JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

League of Liars by Astrid Scholte

Ever since his mother was killed in a freak edem-based crime, seventeen-year-old Cayder Broduck has had one goal: to have illegal users of extradimensional magic brought to justice. Cayder dreams of becoming a prosecutor and, when he secretly accepts an apprenticeship under the city’s best public defender, he plans to learn every legal trick he can to one day dismantle defence arguments. Then he’ll finally be able to make sure justice is served.

But when he meets all three criminals he is to defend, he finds they are teenagers, like him, and their stories are … complicated, like his. As their cases unfold, Cayder must race to separate the truth from the lies and uncover what really happened the night his mother died

From the bestselling author of Four Dead Queens comes a heart-pounding mystery rife with secrets and danger, where nothing is as it seems…

Astrid Scholte’s third novel League of Liars is fantasy YA fiction, a thriller that races against the clock as we work to save four teenagers imprisoned for murder and the illegal use of magic.

The author’s strengths lie in crafting clever, addictive plots. She navigates multiple characters with unique backstories and voices, so the reader doesn’t get confused between chapters. I find her world-building to be intriguing and expansive, and the stakes consistently high. Characters struggle with secrets and loyalties, but over the course of the novel they come together to overcome the oppressing force.

“I didn’t want to cross the threshold; I hated the feeling of being lost within my own home. Homes were supposed to be full of love and laughter, not empty hallways and closed doors. My mother’s presence lingered within the walls…”

League of Liars is the first novel is a prospected trilogy, and this first foray into the series leaves enough left unsaid that readers will crave more. A lot of this book takes place in the one setting — prison — so I’m looking forward to travelling beyond this in the second book and discovering more about this world Astrid has crafted. I also look forward to finding out more about the magic system, because it wasn’t overly described in this book and I’m certain there’s more to come.

It’s always interesting to centre a YA fantasy around a group of morally ambiguous criminals, and when you embed a prison break into that story it’s clear you’ve got a story that young readers will love. Pacing is consistent and fast, with stakes only growing higher during each chapter.

League of Liars will please reluctant teenage readers, but also seasoned YA fantasy readers looking for the next tale to devour.

“A spark of fury burned within me. She knew the risks of going to Ferrington. She knew she was breaking the law. Now we would both pay the consequences. I felt like something had struck me in the back and lodged within my ribs.”

At times, I found the writing in need of tightening. There was a lot of telling rather than showing — emotions are described a lot, rather than letting actions and dialogue convey the character’s emotion.

I also felt that Cayder’s dialogue was a little over-dramatic and over-the-top during heightened moments, particularly revelations or moments or surprise or betrayal. Conversations where he’s trying to extract information out of someone else descended into desperate shouting and it made him feel one-dimensional. Stronger characterisation is awarded to Jey and Leta.

“Out on the horizon, a black streak cleaved the sky in two. Like a static bolt of lightning, but where light should be, darkness reigned. Known as the veil, it was the source of edem and many kids’ nightmares. A fissure between our world and another, allowing time-altering magic to seep through.”

Recommended for fans of young adult fantasy fiction; League of Liars reminds me of Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows, which should give an indication of audience. Readership skews female, 12+

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

League of Liars
Astrid Scholte
March 2022
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

The Trivia Night by Ali Lowe

From the outside the parents of the kindergarten class at Darley Heights primary school seem to have it all. Living in the wealthy Sydney suburbs, it’s a community where everyone knows each other – and secrets don’t stay secret for long.

The big date in the calendar is the school’s annual fundraising trivia night, but when the evening gets raucously out of hand, talk turns to partner-swapping. Initially scandalised, it’s not long before a group of parents make a reckless one-night-only pact.

But in the harsh light of day, those involved must face the fallout of their behaviour. As they begin to navigate the shady aftermath of their wild night, the truth threatens to rip their perfect lives apart – and revenge turns fatal.

Ali Lowe’s debut novel The Trivia Night centres around one booze-filled night where a group of married adults decide to partner-swap. Married but fractured, each couple has something to overcome in the wake of the disastrous trivia night.

The novel explores perfection, identity and relationships. It’s about how we see ourselves, how we wish others saw us, and the complexities surrounding adult friendships. The Trivia Night is guilty-pleasure book club fiction — each chapter leads well into the perspective that follows, keeping the reader engaged and moving through the plot with quickened pace.

“Back in the hall with Alice, I was suddenly aware of my empty hands. I needed a drink. Anything would do. I picked up a half-drunk glass of punch from a chair beside the photo booth, complete with a fuchsia lipstick print on the rim, and downed it.”

At its core, The Trivia Night is about relationships and marriage. One couple have been trying so hard to fall pregnant it’s practically a chore now. Another couple are still reeling from the sudden departure from their child’s previous school, and one mother is drinking an alarming amount of alcohol. When these four couples are seated together at a trivia night, it triggers a series of events that force them to each look at their relationship and decide, what do they really want out of their marriage?

The novel very easily slots into the commercial book club category — the events of the story are salacious, sordid and scandalous. But there are many layers to this book and its characters that readers will relate to. Some of these characters are trying so hard to pretend they’re happy, they’re disastrously miserable. Some of these relationships may appear strong at first, but it doesn’t take long to see the cracks. Young parents will recognise the setting of the book as well as the sorts of parents you might meet at the school gate.

“Did she want to destroy me so much that she would do something like that? I must have been wearing a mask of terror, because Alice read it perfectly, as she often did by virtue of the length of our friendship.”

Ali Lowe does spend considerable time setting up each of the characters and their circumstances. Admittedly, it’s not until about halfway through the book that the trivia night actually kicks off, which does feel considerably delayed.

Perhaps there was more room to delve into the aftermath of the trivia night, because there were eight adults present on that night and I felt there wasn’t enough real estate in the latter end of the book to realistically delve into all that occurred. Additionally, the death that’s teased in the blurb definitely appears too late in the novel, almost like an afterthought. The death could’ve been teased throughout the novel from very early on, reeling the reader in with each delicate clue.

Despite this, one of Ali’s strengths is capturing the setting as well the gossipy nature of its residents. From posh households to fast-moving rumours, parents will be able to relate to this setting with ease.

“Let me say at this juncture that Pete was never much of a romantic, so I wasn’t surprised. Neither of us were particularly demonstrative beyond the odd hug and a handhold. We didn’t need to be. We’ve always been pretty secure in our relationship.”

Recommended for readers of commercial domestic fiction — scandalous tales of marriage and sex. The perfect beach read or airport purchase. Readership skews female, 30+

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

The Trivia Night
Ali Lowe
March 2022
Hachette Book Publishers

The Cane by Maryrose Cuskelly

ONE MISSING GIRL. NO SUSPECTS. A TOWN ABOUT TO IGNITE.

Quala, a North Queensland sugar town, the 1970s.

Barbara McClymont walks the cane fields searching for Janet, her sixteen-year-old daughter, who has been missing for weeks. The police have no leads. The people of Quala are divided by dread and distrust. But the sugar crush is underway and the cane must be burned.

Meanwhile, children dream of a malevolent presence, a schoolteacher yearns to escape, and history keeps returning to remind Quala that the past is always present.

As the smoke rises and tensions come to a head, the dark heart of Quala will be revealed, affecting the lives of all those who dwell beyond the cane.

Set in a Queensland sugar town in the 1970s, Maryrose Cuskelly’s rural crime The Cane centres around a missing teenage girl amongst cane fields. Weeks pass and with no real leads, townsfolk are growing nervous and anxiety is building. What happened to Janet? And could it happen to another young girl in the town, if they don’t catch the person responsible?

The 1972 disappearance of fourteen-year-old Marilyn Wallman in Mackay was the inspiration behind The Cane, as well as countless other unsolved teenage abductions that have occurred in small Australian towns.

“Carmel would have preferred to wear a cotton shift, but the pantsuit gives her a more professional look, more masculine too, which she knows translates to authority. At least Patterson hasn’t insisted she wear a uniform.”

Stylistically, we move between different perspectives in the novel. Each voice allows for a different perspective on the town, its inhabitants, its history, and its secrets.

Maryrose captures the racism and sexism of rural 1970s, largely through the attitudes from townsfolk when speaking with female constable Carmel Maitland, who arrives in town to investigate Janet’s disappearance.

A common thread in rural crime is a sense of mistrust between locals and the character tasked with solving the mystery. Often that investigator is an outsider, arriving into the fractured community and attempting to penetrate the close-knit community to find out long-held secrets or information that may solve the crime. In The Cane, whilst there are some characters willing to help Carmel, many of the townspeople have given up hope of finding out what happened to Janet, and they’re not too quick to trust that Carmel will be the one to uncover answers.

“Janet McClymont’s disappearance has brought back memories — not just for the Creadies, but for all of us locals. Except for the younger kids and a few of the blow-ins, all we could think about was the day Cathy Creadie went missing while swimming off Danger Point.”

Admittedly, I did find the pacing a little inconsistent in the novel. We spend a lot of time moving between past and present, and I feel like Carmel’s presence in the novel felt a bit thin. I even felt like the ending of the novel was a bit of luck for Carmel — she seemed to stumble upon the truth rather than deduce it entirely herself. There is a lot of description in the novel and I think more could’ve been captured in terms of characterisation and potential suspects. The cane fields, for example, were a big focus in the novel and I would’ve loved more attention to characters and their place in the town.

Additionally, there was a sub plot involving a male teacher that felt out of place in the novel. I’m not sure if his presence in the novel, and the suspicions raised about him, were supposed to act as a red herring in the story, but overall I felt his character didn’t seamlessly gel in the story. Other than that, I did find myself absorbed in the story and the mystery — this is certainly a genre I enjoy reading, and Maryrose has crafted an engaging rural thriller that will entice fans of the genre.

“What happens between bodies is dangerous, the contortions grotesque and strange. What she had caught a glimpse of in the barn was the least of it. When people speak about what might have happened to Janet, it leaves Essie with the same sick feeling.”

Recommended for readers of rural fiction — crime, mystery and thriller. This is Maryrose’s first foray into fiction after a string of non-fiction publications. Readership skews 25+

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

The Cane
Maryrose Cuskelly
February 2022
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

PARIS, 1919.

Young, bookish Sylvia Beach knows there is no greater city in the world than Paris. But when she opens an English-language bookshop on the bohemian Left Bank, Sylvia can’t yet know she is making history.

Many leading writers of the day, from Ernest Hemingway to Gertrude Stein, consider Shakespeare and Company a second home. Here some of the most profound literary friendships blossom – and none more so than between James Joyce and Sylvia herself.

When Joyce’s controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Sylvia determines to publish it through Shakespeare and Company. But the success and notoriety of publishing the most infamous book of the century comes at deep personal cost as Sylvia risks ruin, reputation and her heart in the name of the life-changing power of books…

Effortlessly capturing the atmosphere and world of 1920s Paris, Kerri Maher’s The Paris Bookseller is set during a pivotal time for Western literature, following bookseller Sylvia Beach as she endeavours to publish James Joyce’s controversial novel Ulysses, which had been banned in the United States. This is a fictional take on the events that transpired from 1919 through to 1936.

Written in third person, Sylvia Beach is crafted with depth and layering. The real Sylvia Beach has long been considered a pioneer and champion in the world of literature not just because of her bookshop Shakespeare and Company, but her involvement in assisting James Joyce on his plight to publishing his now infamous novel Ulysses. I suspect many readers who pick up this book will be largely unaware of who Sylvia was and how involved she was in bringing Joyce’s novel to life.

“Whether his characters were sitting in an outhouse or discussing Hamlet, Joyce spared no detail, leveling the vulgar with the sublime. Here was a book that brooked no compromises, and was unwavering in its clear-eyed portrayal of Stephen’s and Leopold’s minds and bodies.”

The book follows two plotlines. The first is Sylvia’s relationship with fellow bookseller Adrienne Monnier, and the second is her determination to publish James Joyce’s banned novel Ulysses, which presents itself a wealth of complications and hurdles, even after it’s completed.

Sylvia’s relationship Adrienne is probably the least enticing element of the book, and that’s purely because there wasn’t any drama in that storyline and so it felt a little dull. They were both incredibly supportive of each other, and those around them were supportive of their same-sex relationship. Nothing was really at stake between them, so I never felt overly invested in their relationship.

Sylvia’s friendship with James Joyce was the most engaging in the novel — her selflessness and his encompassing talent. He comes across unsure, anxious and at times, obsessive over his writing. And Sylvia remains loyal to him, even when she doesn’t need to be. Even when she must make sacrifices — largely financial — to continue working with him. Over time, Sylvia starts to realise Joyce’s true nature as his ego inflates and his success grows.

“She wasn’t sure how Adrienne did it, but no matter how late she’d been up, she was always in her store by nine, awake and smiling. Sylvia sometimes didn’t drift in until eleven, at which time Adrienne would her tongue at her, then give her some task to complete.”

The Paris Bookseller is very much about the emotional journey for Sylvia Beach and isn’t intended to focus too heavily on the journey of those around her. Whilst I would’ve loved a bit more of an exploration into James Joyce’s character, I understand that’s not what the author intended.

Admittedly, sometimes it did feel a little like a convergence of genres — part historical fiction, part women’s fiction. This was about bringing to life the time period and the setting, but also the bookshop and its journey, the significance of some of the literature we come across. But it was also so heavily rooted in Sylvia’s relationship with herself, her family, her career, her own insecurities, and her relationship with Adrienne. At times it just felt a little like the book wasn’t entirely sure where it wanted to sit within genre.

“Sylvia was touched by this scene of domestic tenderness, and all her questions about the hitherto seemingly mismatched man and wife were suddenly and forcefully answered.”

Poetic and emotional, The Paris Bookseller is recommended for readers of historical women’s fiction. Readership skews female, 30+

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

The Paris Bookseller
Kerri Maher
February 2022
Hachette Book Publishers

The Gosling Girl by Jacqueline Roy

Michelle Cameron’s name is associated with the most abhorrent of crimes. A child who lured a younger child away from her parents and to her death, she is known as the black girl who murdered a little white girl; evil incarnate according to the media. As the book opens, she has done her time, and has been released as a young woman with a new identity to start her life again.

When another shocking death occurs, Michelle is the first in the frame. Brought into the police station to answer questions around a suspicious death, it is only a matter of time until the press find out who she is now and where she lives and set about destroying her all over again.

Natalie Tyler is the officer brought in to investigate the murder. A black detective constable, she has been ostracised from her family and often feels she is in the wrong job. But when she meets Michelle, she feels a complicated need to protect her, whatever she might have done.

Jacqueline Roy’s The Gosling Girl is a psychological thriller that explores the after-effects of a crime committed in childhood, and how hard it can be to reintegrate back into society. Additionally, the novel tackles systemic, institutional and internalised racism and how one’s story can be controlled by those around them.

We meet Michelle after she’s been released from prison. She’s known for killing a young girl when she was also just a child, and she’s served her time for the criminal act. But now that she’s out, attempting to find work, lay down roots, and form some sort of life with anonymity, she’s realising that others aren’t going to let her forget what she did anytime soon — there’s her probation officer, who she’s required to see on a regular basis, there’s the media, who are reluctant to leave her out of the press, and there’s writer Zoe, who is so desperate to pen Michelle’s story, she just might blackmail her to get it done.

“Of course she would, even though she knows she’s being bribed, paid for her memories in cake. She’s told to help herself. She chooses a macaroon and a slice of Swiss roll, not the kind you buy at supermarkets, the kind that has real cream and homemade jam.”

Written in third person, Jacqueline does well to craft an unreliable narrator in Michelle — she hides more from us than she reveals, and the only time we really feel like we understand her history or her emotions is when she’s in a session with Zoe for the book.

And on that note, I found Zoe to be the most interesting character in the novel. The cagey, slightly odd writer who wants to pen a book about Michelle’s side of the story. She’s questionable the entire way through, and to be honest I was expecting something major to happen with Zoe’s character — a big revelation, or a significant betrayal of Michelle. But everything that happened felt a little lacklustre. To be honest, I’m not sure I ever grasped Zoe’s desperation for doing the book — she acted like she was on a timer, and the book had to be done as quickly as possible. Why? Why is Zoe so chaotic in her home life, and why does she seem to be so financially strapped? There were definitely a few missing elements to her character that I hoped would be fleshed out some more.

“Tyler lets herself out and walks down to the car. She realizes she’s been holding her breath since leaving the house, keeping herself reined in. She leans against the side of the vehicle, trying to stay calm. She pictures Julie gouging pieces out of herself because the physical pain is so much easier to bear than the loneliness of grief.”

Despite devouring this novel in a short span of time, there were elements of the novel I’m still working to process. Michelle’s characterisation felt flat and underdeveloped to me, like the writer was trying to keep her so unreliable and withdrawn that she actually felt too thin on the page. Is she a violent person? Capable of change? I don’t even know, because the original crime isn’t ever really tackled and Michelle seems quite placid for most of the novel.

The second crime that is hinted in the blurb resolves itself rather quickly, and Michelle isn’t even a suspect for long. In fact, she’s never a suspect. She’s merely questioned. So I never felt that concern or worry for Michelle because I know that her past conviction wasn’t going to mean a false conviction this time around (which is what I suspected after reading the blurb).

“It makes a change, having someone to be with on a day when she isn’t at work. She can’t believe her luck, bumping into Lucy after all this time.”

Recommended for fans of psychological thrillers. Readership skews female, 25+

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

The Gosling Girl
Jacqueline Roy
February 2022
Simon & Schuster Book Publishers