JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Allegra in Three Parts by Suzanne Daniel

Eleven-year-old Allegra shuttles between her grandmothers who live next door to one another but couldn’t be more different. Matilde works all hours and instils discipline, duty and restraint. She insists that Allegra focus on her studies to become a doctor.

Meanwhile free-spirited Joy is full of colour, possibility and emotion, storing all her tears in little glass bottles. She is riding the second wave of the women’s movement in the company of her penny tortoise, Simone de Beauvoir, encouraging Ally to explore broad horizons and live her ‘true essence’.

And then there’s Rick who lives in a flat out the back and finds distraction in gambling and solace in surfing. He’s trying to be a good father to Al Pal, while grieving the woman who links them all but whose absence tears them apart.

Allegra is left to orbit these three worlds wishing they loved her a little less and liked each other a lot more. Until one day the unspoken tragedy that’s created this division explodes within the person they all cherish most.

Allegra in Three Parts by Suzanne Daniel is a debut coming-of-age story recommended for adult readers, exploring identity and adolescence and the rise of feminism and activism in the 1970s.

Allegra’s mother died when she was very young, so Allegra has been raised by her two grandmothers Matilde and Joy, and her father Rick. Allegra lives with Matilde but Joy lives next door and she and Allegra are very close. The two grandmothers, who were once close, no longer speak to each other because of some past disagreement that has been kept hidden from Allegra.

Predominantly character-driven, Allegra in Three Parts is equal parts entertaining as it is enriching. Suzanne has captured the era vividly, evoking nostalgic responses in readers. It was life before social media and smart phones, where many young children didn’t have televisions and their school teachers were nuns.

“I can split myself in two… something I have to do because of Joy and Matilde. They are my grandmothers and I love them both and they totally love me but they can’t stand each other.”

Allegra in Three Parts is an uplifting, moving novel full of heart and hope. It’s also playful and fun. 11-year-old Allegra’s innocence and curiosity is captured with tenderness and heart. She’s a fantastic protagonist, enticing the reader and keeping them interested until the final page.

I felt that the pacing was quite slow for what was a very minimal plot, but Allegra carries the story with her intrigue and her wonder for the world.

Set in Sydney, domestic violence is rife in Allegra’s neighbourhood. Her best friend Patricia has a violent father, and they’re not the only family looking to escape violence. Allegra in Three Parts features a large cast of strong, independent women who want to be in control of their decisions and their futures. As a result, many people in the neighbourhood — Allegra’s family included — come together to help victims of domestic violence.

“There on a hanger is a pale blue dress. It is the exact same colour — Oriental Blue — that I have loved ever since I first saw Kimberley’s complete set of seventy-two Derwent watercolour pencils when she displayed them, one by one, for show-and-tell in Second Class. It has a cream ruffle on each side of the bodice from the neck to the waist and cream piping around the cuffs.”

Capturing the voice of a tween is no easy feat, particularly when writing a book intended for adults. Sometimes, reading books from the voice of a young child can tire the reader (or perhaps annoy them, depending on the personality of the child), but Allegra is a fascinating character that all readers will enjoy meeting. She’s smart and confident, courageous and incredibly loving.

A few times in the novel I felt the girls in the story — particularly Allegra and Patricia — were a little too wise for their age, recognised in fleeting moments of dialogue between the children and the adults. Other than that, I found the characters incredibly authentic to the era, their ages and their experiences in life.

Recommended for readers of literary fiction, women’s fiction and historical fiction.

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

Allegra in Three Parts
Suzanne Daniel
June 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

What if you weren’t the hero?

Kihrin grew up on tales of long-lost princes and grand quests – despite being raised in a brothel, making money as a musician and street thief. One day he overreaches by targeting an absent noble’s mansion, hunting for jewels. There he witnesses a prince performing a terrifying dark-magic ritual. Kihrin flees but he’s marked by a demon and his life will never be the same again.

That night also leads to him being claimed as a lost son of that prince’s royal house. But far from living the dream, Kihrin finds himself practically a prisoner, at the mercy of his new family’s power plays and ambitions. He must also discover why his murderous father finds Kihrin more valuable alive than dead. Soon Kihrin attempts to escape his relative’s dangerous schemes, but finds himself in far deeper waters.

He becomes tangled in a plot to kill the Emperor, rob the Imperial Vaults, claim a god-slaying sword and free bound demons to wreak havoc across the land. Kihrin also discovers the old tales lied about many things: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love – and the hero always winning. But maybe Kihrin isn’t fated to save the empire. He’s destined to destroy it.

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons is the first book in a new epic fantasy series, following a musician and thief as he learns of his true heritage as royalty.

Each chapter in the novel switches between two POVs — the poor young Kihrin, and Talon, a monstrous mimic who has the ability to eat people’s brains and then impersonate them, mirroring their actions, personality, memories and physicality with ease. The dual parallel storylines allow for increased tension and fast-paced action, enticing the reader.

We meet Kihrin in a jail cell, awaiting his certain death. He is being guarded by Talon, and the two enter a conversation where Kihrin begins telling Talon his life story. Throughout Kihrin’s story, Talon interjects with their own memories and stories, and thus begins a truly incredible, fast-paced, break-neck story that fantasy readers will love.

“She didn’t look like a monster. Talon looked like a girl in her twenties with wheat-gold skin and soft brown hair. Most men would give their eye-teeth to spend an evening with someone so beautiful. Most men didn’t know of her talent for shaping her body into forms crafted from pure terror.”

The plot is enthralling, the prose is sharp, the dialogue is realistic and the character development is authentic and believable to the reader. The story moves steadily throughout the book, and whilst The Ruin of Kings is over 550 pages with very small text, my attention never wavered.

One of the biggest strengths in the book is the world-building — The Known World is filled with witches, demons, ghosts, sorcerers and just about every other mythical creature you can think of, and Jenn juggles all these creatures seamlessly and with ease.

The three-dimensional and fully-fledged setting is a balanced combination of history and mythology that gives the plot depth and makes the setting feel like a real world. The Known World will draw the reader in and keep them entertained.

“That stopped me cold. Khaemezra was right, of course. The necklace couldn’t be taken by force; it had to be freely given. I forced my hand away from the stone.”

The Ruin of Kings is a perfect example of the unreliable narrator. Kihrin’s tale is subjective, telling what he believes are the important details of the story while avoiding some pivotal moments that are only revealed later on. Talon twists the truth and sometimes it’ll be hundreds of pages later when we discover that she’s been lying the reader. This stylistic technique is not always executed well, but Jenn Lyons has done an impeccable job of weaving this technique into a captivating story line.

Small negative, but I found the genealogy in the story to be a bit overwhelming. A large cast of characters pass through the book and Jenn often mentions their lineage and other characters they may be related to. Often, this was a bit much to comprehend and it was easy to be confused, especially when secrets are revealed later in the book and you need to reassess what you believed you knew.

Additionally, some of the characters could’ve been fleshed out further because they felt a bit two-dimensional, but given this is the first book in a series, I imagine more development will be embedded in later down the track.

“I watched the battle going on under the waves. Even though the ship outpaced the original site of the whales and their attacker, I saw shapes moving in the water, sometimes jumping above it. Through it all, the long slithery tentacles slammed up above the waves to come crashing back down. The creature that owned those arms had to be enormous.”

A fantastic first novel in a new series. The Ruin of Kings sets up events for an equally impressive sequel, with surprising twists and events at the end of the book. Pacing and tension is heightened as we get closer to the end of the book, and the actual ending is climactic and seductive.

Highly recommended for fantasy fans.

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

The Ruin of Kings: A Chorus of Dragons 1
Jenn Lyons
February 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Body for Rent by Anna Hendriks and Olivia Smit

Two ordinary young girls lured into the sex trade. The horrifying true story of life behind the curtains of Amsterdam’s Red Light District.

Growing up in a quiet, middle-class suburb outside of Amsterdam, childhood best friends Anna and Olivia had their whole lives ahead of them. But every parent’s worst nightmare came true when the teenagers fell in with the wrong crowd. Eleven years their senior, Ricardo was charming and good-looking – and Anna and Olivia easy prey. Blind to his grooming, the girls were soon trapped in a terrifying cycle of sexual and physical abuse.

But their nightmare was only just beginning.

Trafficked to the neon-lit windows of Amsterdam’s Red Light District, Anna and Oliva were forced to work as prostitutes, servicing countless men night after night against their will.

Body for Rent reveals the disturbing truth behind Amsterdam’s Red Light District, and the shocking ease with which ordinary girls can be exploited. But despite the unimaginable horrors they endured, the damage done to their bodies and their minds, their friendship remained as strong as ever, giving them hope that one day, they would escape…

Body for Rent by Anna Hendriks and Olivia Smit is a harrowing and shocking memoir from two women who were forced into prostitution in Amsterdam’s Red Light District as teenagers.

Anna and Olivia are childhood best friends who both grew up in unstable homes — Anna’s father left the family when she was young, and when Anna had the option of choosing which parent to live with, her mother said “If you go to live with him, I shall hang myself.” Anna’s relationship with her mother was forever strained, and her father’s attention was thereafter focused on his new girlfriend.

Olivia’s father was violent and abusive towards their mother and Olivia never felt she could form the right bond with her parents after the childhood she endured. When she met Anna, the two bonded over their dysfunctional home lives and found family in each other.

“It was Olivia who came up with the idea to write notes to the school, faking our parents’ signatures and saying that we were too ill to come to class. Although I was more than ready and very willing to play truant, she was the one with the guts to actually say it out loud that we should do it.”

Whilst Olivia and Anna desperately needed each other, their friendship was toxic. They skipped school, stole, and became heavily reliant on drugs and alcohol. And then they met Ricardo, an older man who slowly began grooming them for prostitution.

It would be easy for a reader to learn about this story and fail to understand how the girls became entrapped in this situation, but Anna and Olivia use their voices to educate readers on grooming, manipulation, control, and how easily young girls can find themselves in a similar situation.

At its core, Body for Rent is about friendship and the strength that it can give individuals — Anna and Olivia were able to get through their years of prostitution because they had each other for support. There were incredibly terrifying moments for each of them — abuse, violence, abortion, rape — but the girls always had each other to help pull through.

“Over. It was over. My first customer as a full-time window prostitute. I reached for the whisky, the Red Bull, cigarettes — and my phone. As much as I craved my numbing shot of alcohol and the soothing pull of nicotine into my lungs, my most urgent need was Olivia; I had to hear her voice, and feel the warmth of her love for me as I told her that it was done and I was safe.”

Highly recommended. At times, it’s hard to read. What happened to these girls is horrifying and just very upsetting, but Olivia and Anna wouldn’t be the only girls to have gone through this and I’m sure there are young girls currently going through this situation right now. It’s important to read these kinds of stories to understand how they happen so they can be recognised in the future.

Will the Red Light District change because of this book? Probably not, it’s a huge business and very popular. But will people who are naive about the workings of the Red Light District — like me — come to understand more about this world? Yes, they will. This book is important for educating society.

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

Body for Rent
Anna Hendriks and Olivia Smit
December 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

The Toll by Neal Shusterman

The explosive conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Arc of a Scythe series.

It’s been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Greyson Tolliver.

In this pulse-pounding finale to Neal Shusterman’s internationally bestselling trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.

The Toll is the third and final book in Neal Shusterman’s YA fantasy series Arc of a Scythe. Events pick up three years after book two — Thunderhead — left off, where Rowan and Citra disappeared.

Brief recap: scythes are in charge of controlling the human population by killing, and the population relies on the all-knowing A.I of the Thunderhead.

The Toll builds on everything that we’d learnt in the first two books, but brings different elements to the story. Scythe Goddard is the villain of the story, rising to power in The Toll and killing humans for his own personal gain. A religious sect also comes into power, manipulating people for their own needs.

Overall, The Toll is a satisfying conclusion to the series. It ties in all of the threads that were introduced in the first two book, providing readers with a sense of closure regarding our main characters, Greyson, Rowan and Citra.

There are three parallel storylines predominantly running throughout the book — focusing on Greyson, Rowan and Citra, and Faraday — but they meet up towards the end where the characters reunite for the conclusion. Each chapter switches POV between different characters, keeping the reader intrigued in each of their journeys and how their story will intersect with the others.

“Salvage was a painstakingly slow process. It took three months of digging through the submerged debris until they found that outer vault.”

Once again, the characters in the book are incredibly authentic and relatable, drawing the reader in and making us sympathise for them and their plight.

In terms of character development, Greyson Tolliver grows the most over the course of the novel and his character does go into an unexpected direction. This won’t necessarily surprise viewers but adds further depth to the character. Additionally, Rowan and Citra grow and mature a lot over the course of the novel.

Other strengths of the novel include dialogue, particularly between Greyson and the AI, and the world building. Neal Shusterman captures an incredible system and organisation with this series, which feels really unique in the genre. Neal also captures a greater span of time in this book than in Scythe and Thunderhead, giving context to the world and its makeup and allowing the reader to understand more about the setting.

Special shout out goes to the revelation about the Luna colony and the Mars colony — what a fabulous twist!

“Loriana found that keeping busy was the best way to avoid panicking at their current situation, and, in a vacuum of leadership, most people were willing to take direction from her — something they probably never would have done in the comfort of the AI offices.”

There were parts of the book that were quite predictable, and there was also obvious signposting scattered throughout the novel. This might frustrate readers but ultimately, won’t deter them. Younger readers may not pick up on this, but adult readers probably will.

Additionally, the pacing was a little slow at times and could’ve been sped up. It’s a very long book, sitting at over 600 pages, and I do think it could’ve been trimmed a little.

Despite that, this is an enjoyable finale to the series and readers will be pleasantly surprised with where Neal has taken the story.

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

The Toll: Arc of a Scythe #3
Neal Shusterman
November 2019
Walker Books Australia

Lost but Found by Peter Sharp

Sydney Dogs & Cats Home is unique in its ability and commitment to find that ‘one in a million’ owner for animals in their care, as well as that ‘one in a million’ pet for people looking to adopt.

In Lost but Found, you will meet forty special dogs who have spent time at the Home. Their stories reveal how the dogs came to be lost, how and why they were in the shelter, and the love and care they received while there and in their new forever homes.

Fully illustrated and with both before- and after-adoption photography from award-winning pet photographer Peter Sharp of Tame & Wild Studio, this touching collection of precious pups will warm the hearts of animal lovers near and far.

All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Sydney Dogs & Cats Home.

Lost but Found by Peter Sharp is an incredible compilation of 40 dogs who have been lost then found thanks to Sydney Dogs and Cats Home.

This book is a gorgeous little package for readers — small, glossy and packed with stories of so many different types of dogs who have experienced different beginnings, and a resulting adoption.

Another day, another dog book that’s made me tear up on public transport.

This book sheds a light on the importance of finding the right dog for your family environment, and it encourages people to adopt rather than buy new puppies. There are so many dogs that need loving homes — of all ages — and they’re all worth a chance.

“Mimosa was picked up as a stray with no microchip or any other form of identification. A routine vet check revealed that this lovely girl had already birthed multiple litters of puppies and was no suffering from heart worm disease.”

The book features full-page, high-res images of each dog and most entries also feature some candids photos of the dog since being adopted by its new owner.

Most of these dogs had horrible starts. They were abandoned, left behind or found in terrible conditions in dense bushland. But the entries shy away from focusing too heavily on the dog’s earlier state, and instead spends more of the page real estate talking about their adoption.

Each dog’s present owner has written a first-person reflection on what it was like to adopt their dog, and it’s a really beautiful and tender addition to each entry.

“Dorothy had a serious case of demodectic mange and a terrible skin infection. She had lost almost her entire coat of fur and nearly every centimetre of her body was red raw, inflamed and covered in scabs, and there was a strong odour emanating from her infected skin. She was also extremely underweight.”

For those who are unfamiliar, the Sydney Dogs and Cats Home is Sydney’s only charity pound and community facility. The Home, which began in 1946, takes care of Sydney’s lost, abandoned and neglected pets. Each year, they help over 3000 animals and they service multiple council areas across Sydney.

The only thing I’d change about this book is that I’d suggest removing the interviews with the animals. I think children would be the main audience for these sections of the book, but I don’t see them picking up this kind of book. I think the main audience of Lost but Found are adult dog lovers, and adults who have adopted or rescued animals in the past. The interviews are sweet, but a little corny.

Recommended for dog lovers, and adults who have adopted or rescued dogs. A heartfelt and heartwarming compilation of really beautiful adoption stories.

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

Lost but Found: Rescue Dogs and their Stories of Adoption
Peter Sharp
November 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

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