JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Juliet Code by Christine Wells

1947. The war is over, but Juliet Barnard is hiding a secret. While her family believed she was helping the war effort from the safety of England, in truth Juliet was a trained wireless operator, dropped behind enemy lines in Paris to spy on the Germans. But the mission went critically wrong when Juliet was caught and imprisoned in a mansion in Paris’s Avenue Foch. Now she can’t – or won’t – relive the horrors that occurred there, and the people she betrayed…

The last thing Juliet wants is to return to France, but when ex-SAS officer Mac begs Juliet to help him find his sister, another British agent who is still missing, she can’t refuse. And in retracing her past, Juliet begins to realise that in wartime, the greatest enemy isn’t always the one that you’re expecting to fight.

The Juliet Code is a historical fiction novel set in the 1940s in Europe. Protagonist Juliet spends months training with the Special Operations Executive and then in 1943 she parachutes into Paris to spy on the Germans.

When the mission goes horribly wrong, she realises immediately how dangerous the situation is. She is captured by the Germans and subjected to months of physical and psychological torture in an effort to extract information from her about coding that would prove vitally important for the Germans.

The premise of the novel is very engaging and unique, drawing me in with the blurb and keeping me intrigued as I read on.

“In spite of my resolution to defy him, the knowledge that he meant me no immediate harm was an enormous relief. After the harsh, bleak horror of Fresnes, it was disorientating to be met with protective kindness.”

Like most historical fiction novels, the plot switches between past and present. In the present, Juliet has survived her captivity and is now free. But ex-SAS officer Mac begs Juliet to help him find his sister, and Juliet is forced to confront the past that she’s been desperately trying to suppress.

“The Paris of 1947 was very different from the Paris of 1943. It seemed determinedly gay, almost in defiance of what the city went through during occupation.”

I respect the stereotypical role reversal in the book. British code-breaker Felix has to watch the woman he loves leave on a mission that she likely won’t survive, and then he is heartbroken when she is captured by the Germans. It’s very different from the usual male-female roles you hear about from World War II, and I found it to be a refreshing twist on the gender construct.

The Juliet Code is quite a long novel, and I think it could’ve been trimmed down. The plot – whilst interesting – is a little slow to start, and the pacing lulls in the middle.

Christine has captured Juliet’s emotions well — her fear and her pain, but also her determination and her resilience. I have to admit, Juliet isn’t an overly memorable character, and she doesn’t inspire confidence. I think in an effort to paint the character as a reluctant hero, the author has actually constructed a hero who falls a little flat. She’s a little bland, her internal thoughts just skimming the surface and doing little to reveal a strong, authentic voice.

“I said it over and over as he sat sipping wine, gently probing for information, apparently in no hurry to be served. Strasser was unperturbed by my refusal to converse.”

Setting is one of the strengths of this book — Christine captures the fear and tension of World War II set against the backdrop of Paris. These spies possess such strength and determination, despite the risks involved.

I recommend this to fans of historical fiction, particularly anyone with a strong interest in stories set during World War II.

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

The Juliet Code
Christine Wells
May 2018
Penguin Random House

Tangerine by Christine Mangan

The last person Alice Shipley expected to see since arriving in Tangier with her new husband was Lucy Mason. After the accident at Bennington, the two friends—once inseparable roommates—haven’t spoken in over a year. But there Lucy was, trying to make things right and return to their old rhythms. Perhaps Alice should be happy. She has not adjusted to life in Morocco, too afraid to venture out into the bustling medinas and oppressive heat. Lucy—always fearless and independent—helps Alice emerge from her flat and explore the country.

But soon a familiar feeling starts to overtake Alice—she feels controlled and stifled by Lucy at every turn. Then Alice’s husband, John, goes missing, and Alice starts to question everything around her: her relationship with her enigmatic friend, her decision to ever come to Tangier, and her very own state of mind.

Set in 1956, Tangerine by Christine Mangan is an extraordinary debut novel that takes you deep into the complicated friendship between two women, one of whom is incredibly smart but manipulative and deceptive.

Written in first person, the book switches POV between Alice and Lucy. The two women have history together, and neither of them are particularly trustworthy. They were roommates at Bennington College in the mid-1950s but a disastrous accident forced them apart and now one year later Lucy Mason shows up in Tangier with mysterious intentions.

“She enveloped me then, a more intimate gesture than the others we had previously shared, and not simply because she was standing in her underwear.”

Alice’s relationship with her new husband John is complex. The two of them have tried for a baby but haven’t had any luck, and her husband is out all hours of the night for work. There appears to be cracks in the foundation of their relationship, but neither Alice nor her husband seem to want to fix that. The two merely co-exist together. Alice is afraid to spend time alone outdoors — mostly because of the heat and the crowds — and her husband finds ways to belittle her and make her feel inferior.

“I let the word settle. A nightclub. We both knew what he actually meant. Despite the pretense, the nightclubs in the city were little more than a gathering piece for prostitutes, geared toward Westerners.”

One of the strengths of the novel is the pacing. Christine has plotted this book so well. You find out key pieces of information and suddenly, you’re desperate to read the next chapter to find out more. Alice and Lucy’s time together in college is revealed slowly, and it’s some time before you find out exactly what happened. But when you do, that throws into question just how dangerous Lucy is and just how much she’ll sacrifice to get away with her crimes.

“It had happened shortly after John disappeared from the table…I had seen him, his image distorted by the divots in the glass, standing at the bar. Only, he had not been alone, had not been with anyone named Charlie. Instead a woman stood beside him, her face half obscured by a mane of long dark hair.”

Alice is easily manipulated — by her husband, by Lucy, and by her guardian Aunt Maude. She’s emotionally fragile and very timid and impressionable; she’s also incredibly naive. While she grows a bit over the course of the novel and learns to stand up for herself a little bit more, we realise that what happened in college between her and Lucy caused irreparable damage to her self esteem, confidence and her personality.

One of the book’s biggest weaknesses is the lack of believability around Alice’s decisions. She doesn’t like Lucy and she doesn’t trust her, but she doesn’t try very hard to make that known. It’s almost like she’s scared to talk, and when we find out their history, it doesn’t really explain Alice’s actions. In a way, Alice is too fragile and it’s hard for the reader to really understand why.

Tangerine is a tense psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Talented Mr Ripley.

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

Tangerine
Christine Mangan
April 2018
Hachette Book Publishers

Missing by Sue Whiting

Mackenzie da Luca’s mother is missing – she’s vanished without a trace in the jungles of Panama. Now, 116 days later Mackenzie and her dad are in those same jungles. Her dad is desperate to find out what’s happened to his wife. And Mackenzie is desperate to make sure he doesn’t …

Missing by Sue Whiting is a debut children’s novel about a young girl’s search for her missing mother. It explores family, friendship and love. The book also shows readers what it’s like when a family is searching for answers — when people are struggling to cope with the unknown and they feel forced to take matters into their own hands.

“My face is burning up. Memories are too hard. I try to shove it out of my head — it’s safe that way — but it won’t budge and I’m already back at the gallery and thinking about how we strolled around and my scientific mother tried her best to look intrigued.”

This is an incredibly emotional debut. It’s told from the perspective of Mackenzie after her mother has been missing for a number of weeks. Her and her father venture to Panama after local authorities fail to locate Mackenzie’s mother.

This is a confronting read. Over the course of the novel, we are thrust back into the past so we can come to understand how strong Mackenzie’s connection was with her mother, and just how special she was in their lives. The disappearance of Mackenzie’s mother has a monumental effect on her life, and it’s pretty heartbreaking to read this.

Missing is warm and touching, but it’s also heartbreaking. You follow Mackenzie and her father as they try to find this missing piece of them, and a sense of dread forms in the pit of your stomach. Deep down, you know what’s going to happen at the end of the novel.

Mackenzie’s father is broken, and I liked how Sue portrayed his mental health. He’s depressed and has been struggling ever since his wife went missing, and he doesn’t shy away from that around Mackenzie. Yes, at some points he tries to hide how he’s really feeling, but he is a really emotional character and Mackenzie can see how much he’s hurting. Their relationship is quite complicated and fraught at times, but given the situation they’re in, I think Sue illustrated this really effectively.

“Dad’s the same, because as the day wears on and the breeze gets stronger and the clouds hang lower and lower, threatening to pour, he becomes edgier and edgier. Why is he torturing himself like this? It’s hard to watch.”

The storyline is quite confronting for children to read, but the writing is strong and rich with emotion. The dialogue is believable and the characters relatable. I loved the connection that Mackenzie shared with her grandmother — she relies on her grandmother a lot since her mother went missing and it is sweet to see the bond they share.

I think you have to stretch your imagination with the storyline though. Mackenzie’s father pulls her out of school to go to Panama so they can both search for her mother? And they leave Mackenzie’s grandmother at home worried? It would’ve been more realistic if her father left her behind with the grandmother while he went searching for the mother, but then that would mean there wouldn’t be a story to tell. Still, I found the plot to be a bit unbelievable.

I recommend this to young teens, and children who are in the upper end of primary school. It’s middle grade novel, so primarily it’s aimed at children 10-14. I think adult readers might be intrigued by the mystery of Mackenzie’s mother, but I don’t think that Missing will necessarily appeal to adult readers. The protagonist reads quite young, and this book is cemented in the children’s literature space.

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

Missing
Sue Whiting
March 2018
Walker Books Australia

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Thou Shalt Kill

A dark, gripping and witty thriller in which the only thing humanity has control over is death.

In a world where disease, war and crime have been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (“gleaned”) by professional scythes.

Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythes’ apprentices, and despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation, they must learn the art of killing and understand the necessity of what they do. Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe’s apprentice and as Citra and Rowan come up against a terrifyingly corrupt Scythedom, it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to glean the loser.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman is a speculative fiction novel set in a world where people don’t die of natural causes. They can live for decades, and they can even reset their bodies and turn themselves young again.

In order to curb the population growth, Scythes are employed to kill people. They act like assassins. There is a system to their decisions, but ultimately, a lot of the time the deaths are random. They could be women, men or children. They could be hundreds of years old, or toddlers. They could be teenagers with lots of promise, or someone evil who hasn’t lived a very moral life.

“That afternoon, just as the scythe had said, they went to the shipping company where the woman worked, and they watched — just as Rowan had watched Kohl’s gleaning.
‘I have chosen for you a life-terminating pill,’ Scythe Faraday told the speechless, tremulous woman. He reached into his robe and produced a small pill in a little glass vial.”

This novel is both original and engrossing; Neal has set this series up really well, drawing the reader into this crazy and chaotic world. The characters are all really different, but the danger is real. The book may be long, but it’s fast-paced and the stakes are high. Despite the fact that the final third of the book dragged on a little too much and it could’ve been edited down, I did really like this read.

The world building is the biggest strength of this series — technology is incredibly advanced and society is a lot more civilised. And yet, fear is so dominant. Despite the fact that people in this world don’t feel pain and they don’t suffer and war doesn’t exist, there is still something in the world that scares them — petrifies them. And that is death. Because it is something they can’t control.

“The scythe attack came less than a minute after she was given her slice, piping hot from the oven. ..Esme turned to see them. Four of them. They were clad in bright robes that glittered. They looked like no one Esme had ever seen. She had never met a scythe.”

Citra and Rowan are moral and compassionate, one of the reasons that they were chosen as apprentices. I liked their dynamic, and their budding relationship. They were in competition with each other, always challenging one another to be the best.

“There were men and there were women. The subjects represented different ages, ethnic mixes, and body types, from muscular to obsess to gaunt. He yelled and screamed and grunted with every thrust, slice and twist. He had trained well. The blades sunk in with perfect precision.”

I’d recommend this to fantasy or science fiction lovers. The storyline is still grounded in reality, but with alternate, fantastical elements. Young adult readers may find this to be a little long, but it’s still a great launch for the series and I think readers will follow Neil onto book number two.

I don’t think this book is necessarily just for young adult readers, but for people who love adult fiction as well. If you love crime or thrillers, you’ll love how Neal has woven fact with fiction, the real vs. the unreal. The main characters may be young but they’re mature and they’re self-aware, and they drive the book. The concept of the series is intriguing enough to pull in even the most reluctant of readers.

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

Scythe
Neal Shusterman
February 2018
Walker Books Australia

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.”

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon is a heartfelt romantic comedy about two indian teenagers. Their arranged marriage forms the basis of their story, but their common interests and their experiences at a coding convention in San Francisco over one exciting summer allow them to grow closer.

Dimple is a determined, confident character, not afraid to speak her mind or stand up for what she believes in. Rishi is a bit more timid, and afraid to pursue his real interests instead of feeling like he has to pursue what his family expects of him. Despite this, Rishi is a really sweet guy, full of compassion and heart.

“Dimple’s heart fluttered. Rishi had make a real effort for their non-date. He’d scoped out a place he knew she’d love — and she did; if she could live her under one of the tables forever, she’d be perfectly content to do just that.”

When Dimple Met Rishi is a unique romance novel for teenagers — it is fun and enjoyable. The characters are well-developed and the premise of the book is quirky but entertaining. You follow these two characters over the summer as they pursue their creative endeavours.

Both Dimple and Rishi are incredibly nerdy but they don’t care, and they don’t apologise for it. They’re determined to succeed and they’re both incredibly talented and creative. I think teenagers will find them quite inspiring, especially if there are any teenagers reading this who perhaps feel embarrassed by their interests. When Dimple Met Rishi shows readers that ‘nerdy’ can be fun and there’s nothing uncool about following your passions.

“Dimple opened the paper. It was an amazing sketch, which, if she hasn’t seen Rishi do in about a minute, she would have believed had taken a lot longer. It showed a boy, hair flopping in his eyes and bulging muscles ripping his shirt sleeves — Dimple snorted — hand ing a fierce-looking girl a paper flower.”

There were a few inconsistencies in their characterisation. For example, Dimple is set up to be the bold one, and yet it’s Rishi who stands up to the bullies when they are horrible to Dimple. The way that the two characters were set up, it would’ve made more sense for Dimple to be the argumentative, defensive character and for Rishi to just want to keep the peace and sink into the background.

“Dimple wanted to die. She couldn’t believe Rishi. What was he thinking? Hadn’t she specifically told him not to interfere? He was supposed to just hang out, not basically challenge Hari to a duel. Her fist itched with the urge to punch something, and his ribs were so close…”

Something else that I disliked about the structure of the book was how quickly the POV changed, particularly towards the end of the novel. Sometimes there’d be only a couple of paragraphs and then the POV would switch from Dimple to Rishi. Although it’s cute to discover how each of them is feeling in each situation, I found the constant transition to be really jolting and awkward.

I recommend this for the younger end of a teenage audience, so 13-15 year olds. It’s a really sweet novel, but the language is quite young and the banter quite over the top, so I think older teenagers might find the book — and the relationship — a little unrealistic.

When Dimple Met Rishi
Sandhya Menon
June 2017
Hachette Book Publishers

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