JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Chain of Gold: The Last Hours Book One by Cassandra Clare

Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to Edwardian London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin.

Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else. But Cordelia’s new life is blown apart when a shocking series of demon attacks devastate London.

Trapped in the city, Cordelia and her friends discover that a dark legacy has gifted them with incredible powers – and a brutal choice that will reveal the true cruel price of being a hero.

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare is the first instalment in The Last Hours trilogy, a new fantasy series for adult and young readers. Apparently, it’s a sequel to The Internal Devices trilogy, and a prequel to the Mortal Instruments series, but that doesn’t matter to me. I’ve only read one book from the Mortal Instruments series, and I know nothing about any of the other series. I went in blind to this (I imagine other readers will too).

Above all else, this book explores friendship, identity, legacy and love. There are many things in this book that readers will not be able to relate to — demon attacks, warlocks, ghosts etc — but the teenagers in this book experience things that all readers can understand. They go through love and heartbreak, heartache and deception, betrayal, and they uncover shock secrets from within their own family.

“Cordelia couldn’t understand why she was so worried about Lucie. Several withdrawing rooms had been opened up, and Lucie could have wandered off to any of those, or returned to her own bedroom. She really could be anywhere in the Institute.”

Set in the early 1900s, the book is approximately 600 pages. Does it need to be 600 pages? No it doesn’t. The pacing in the first half of the book is so slow, it’ll make you feel like you’re never going to get through it. It feels like a walking marathon. Once you pass the halfway mark and the demon attacks start ramping up, that’s when events start to get interesting.

Chain of Gold is told through the perspective of Cordelia, a brave, strong-willed Shadowhunter. She’s a complex character, but she’s also confident, self-assured and defiant to those who underestimate her. Over the course of the novel, the reader witnesses Cordelia at her best but also her most vulnerable.

Cassandra Clare has a way of capturing the entirety of a character, delving deep into their emotions and actions so the reader walks away feeling like they truly understood that protagonist.

“He looked away from Grace for the first time and searched the floor for Cordelia. He found her in moments — she was easy to spot. No one else had hair that colour, a deep dark red, like fire shining through blood.”

Chain of Gold features a large cast of core characters, and Cassandra takes the time to really illustrate them all (to be expected when the book is 600 pages). We come to understand motives, doubts, fears, and each character’s biggest desire. Sure, there are plenty of things left unsaid (this is a trilogy after all, we have two more books to go), but the ending to this book felt satisfactory. I’m intrigued to read the sequel.

Admittedly, there are so many teenagers and kids in this book it was easy to get confused about how they were related. Who were siblings? Who were just friends? Who were extended family? Sometimes it was easy to forget. Whilst the core characters were crafted with depth, sometimes it did feel like there were too many of them and perhaps…there didn’t need to be as many kids and teenagers?

“James had never seen the infirmary like this before. Of course he’d heard stories from his mother and father about the aftermath of the Clockwork War, the dead and the wounded, but during his lifetime there had rarely ever been more than one or two patients in the sickroom.”

Recommended for fans of fantasy fiction and young adult literature. 14+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Hours Book One: Chain of Gold
Cassandra Clare
March 2020
Walker Books Australia

Everything Isn’t Terrible by Kathleen Smith

Licensed therapist and respected mental health writer Dr. Kathleen Smith offers a smart, practical antidote to our anxiety-ridden times. Everything Isn’t Terrible is an informative, and fun guide – featuring a healthy dose of humour – for people who want to become beacons of calmness in our anxious world.

Like Sarah Knight’s No F*cks Given guides and You Are a Badass, Everything Isn’t Terrible will inspire readers to confront their anxious selves, take charge of their anxiety, and increase their own capacity to choose how they respond to it. Comprised of short chapters containing anecdotal examples from Smith’s personal experience as well as those of her clients, in addition to engaging, actionable exercises for readers, Everything Isn’t Terrible will give anyone suffering from anxiety all the tools they need to finally … calm … down. Ultimately, living a calmer, less anxious life – one that, in other words, isn’t terrible – is possible, and with this book Smith will show you how to do it.

Everything Isn’t Terrible by Kathleen Smith is designed to help readers conquer their anxieties and their anxious habits, and discover ways to move forward without as much stress and worry.

Kathleen Smith works as a therapist and in each chapter, she gives an example of a patient she’s met whose anxiety was negatively impacting their life in some way. We meet Monica, whose strained relationship with her mother and brother was causing issues between her and her father. We meet Richard, who was worried about introducing his boyfriend of two years to his family.

The structure of the book allows for an easy and quick read — each chapter is relatively short and focuses on a different example. A different type of anxiety.

“I can’t overstate how important observation is when it comes to lowering anxiety in your family. Often people will try to jump in and change themselves (or others!) without getting a good sense of how their family functions.”

Katherine Smith is interested in a particular type of anxiety, and she follows Bowen Theory to guide her patients to a calmer, healthier life. Bowen Theory believes that our anxieties stem from our relationships, and that if we study the relationships in our lives and work to manage them better, it’ll have a natural flow-on effect towards our anxious minds.

Because we meet different patients and scenarios in each chapter, there’ll be parts of this book that you won’t feel connected to, and parts of the book that you read and think ‘yes, I recognise this in my own life’. I’m guilty of skipping a couple of chapters because I felt no connection or similarity with the anxious issue that was being discussed.

“Dr. Bowen taught that if anxiety is generated in our relationships, then it can also be fixed in our relationships. Therefore, long-term change doesn’t happen in isolation, or even on a therapist’s couch. It happens when we’re willing to work on being our best selves in our most difficult relationships.”

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I read a lot of these kinds of books. I’m an anxious over-thinker who stresses too much. I wouldn’t say books like these are going to ‘fix’ that — at least not instantly — but they’re helpful in making you feel like you’re not alone. Books like Everything Isn’t Terrible pass along useful knowledge, insights and advice for people who spend too much time worrying about things they can’t change, and stressing over things they can change but don’t know how to.

Kathleen’s writing is insightful, instructive and clear. Readers will find her advice realistic and easy to follow, and this book feels like a hands-on approach, and the perfect companion to any bookshelf.

Everything isn’t Terrible teaches us that we can’t always change the situation — or relationship — we’re in, but we can adapt how we react or respond to that relationship. People tend to act a certain way when they’re stressed or anxious, and Kathleen allows us to take a step back and observe the situation from afar with fresh eyes. This may help readers confront a part of their lives that has been bringing them worry.

“When you go into relationships and try to do something different, people usually aren’t going to like it. Your family or office doesn’t want you to upset the balance they’ve cultivated to keep things calm. So when you change, there will be a temporary increase of anxiety in the system.”

This book does deal with a very specific type of issue, and it asks the reader to examine the relationships in their life. I think the title, cover and blurb implies a much broader focus, so some readers may be misguided and not find what they need inside these pages.

Helpful, insightful and a welcome addition to the family bookshelf. Recommended.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Everything Isn’t Terrible
Kathleen Smith
February 2020
Hachette Book Publishers

The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart by Margarita Montimore

What if you lived every year of your life in the wrong order?

Brooklyn, 1982. Oona Lockhart is about to celebrate her 19th birthday and ring in the New Year. But at the stroke of midnight, she is torn from her friends and boyfriend, finding herself in her fifty-one-year-old body, thirty-two years into the future.

Greeted by a friendly stranger, Oona learns that on every birthday she will enter a different year of her adult life at random. Still a young woman on the inside, but ever changing on the outside, who will she be next year? Wealthy philanthropist? Nineties Club Kid? World traveller? Wife to a man she’s never met?

As she struggles between fighting her fate and accepting it, Oona must learn to navigate a life that’s out of order – but is it broken?

The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart by Margarita Montimore is a time-travelling novel that explores the power of being alive, and the importance of living life to its fullest at every moment.

Oona jumps to a different point in her life every year on New Years’ Day. The pattern is random and there’s no way to tell what age she’ll be after her 12 months are up.

Whilst time travel is not a new concept, the premise of this book feels fresh and unique, taking readers on a journey through different eras — from the 1980s to 2017.

“Oona came to with a long gasp, as if breathing the surface after being trapped underwater, left to drown. A second earlier, she’d been surrounded by people and light and noise and warmth. Now she lay on a plush carpet in a dark room lit by a fireplace, silent but for the crackle of flames heating the drafty space.”

The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart is charming and sweet — the perfect beachside read or airport purchase.

The novel explores the conflict of knowing your future. If Oona knows where her life is headed, should she change what she’s doing in the present? What kind of effect will that have on her future life?

Oona faces this dilemma multiple times in the novel, each time questioning the reasons behind living the life she’s expected to live. If she knows where the next 12 months will lead her, how is this living? How is this fun? She should be allowed to make her own decisions and live her life spontaneously.

“Kenzie joined her when he didn’t have calls or errands, and she picked his brain about the modern world. She brimmed with endless questions like a hyper curious child, only instead of asking why the sky was blue or where babies came from, she asked why 9/11 happened and where society’s progressive attitude came from, still in awe that a black man was president and gay marriage was legal.”

Upon reflection, I feel that there isn’t much tension in this book. Sure, it’s disorientating and confusing for Oona whenever she jumps to another year in her life, because she’s never really sure where she’ll end up. But, she’s got an incredibly secure life and so there’s never a time where you truly worry for her.

Firstly, she’s rich. In every single year of her life. She never even has to work or find a job. Secondly, she has her mother’s help and guidance every time. Thirdly, there’s a letter waiting for her that gives her an update on her life, and an indication of how she should live the next one.

To be honest, Oona’s life is relatively easy. I never once worried for her. Or felt concern for her.

“Deep breath in, deep breath out. Oona tried to check the time, but found she wasn’t wearing a watch. A flash of colour on the inside of her wrist made her pull up her sleeve. She gasped and revealed a tattoo: an hourglass with swirls of galaxies in place of sand, a ribbon across its space spelling out M.D.C.R.”

Characterisation is one of the biggest strengths in this novel. Margarita captures Oona’s conflict incredibly well, but also her grief, her despair, and her doubts. Time travel would have its benefits but it would also be devastating knowing how your life ends up, without ever having the chance to experience that yourself. Oona’s internal dialogue is filled with depth, understanding, maturity, but also raw human emotion.

Recommend for fans of literary fiction, and women’s literature. The unique premise will draw you in and keep you engaged until the final chapter.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart
Margarita Montimore
March 2020
Hachette Book Publishers

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan has been in possession of her meticulously crafted answer since she understood the question. On the day that she nails the most important job interview of her career and gets engaged to the perfect man, she’s well on her way to fulfilling her life goals.

That night Dannie falls asleep only to wake up in a different apartment with a different ring on her finger, and in the company of a very different man. The TV is on in the background, and she can just make out the date. It’s the same night – December 15th – but 2025, five years in the future.

It was just a dream, she tells herself when she wakes, but it felt so real… Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.

That is, until four and a half years later, when Dannie turns down a street and there, standing on the corner, is the man from her dream…

Rebecca Serle’s In Five Years is an uplifting novel about life, love, heartbreak and the uncertainty of life.

In Five Years explores the concept of face and destiny, and understanding the difference between what you can control in your life and what you can’t control.

Dannie is blissfully happy with her fiancé, until she has a dream set five years in the future, and suddenly she’s unsure. It isn’t until four and a half years later, when Dannie meets the mysterious man from her dream, where she starts to think about what she wants in life and if maybe it’s different to what she’d always planned.

“Four and a half years pass. Winters and falls and summers. Everything goes according to plan. Everything. Except that David and I don’t get married. We never set a date. We say we’re busy, which we are. We say we don’t need to until we want kids. We say we want to travel.”

In Five Years is a diamond among the rough — a glorious, surprising novel that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It took unexpected turns, and explored emotions and circumstances that many readers will be able to relate to.

There’s a lot of heartache in this book, but it’s part of the charm of the story. You don’t quite expect it, and you find yourself caught unawares by the direction of the story. The characters are raw, honest and the story is compelling.

At times, Dannie can be naive and oblivious to her own situation, but she’s also caring and considerate and present when she needs to be. Her best friend, Bella, is carefree and energetic and spontaneous, until something happens that forces her to confront her life and its current situation.

“I help David unload the trunk, handing Morgan her roller as Bella comes out of the house. She has on a pale linen dress, the bottom of which has paint splotches on it. This fills me with a very particular kind of joy. To my knowledge she hasn’t painted all year, the sight of her — hair wild in the wind, the atmosphere of creation hanging around her like mist — is wonderful to witness.”

In Five Years explores love, loss, grief and the power of friendship. At its core, this book is a rom-com. Dannie is a little too comfortable in her engagement and her best friend introduces a new boyfriend who has completely captivated her. However, the book is also about female friendship and loyalty — Rebecca Serle captures a really strong bond between Dannie and Bella, and many readers will be able to recognise that kind of friendship.

Dannie goes through more than one heartache across the course of the novel; we witness her confront her hopes and fears, her failed ‘plan’ and her desires for the future.

“Bella opens her mouth to say something, but closes it again. She likes David. Or at least, I think she does. I suspect she’d like me to be with someone more adventurous, someone who maybe pushed me outside my comfort zone a little bit more. But what she doesn’t realize, or what she conveniently forgets, is that she and I are not the same person.”

I will admit the synopsis is a little misleading — it implies the book features time travel, and that when Dannie goes to sleep she actually does wake up five years in the future and has to navigate her new life. I spent the first few chapters quite confused with the direction of the plot, but soon I just let that go and enjoyed the story for what it was.

Heartbreaking at times, but also really joyous and full of life. Recommended for female readers, 20+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

In Five Years
Rebecca Serle
March 2020
Hachette Book Publishers

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Shay Miller has three strikes against her: no job, no apartment, no love in her life. But when she witnesses a perfectly normal looking young woman about her age make the chilling decision to leap in front of an ongoing subway train, Shay realizes she could end up in the same spiral. She is intrigued by a group of women who seem to have it all together, and they invite her with the promise: “You are not alone.” Why not align herself with the glamorous and seductive Moore sisters, Cassandra and Jane? They seem to have beaten back their demons, and made a life on their own terms – a life most people can only ever envy. They are everything Shay aspires to be, and they seem to have the keys to getting exactly what they want.

As Shay is pulled deeper and deeper under the spell of the Moore sisters, she finds her life getting better and better. But what price does she have to pay? What do Cassandra and Jane want from her? And what secrets do they, and Shay, have that will come to a deadly confrontation?

You are not alone: Is it a promise? Or a threat?

You Are Not Alone is the third psychological thriller novel by duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, this time exploring a dangerous friendship between a group of women.

Thirty-one-year-old temp worker/data analyst Shay is lonely and insecure, secretly in love with her roommate, and craving a strong connection with at least one other person. When she witnesses a young nurse jump in front of a train, it sets in motion a series of events that have the potential to derail her life.

Set in New York City, Greer and Sarah explore female friendship and toxic human relationships, introducing us to a group of 6 women who are determined to manipulate Shay and sabotage her life.

“In the days that followed, Daphne picked up the phone a half dozen times to call the police. But she always hung up before dialling. She kept experiencing the sensation of James’ hands closing around her throat while she lay there, unmoving.”

The premise and plot are a little absurd and ridiculous, but that doesn’t matter. You Are Not Alone is a juicy, engaging thriller that will entice all readers. The alternating POV is a common thread in Greer & Sarah’s novels, and I think it works quite well in this latest instalment. This stylistic technique means the reader gets both sides of the story, and it allows for a faster pace and increased tension.

Another stylistic technique that Greer and Sarah use with each book is the intermittent use of flashbacks. Over time, we come to understand how the six women met and what drives them to target other people. Slowly, we realise what they have planned for Shay.

“I wonder if Amanda was one of them. Witnessing near-constant suffering and death must be overwhelming. Another article I read showed nurses are 23 percent more likely to commit suicide than women in general.”

Shay trusts easily. When she meets and befriends Cassandra and Jane Moore, her life seems to change for the better. But she’s a little naive — sometimes unrealistically so — and the women appear to be setting her up for a crime she didn’t commit.

Shay is also incredibly observant. Her mind is trained to notice inconsistencies, and facts that don’t add up. Statistics are littered throughout the novel and whilst they don’t feel altogether necessary, they do add to Shay’s characterisation to make her obsession with numbers and facts a little more believable.

“The sisters weave toward the door — waving at an acquaintance, sliding their champagne glass onto an empty table, dodging a man who steps in front of them with a smile, never stopping but never giving the impression they’re rushing out of the gallery. Why now, so many days after Amanda’s death, is Shay moving the necklace?”

I did feel that there were too many characters in the book. There’s Shay, Valerie, Cassandra and Jane, but there’s also Daphne? And Stacey? and Beth? And then of course there’s the deceased Amanda, and all the secrets she took to the grave with her. I think the long list of core characters made for a convoluted narration at times, and evidently there wasn’t enough depth to the characters. More could’ve been done — or a couple of characters could’ve merged — to make for a clearer story.

Recommended for fans of thriller, suspense and crime novels. The audience for this book definitely skews female, aged 20+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

You Are Not Alone
Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
March 2020
Pan Macmillan Publishers