wall in the a theatre dressing room, the Pebble children become fascinated with what became of the Fossil sisters. Did they fulfil their vow? Did they managed to get their names in the history books, or not? 

This was a story within a story and a brilliant continuation to Ballet Shoes if anyone is so inclined to live a little longer in their story. I would also argue that you don't need to know the original story in order to enjoy this book, though by the end of it, I'm sure you're going to be curious.

Carrie Hope Fletcher as a performer herself, has captured the magical world of the theatre most perfectly through the sparkling eyes of a child. I loved that one of children in this retelling was a boy and an aspiring ballerina - by all means let's normalise boys being dancers for the next generation, as girls still vastly outnumber boys in the industry especially at a young age. The writing and the storytelling was fun and articulate, though not too challenging for kids to read themselves.

This was a brilliant middle grade fiction, and one I'll certainly be recommending to adults and children alike.

Happy reading,

Zuzu 🖊

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...(book review) the nesting by c. j. cooke

 It was like something out of a fairy tale...

The grieving widower.

Two motherless daughters.

A beautiful house in the Norwegian woods.

But there is a darkness creeping in from the outside...

THE NESTING by C. J. Cooke

Published:  Sep 2020

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Horror Fiction

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Serendipity: the phenomenon of finding something beneficial that was not being sought after, quite by chance. This seems an odd word to associate with a thriller, given the horror aspects and the instinctual knowledge that what's about to transpire can only have undesirable consequences. But there it was at the beginning of this standalone novel, insisting that I remember reading it, and make unprovoked references back to it as each new element of the book unfolded. The thing about serendipity is that it's too close to 'fate' for me to dismiss, and I couldn't help but feel a certain level of fate was at work in this novel. Elements out of the characters control, and yet brought about entirely by their fateful wrongdoings.

"...it's creepy here. As though the forest has intentions. The fir trees loom over her like gods."

This novel was electric. How could you not be captured by the concept of a woman who'd recently attempted suicide applying for a position of a nanny to two children who'd recently lost their mother to a sadly successful attempt? There's serendipity in that, as well as a heavy heaping of irony, and so much sadness. But what began as a lonely fiction, soon evolved into an unusual, desolate thriller when Lexi follows her new employer and his children to Norway where he's building their family home on the site of his wife's suicide. What follows is a careful weave of Norwegian folktales through a mysterious horror fiction. We're left with the sense that there's nothing you need fear more than what's ten feet from your window. In an isolated house in Norway where the fjords and the looming forests surround you, and the snow smothers sound, you'd do well to remember that the power of nature should not be underestimated, and if it's tampered with the consequences will be fatal.

"...people nowadays regard nature in very romantic terms, like it's something out of a Wordsworth poem...what they don't realise it that nature has been around much longer than we humans. We don't understand it, not really...Nature always protects itself by whatever means possible."

My only criticism of The Nesting would be its hasty conclusion. After a perfectly eerie build up, everything unravelled and righted itself within the last 30 pages of the book. The conclusion was satisfactory, but I felt it could have been savoured a bit more.

Nonetheless, I would rate and recommend this novel. Its cover is striking, it's concept unusual and it's language is easy and atmospheric to read.

This is the latest of C. J. Cooke's novels, though the first I've read, so it was a brilliant introduction to her writing style. Let me know which I should try next! 

Happy reading!
Zuzu 

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...(book review) the halls of riverdell by marianne rosen

Isabelle Threfall is discovering that responsibility is only the start of her problems. Riverdell is in chaos, Asha and James need her help, and Moth has slipped away in the midst. Sorting out the house and the estate seem to be her only option but the empty rooms remind her that Moth is still missing.

Kit's life has become a micro-managing extreme sport with Isabelle at the end of every list, but every tick closer takes him nearer to choices he's not ready to face.

As Isabelle and Moth try to prove themselves capable, Beth is denying the painful reality of her married life in her letters home from India. But when the past catches up, will Moth and Isabelle run from reality or face up to it?

THE DOORS OF RIVERDELL

Published: March 2021

Genre: Adult Fiction, Modern Family Saga

My rating: ⭐4.5 / 5 stars⭐ 

~ trigger warnings ~ abortion, infertility, scenes of a sexual nature, abuse

Where do I begin with book 2? Let me start by saying how invested I was in the continuation of this story having read the first,  The Doors of Riverdell, in 2020 when I was fortunate enough to be part of the launch team! I think discussing it in such depth and speculating over characters, relationships, parentage and plot lines made me all the more eager to see how The Halls of Riverdell would progress!

I was gifted the second novel by the lovely author (thanks Marianne), and was thrilled to reconnect with the original launch team purely for enjoyment to compare notes and get excited over some of our predictions for this book coming true! Book two in the saga certainly did not disappoint! Never have I read about a family so dysfunctional! This is a truly gripping, shockingly saucy, emotionally wrecking, contemporary family saga. I feel wrung out, like I've ridden a rapid of emotions with the characters and been battered with them along the way. I've been shocked, brought to tears, had my heart wrenched out and put back in place - and probably all in the space of one chapter!

The characters have stepped up a notch. They were well established in book one and we thought we knew them, but the dynamic is constantly shifting - such is the world - and I found myself invested in characters I didn't have a very high opinion of in book one - Kit being a prime example. Though I have a feeling Kit's the kind of person you love to hate, and hate to love. No doubt by the end of the next book my opinion will have changed all over again - ha! But for now, you have to appreciate how unapologetically himself he is, grabbing pleasure in life wherever he sees it, acknowledging his mistakes but regretting none of them. The 'life's too short' approach.

Regardless of his human flaws, I loved reading Kit's sections above all others. Let's call him a guilty pleasure of mine! And I sympathised with his unrelenting workload, described so accurately in the blurb as 'a micro-managing extreme sport'.

Moth is a character my heart bleeds for, and I longed for someone to drag him home to Riverdell to keep him safe. It's easy to forget he's still a child whilst tracking the progress of his solo journey through Italy. I read his sections tentatively, not enjoying them as much as the others and almost wanting to skim read, sensing something coming that I was going to hate reading. I'll say no more, but definitely take note of the trigger warnings on this book.

Onto lighter notes, I love the theme of renovation and houses in these books; of making a house a home, putting your own stamp on it to claim it as your own. Home is not simply where your hat is - it's not even four walls and a roof. Home is a feeling of belonging, where you can be yourself without having to hide or explain why. Both Riverdell books have given me this sense of searching for this feeling of completeness. So many of Marianne Rosen's characters seem to lack a place to call home, including Isabelle, rattling around in Riverdell and struggling to comprehend her ownership of it. You can have a home a not feel a part of it.

Book two, like its predecessor, comes to us from three parallel time lines, Isabelle and Kit rooting us in the present, Moth peddling a little into the future, and Beth's letters drawing us back to the past with nostalgia and the loneliness of being separated by oceans from those she loves.

More than anything in this book, Beth's letters made me yearn for the next instalment. Rose is the one character that has yet to be given a voice in any capacity, and Beth's frequent mentions of her in her letters only piqued my curiosity. I sincerely hope this free spirit is illuminated in the next book!

So much happened in book two that I'm struggling to articulate it into a review. I don't know how much to write without dropping more spoilers than I've already eluded. But once again, I have to say I relished the opportunity to discuss this book during the buddy reads. I don't know if I would have coped not being able to air my speculations about characters and plotlines, or exclaim my shock over certain scenes. So many of our predictions turned out to be correct for this book, some sadly so, and some deliciously and satisfyingly so. Some new predictions are already in place for book three! I would definitely recommend reading this book series alongside someone else so you can discuss each new development in the Threlfall family. Their dramas are huge and riveting!

If you read this book, especially at my recommendation, please let me know your thoughts. I've yet to exhaust discussion of its contents. It's like a drug I need to detox.

For more bookish content, come and find me across social media @zuzuspages (links below).

Happy Reading, 

Zuzu 🖋

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...(book review) white oleander by janet fitch

 

Astrid had been raised by her mother, Ingrid, a beautiful, headstrong poet. Astrid's world revolves around Ingrid; she forgives her everything. Until Ingrid murders a former lover and is imprisoned for life.

WHITE ORLEANDER by Janet Fitch

Published: 1999

Genre: Bildungsroman, Novel, Coming of Age

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm so excited to review this book as it's easily one of my favourites. It's the perfect novel, a seemingly simple coming of age story that becomes so profoundly beautiful and mournful to the soul when reading.

Ingrid is Astrid's world. A poet, a free spirit; she is all Astrid aspires to become. But when Ingrid murders her former lover and is jailed for life, her twelve-year-old daughter Astrid is left alone. With her father long gone, Astrid is placed into care.

The book follows her journey through a sequence of foster homes, all of which she adapts to like a wary chameleon, changing her colours to blend and survive each new home and circumstance, for they all come with their struggles and their dangers. Each new home and family is a world of it's own, complete with new rules and relationships. Relationships that Astrid struggles to keep hold of and protect from her mother who jealously intervenes in her daughter's happiness, even from her prison cell. 

The destruction of Astrid's universe, one family at a time, is a horrible yet inevitable thing to witness and adds to the compelling nature of this novel.

Astrid is a young protagonist, but her emotional depth makes her so intriguing to read. This story deals strongly with the connection and bonds between mother and daughter and how difficult they are to maintain despite being impossible to sever, no matter the circumstance. It's filled with the heartfelt and very real longing of a young girl searching for her place in the world. Where does she belong without the force of her mother to guide her impressionable mind? Should she allow her mother to influence her still? It's the story of Astrid's self discovery, and emancipation from a suffocating situation beyond her control.

White Oleander's bildungsroman style leads us on an evolutionary journey, and you won't be able to stop reading to see if Astrid makes it out to the other side.

I'm in love with the dreamy, artistic tone. Of the futile hope that Astrid carries and relights each time she moves to a new home. Despair is easier to drown in than hope is to sustain, and hers is admirable.

I strongly recommend this book. The 2002 film adaptation staring Michelle Pfeiffer is also incredible, though of course a film can never capture the fine details and thought patterns of a book, so please experience both, and appreciate them as individual creations and explorations of Astrid as a character.

Let me know your thoughts on this book if you've read it. It's certainly one I'd recommend adding to your book bucket list!

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Zuzu 🖋

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...(book review) the beast's heart by leife shallcross

 

I am neither monster nor man - yet I am both. I am the Beast.

I know why I was cursed; I know the legacy of  evil I carry in  my tainted blood. So how could she ever love me?

My Isabeau. She opened my eyes, my mind and my heart when I was struggling just to be human.

And now I might lose her forever.

THE BEAST'S HEART by Leife Shallcross

Published: 2018

Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Fantasy Fiction

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Let me set the standards high when I say this was the best retelling of Beauty and the Beast that I've encountered. I might even go so far as to say it was the best retelling I've read!!! Quite a statement, as you'll know from reading my past reviews that it's a genre that I rate very highly.

The Beast's Heart is best and simply described as Beauty and the Beast from the unique and utterly desolate perspective of the Beast himself, languishing in his château for so many years whilst the curse remains unbroken and the world goes on without him being part of it.

It bears a similar tone to the original tale, being set in 17th Century France, that I personally found to be the perfect setting to expose the dark underbelly of this fairy tale. The richness of the magic by comparison to the bleak and crumbling landscape of the Beast's home set this novel over the edge. I won't go into detail for fear of spoilers, but I love the description of the rooms and the grounds, especially as they begin to change.

The language chosen by the author to capture this on paper entranced me at times adding to the fairy-tale-esq feel of the book.

Something I particularly loved about this retelling was the Beast's interest in Isabeau's family now that she has been removed from their unit. He observes them through a magic mirror, particularly focusing on her two sisters, Claud and Marie, who are forced to take responsibility for themselves without her there, and are transformed as much as the Beast because of it. The contrast between them thriving without her and the Beast thriving with her was really interesting as a reader, and these sections of watchfulness were often my favourites in the book. 

The Beast has an old fashioned approach to 'wooing' Isabeau that made me want to give him some tips - multiple marriage proposals that were equally as frustrating to read as they were for Isabeau to receive, I'm sure. But they're in keeping with the time and the setting, and again seemed to add to the 'traditional' feel of a fairy tale. 

The Beast himself is a fascination. After so long, he's clinging to his humanity whilst trapped in a beast's form. A punishment that seems unfitting in it's length and severity, but is nonetheless irreversible without true love. His loneliness is so relatable from a human perspective, and for me is what made him identifiable as more man than beast, for it is connection and value that we as humans strive for most, without meaning to. 

This book is a dark perspective, but an intriguing one and I urge you towards it if you're as inclined towards retellings as I am. Beauty and the Beast has always been a favourite of mine and I couldn't resist this book from the first page.

Let me know your thought if you've read The Beast's Heart, or if you plan to.

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Happy reading, 

Zuzu 🖋

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