JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone…except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer is a young adult fantasy novel with a large cast of characters and a long array of special abilities.

Nova’s parents and infant sister are murdered when she is six years old. She is unharmed, but she blames the Renegades — superheroes who protect their city — because they were supposed to protect her family and they failed to save them in time.

Fast forward ten years later, and Nova is planning to infiltrate the Renegades and enact revenge on them for failing her family all those years ago.

“One cannot be brave who has no fear.”

Nova’s power is that she can induce sleep merely by touching someone. She’s also an insomniac, and is incredible at combat and defence. She’s confident, fit and self-assured, and she’s a fantastic protagonist who really drives the story forward and keeps the reader engaged.

“The Renegades cared about finding the best prodigies to make their organisation stronger, smarter, better. If she got in, all she would have to do was persuade them that she was worth keeping, and no one would care about her past or her connections. They wouldn’t think to dig any deeper until it was too late.”

The world building is really detailed and believable, and the combat scenes are described well enough to be easily followed, but not too much so that the reader feels like they’re reading a movie script. This book would definitely translate really well on the big screen, but it’s also a really fun book and Marissa Meyer has done a really great job of alternating the intimate third person point of view between Nova and Adrian (a Renegade).

Nova and Adrian are both hiding something from their teammates, and after a while the reader wonders how those kids are so foolish that they haven’t picked up on it yet. It’s so obvious that Nova isn’t on their side, and it’s so incredibly apparent that Adrian is actually Sentinel (his alter ego). At times, I actually cringed with how awkward their cover ups were.

“Nova turned her wrist from side to side, feeling the start of a grin. New tech, a new gadget. Finally, they were speaking her language. But then, a thought occurred to her that smothered that first twinge of excitement. Technology like that had to include a tracking device. Which meant, so long as she wore it, the Renegades would know just where to find her.”

When I think about this book, I realise that not a lot actually happened in it. There was only one ‘mission’ and it was for the characters to surveillance a library. Sure, things go wrong, but at the end of the day, this book is certainly more character driven and more ‘world building’ than it is actual plot. And considering that the book is almost 600 pages, I am really surprised by that.

Additionally, it was super difficult to keep up with all the different characters mentioned and their abilities. It took me a good 50 pages to grasp the world and who was good and who was bad, and how their stories correlated.

In saying that, I loved this book. I kept reading because I wanted to find out what happened, and despite the fact that there wasn’t much plot, I still really enjoyed the novel. My hypothesis is that book 2 is going to be much more action-packed than Renegades is, and and that’s okay. I’m happy to stick around if it means I’m set up for book 2.

I recommend this to comic book fans and people who love superhero movies. This has a very ‘superhero movie’ feel to it, with unique abilities and fun characters and a really great world.

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

Renegades
Marissa Meyer
November 2017
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years by Nelson Mandela and Mandla Langa

The long-awaited second volume of Nelson Mandela’s memoirs, left unfinished at his death and never before available, are here completed and expanded with notes and speeches written by Mandela during his historic presidency, making for a moving sequel to his worldwide bestseller Long Walk to Freedom.

In 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first president of a democratic South Africa. From the outset, he was committed to serving only a single five-year term. During his presidency, he and his government ensured that all of South Africa’s citizens became equal before the law, and he laid the foundation for turning a country riven by centuries of colonialism and apartheid into a fully functioning democracy.

Dare Not Linger is the story of Mandela’s presidential years, drawing heavily on the memoir he began to write as he prepared to leave office, but was unable to finish. Now the acclaimed South African writer Mandla Langa has completed the task, using Mandela’s unfinished draft, detailed notes that Mandela made as events were unfolding, and a wealth of unseen archival material. With a prologue by Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, the result is a vivid and often inspirational account of Mandela’s presidency and the creation of a new democracy. It tells the story of a country in transition and the challenges Mandela faced as he strove to make his vision for a liberated South Africa a reality.

Dare Not Linger began as Nelson Mandela’s unfinished handwritten memoir and was completed by South African novelist Mandla Langa. Because of Mandela’s age and ill health, he was unable to finish his manuscript and he died in 2013. But now in 2017, the sequel to Long Walk to Freedom has finally been finished and published.

This memoir details Mandela’s five years as South Africa’s president after the collapse of apartheid — it begins just as he is leaving prison after spending 27 years incarcerated for fighting white minority rule. In 1994, he became South Africa’s first democratically elected President. He pledged that he would only serve for five years.

“Mandela’s personal warmth towards people from all walks of life, from gardeners, cleaners, clerks and typists to those in the most senior roles, did not go unnoticed. Those who came across him in the course of their work describe him as generous, self-effacing and easy-going: a man who knew how to be an ordinary person.”

Mandela wrote 10 chapters of his memoir, and Mandla was brought in to write the remaining chapters. Mandla used a lot of research, interviews and notes to complete the book, managing to bring the rest of Mandela’s story to the page.

Dare Not Linger allows for Mandela’s thoughts on certain political matters – which weren’t previously known – to come to the forefront. He had a strained relationship with former president FW de Klerk, and reading the book allows us to see just how frustrated Mandela was. We also learn about Mandela’s marriage breakdown with Winnie Mandela, and the strain that this put on Mandela’s role as the President.

I did feel like this book was rather dense, and at times I found it a struggle to read. The reader does have to have some sort of understanding about South African politics in order to understand the references in the book, and sometimes I felt like parts of the book were just going over my head.

“Mandela’s tendency to canvass for views outside conventional circles was perhaps controversial. He didn’t hesitate to call to a meeting anyone he deemed suitable to throw light onto a subject…this gravitational pull towards people was mutual; people from all corners of society wished to interact with him and vice versa.”

Mandela was a fantastic communicator, and at times, friend. He was grateful for what he had — he insisted on making his own hotel bed, and he always cleaned his own shoes on a plane. Whilst his personality doesn’t really come through in his memoirs, it is external observations of him that allow us to get a sense of who Mandela really was. He was comfortable with forgiveness, and generous in his teachings.

“I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”

This book is dense and requires a fair bit of effort to read. I only recommend this to readers who are genuinely interested in his presidential years (because that’s really all this book covers – it rarely talks about anything else but politics). Overall, it’s really inspiring to read this because Nelson Mandela was a truly unique leader.

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

Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years
Nelson Mandela and Mandla Langa
November 2017
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Extract: Totally Buf by Libby Babet & the Buf Girls

The BUF Girls are Australia’s revolutionary new team of fitness and nutrition gurus for a new generation of healthy-minded, empowered women.

Being a BUF Girl isn’t about competition, body image or comparison, it’s about friendship and community, healthy bodies and healthy minds, and inspiring, supporting and celebrating all women.

THE BUF GIRLS ARE:
LIBBY BABET #ATHLETEMAKER
CASSEY MAYNARD #CURVECREATOR
ALICIA BEVERIDGE #BUTTKICKER
SIAN JOHNSON #BOOTYSHAKER

Together, the BUF (BEAUTIFUL, UNSTOPPABLE, FEARLESS) Girls are on a mission to show women everywhere how to get healthy and fit – and stay healthy and fit – through easy and simple steps.

This 6-week plan (one focus habit each week) will completely transform your health and wellbeing, with core fitness, nutrition and mindset tips that every woman can implement in their day-to-day lives.

With over 100 recipes (including vegan and vegetarian options), easy exercise and nutrition tips, TOTALLY BUF will give you all you need to be a BUF Girl.

Today I’ve got another recipe extract for the blog. Totally BUF is a gorgeous guide to being healthy and happy, and the recipes in this book are not only super healthy and delicious, they’re also beautifully presented. There are so many bright, beautiful colours used – it makes the reader all the more eager to start cooking some of these delicious recipes!

Alongside these recipes, the book also features tons of health and fitness advice, as well as motivating & inspiring information and gorgeous photos of the authors.

Thanks to Hachette Australia, I’ve got an extract of the Sweet Potato Gnocchi for Jess Just Reads.

Beautiful
800 g sweet potato (about 3–4 medium-sized sweet potatoes)

Unstoppable
1 egg yolk (or vegan egg
substitute)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan (or nutritional yeast flakes)
(optional)
2 cups gluten-free flour (e.g. brown rice flour or coconut flour)

Fearless
cracked black pepper, to serve

1.
Peel the sweet potato, chop into chunks and cook until soft. You can choose how you want to cook it: roasting and steaming both work well. Once cooked, mash the sweet potato until smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and leave to cool for 15–20 minutes.

2.
Combine the cooled sweet potato mash with the egg yolk and Parmesan, then gradually sift in the flour until you get a non-sticky dough mixture. (You might find that you use less than 2 cups, which is totally fine!)

3.
Dust your kitchen bench with a little flour and transfer the dough to the bench. Knead for a few minutes, then divide the mixture into four equal portions and roll each portion into a sausage shape (you want it to be around 3 cm thick). Slice each sausage into 3 cm pieces.

4.
To cook your gnocchi, add to a pan of boiling water. When it floats to the top, it’s ready! Top with your favourite sauce, and vegetables on the side, season with black pepper and serve.

BUFF GIRL TIP: SAUCE IDEAS INCLUDE FRESH PESTO (SEE RECIPE PAGE 247), HEARTY BOLOGNESE WITH ZUCCHINI PASTA (MINUS THE SPIRALISED ZUCCHINI – SEE RECIPE PAGE 194) AND ARRABBIATA SAUCE.

SERVES 4

Totally BUF: Your 6 week guide to becoming BEAUTIFUL, UNSTOPPABLE and FEARLESS by Libby Babet and the BUF Girls ($39.99), published by Hachette Australia.

Totally BUF: Your 6 Week Guide to Becoming Beautiful, Unstoppable and Fearless
Libby Babet and the BUF Girls
December 2017
Hachette Book Publishers

The Cull by Tony Park

One mission… countless enemies.

Former mercenary Sonja Kurtz is hired by business tycoon Julianne Clyde-Smith to head an elite squad. Their aim: to take down Africa’s top poaching kingpins and stop at nothing to save its endangered wildlife.

But as the body count rises, it becomes harder for Sonja to stay under the radar as she is targeted by an underworld syndicate known as The Scorpions.

When her love interest, safari guide and private investigator Hudson Brand, is employed to look into the death of an alleged poacher at the hands of Sonja’s team, she is forced to ask herself if Julianne’s crusade has gone too far.

From South Africa’s Kruger National Park to the Serengeti of Tanzania, Sonja realises she is fighting a war on numerous fronts, against enemies known and unknown.

So who can Sonja really trust?

The Cull is a heart-racing thriller from former army officer and bestselling author Tony Park — this is his 14th novel and once again he’s transported a real-life ‘wildlife war’ onto the pages of a novel.

This is the third novel with protagonist Sonja Kurtz, although I haven’t read the first two (The Delta and An Empty Coast) and I was able to read this book just fine, so The Cull definitely works as a standalone novel.

Sonja is resourceful, intelligent, observant and equipped to handle everything that she comes across in the African wilderness. She’s in Africa training women in an Anti-Poaching unit and they are ambushed by well-armed poachers. Two women in the team end up dead.

“Paterson watched the others. The TANAPA ranger, a young man, looked shaken. Ezekial, the preacher’s son, deliberately avoided eye contact with him and strode away. Tema walked with the fluid gait and cold stare of a leopard slinking through the long grass.”

Afterwards, wealthy businesswoman Julianne Clyde-Smith meets with Sonja and offers her a job — she wants to take down the poaching kingpins that are overtaking the African wildlife. She wants to find out who is at the top of these organisations and destroy them from the source. But once Sonja accepts the job and employs an exclusive team to help her, she realises that there’s a lot more to this job than Julianne let on. The team are suddenly entangled in a dangerous and deadly war between them and a poaching mob named The Scorpions.

“This wasn’t Sonja’s fight but her people were under fire. She could see Ezekiel lying on the ground, frantically pulling clubs from Julianne Clyde-Smith’s golf bag.”

Sonja is a fantastic protagonist. She’s really skilled and trustworthy, and she leads her team with strength and determination. At the same time, Sonja is a bit flawed. She can be a bit awkward, and she’s in a sort-of relationship with Hudson Brand and she really loves him but doesn’t act accordingly sometimes. She jumps to conclusions and makes assumptions and for a while it’s hard for the relationship to stay stable.

“Sonja sighed. She really had made a mess of this. She regretted bringing Mario onto the team, and what had gone on between them, but she was sure he would be enough of a gentleman not to put her on the spot. She had made this bed and would have to lie in it, with both of these handsome dark-haired men.”

There are plenty of sub plots throughout the novel to keep the reader engaged and entertained. The side characters are just an intriguing as Sonja, and I really enjoyed reading this book. It’d be a great Father’s Day gift, especially if your dad reads crime or thriller novels like James Patterson.

“Hudson left his camera and made for a stone pillar supporting the terrace roof and ducked behind it. Three men, each wearing a balaclava and armed with an AK-47, burst out into the restraint terrace. ‘Everybody down.’
People screamed.
The man who had given the order pointed his rifle at a family.”

Finally, Tony Park does a fantastic job of describing the African wildlife. His prose is rich with detailed description and imagery, and the reader can easily imagine everything that’s happening even if he/she has never been to Africa before.

I’d recommend The Cull to lovers of crime, thriller and adventure novels. It’s heavily embedded in African wildlife and the politics of poaching in the wilderness, so you’d have to be interested in reading about that or this may not be the book for you.

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

The Cull
Tony Park
October 2017
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony by Chris Riddell

Lord Goth is throwing a music festival at Ghastly-Gorm Hall, with performances from the finest composers in the land. Ada can’t wait, but it’s quite distracting when her grandmother is trying to find her father a fashionable new wife, there’s a faun living in her wardrobe and Maltravers is up to his old tricks. Ada must make sure everything goes to plan, and luckily help is at hand from a very interesting house guest . . .

Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony is the fourth adventure for Ada and her friends at Ghastly-Gorm Hall. This is also the final book in the Goth Girl series, filled with plenty of spooky adventures and musical goings-on.

“After breakfast, Ada and Emily went upstairs to the extra-long gallery, a high-ceilinged room that ran the length of the central part of Ghastly-Gorm Hall. On one side of the gallery, light came streaming in through the large windows, and on the other side was a stack of paintings in gold frames waiting to be hung on the wall above.”

One of the best things about this book is its package — it’s hardcover, silver foiled, and the edges of the pages are coated in bright green. The book is also quite small, like a handbook, so it is a quick, easy read. The book shines, and it’s so beautiful when you first see it. I can imagine kids seeing this in the bookstore and automatically reaching for it purely because of how gorgeous it looks. Additionally, Chris Riddell’s work is wondrous. He has a real art for sketches and writing witty, imaginative stories.

You don’t need to read the other Goth Girl books in order to understand this one — I actually didn’t realise this was the fourth book in the series and I was able to follow along really easily. This is a standalone story.

“The broken wing was Ada’s favourite part of the house. It was full of rooms with forgotten and unused things in them, and Ada loved exploring it whenever she had the time.”

What I love most about this book is that Chris uses his writing and his drawings to poke fun at real life. There are characters in the book based off Simon Cowell and Taylor Swift, and there’s an orange-faced man named Donald Ear-Trumpet who is a caricature of President Donald Trump:

‘I’ve come all the way from New Guernsey,’ said an orange-faced man. His elegant wife was sitting under an awning beside their streamlined wooden caravan and looked rather bored. They were both wearing gumboots.
‘The name’s Donald Ear-Trumpet,’ the man said. He had what looked like a raccoon-skin hat on his head and two sticks grasped in his tiny hands and was trying to light a fire by rubbing them together.

Chris Riddell appeals to readers of all ages — his books are whimsical and magical and they really engage the reader in their manic, mad-cap storylines and their colourful cast of characters. The book is elegantly produced, but also masterfully written.

This book is aimed at children aged 9-11, but adults will enjoy reading this just as much as kids. There are a lot of jokes in the book that children may not understand, but grown-ups definitely will. And this book has so many gorgeous illustrations that sometimes you want to take it slow so that you can really enjoy the whole experience of reading it.

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

Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony
Chris Riddell
October 2017
Pan Macmillan Australia

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