JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood

Where Romy grew up, if someone died you never spoke of them again.

Now twenty-two, she has recently escaped the toxic confines of the cult she was raised in. But Romy is young, pregnant and completely alone – and if she is to keep herself safe in this new world, she has some important lessons to learn.

Like how there are some people you can trust, and some you must fear. And about who her family really is, and why her mother ran away from them all those years ago.

And that you can’t walk away from a dark past without expecting it to catch up with you…

The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood is a suspenseful novel about the dark and dangerous world of cults. When the majority of the members of a dark and secretive Doomsday cult are found dead in an apparent poisoning suicide, the sole adult survivor, Romy, must learn to navigate the real world. She’s 22, pregnant, and full of secrets. What really happened at Plas Golau and how did everyone die?

The structure of the novel is what will keep readers utterly absorbed in the story. The novel switches back and forth, between past and present. Slowly, we come to understand what Pla Golau was really like, who was in charge, how the commune ran, and how they all died.

We come to realise just how brainwashed all the cult members were. They’re all preparing for the end of the world, but there are many cracks in the foundation of their cult. Everyone is assigned chores each day, with strict rules that they must follow. Lucien (Father) chooses a new girl each solstice to begin sexual relations with in the hope of getting her pregnant. But no one seems to question how young the girls are, and how Lucien only seems to choose the attractive ones each year.

Romy’s mother joined the cult when Romy was a baby, and so Romy is never considered very special because she wasn’t ‘created’ in the commune. However, her mother gives birth to two children while in the cult and the middle child — Eden — is the daughter of Lucien. And she’s doted upon by the other cult members. Even after the mass suicide, when Romy, Eden and their brother Ilo are still alive and trying to navigate the real world, Eden has a sense of entitlement. She thinks she’s some sort of saviour because Lucien is her father.

“It is very quiet. Not really. It’s just a completely different sort of loud from the rural sounds of Plas Golau. The sound of traffic outside, the rumble of the machines downstairs. I have the windows open, for the heat is stifling on a sunny day in October.”

Alex Marwood builds tension and unease really skilfully — as you read the storyline of the past, you can see the deaths coming. You can also sense a lot of other incredibly problematic and disturbing things that are happening within the cult.

There are a group of vile boys who make a habit of preying on young, drunk girls whenever the cult celebrates the solstice with a boozy party. Lucien’s son returns to the cult — now an adult — and he appears to have a hidden agenda. And whenever children die, which seems to happen fairly often, their bodies disappear and they are never spoken about again.

The writing is sharp and evocative. The reader gets a strong sense of place from The Poison Garden — Alex Marwood has done a fantastic job of capturing the entire world of Plas Golau. I found it easy to imagine all of it. Personally, I loved the ‘past’ storyline more than the present storyline, but I think that’s because of my fascination with cults.

“She stays until she’s sure I’m not going to burn myself to death. She shows me how to work the gas cooker, how to turn on the TV and where the meters are for the payment keys, and advises me to clean the fridge before I put anything in it.”

The only flaw I noticed with the book is the characterisation of Aunt Sarah. SPOILER ALERT: the evolution of her character doesn’t make much sense to me, and I felt like it didn’t fit in with how she was initially presented to readers. She’s a single woman whose reckless sister left the family decades earlier after falling pregnant at a young age. She distanced herself from her parents, and when the mass suicide happens at Plas Golau, Sarah’s sister is named as one of the dead.

Sarah’s niece and nephew — Ilo and Eden — are suddenly landed with her from social services. They’re teenagers but completely clueless about how the world works. They’re obviously very traumatised and disturbed by their years in the cult. Sarah is overwhelmed by their presence in her life, but she wants the best for them. She’s helpful, instructive, and she fights on their behalf when there are issues at school.

But then, and this is seriously spoilery, at the end of the novel she follows Romy and Ilo to a commune established by another dangerous cult leader. What? Huh? Why is Sarah there? I understand Romy and Ilo’s motivations, but Sarah? That ending didn’t feel organic. Sarah doesn’t seem like the kind of character who would join a cult.

“He squalls his way into the world when the fruit harvest is at its height and Romy doesn’t hear about it, or notice that her mother is missing, for two days. Anyone at Plas Golau who can walk and understand simple instructions is out in the orchards, and his birth has attracted none of the pleasurable anticipation that Eden’s did.”

Despite that, I highly recommend The Poison Garden, particularly if you’re intrigued by suspense, thriller, secrets, and cults.

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

The Poison Garden
Alex Marwood
August 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

Shepherd by Catherine Jinks

My father trained me to silence the way he trained his dogs, with food and a cane. Speech, he said, was poison. It scared the game, alerted the gamekeepers and betrayed your friends and family.

Tom Clay was a poacher back in Suffolk. He was twelve when he was caught, tried and transported to New South Wales.

Now, assigned to a shepherds’ hut out west, he is a boy among violent men. He keeps his counsel and watches over his sheep; he steers clear of blowhards like the new man, Rowdy Cavanagh. He is alert to danger, knowing he is a foreigner here: that the land resists his understanding.
The question is: how fast can he learn?

Because a vicious killer named Dan Carver is coming for Tom and Rowdy. And if Tom can’t outwit Carver in the bush – and convince Rowdy to keep his stupid mouth shut – their deaths will be swift and cruel.

Shepherd by Catherine Jinks is set in 1840 New South Wales, after the British colony convict 14-year-old Tom Clay of poaching and sentence him to work in Australia as a shepherd. The environment is brutal and violent, and Tom quickly learns how cruel and dangerous the other convicts can be.

Tom and Joe work at a shepherd’s hut west of Sydney — their role is to protect the master’s sheep from wild dogs. They have loyal dogs of their own to help with the task, called Gyp and Pedlar. Both men have come from England after being convicted of crimes. They’re also terrified of Dan Carver, who was working with them until recently. Prior to the events of the book, Tom and Joe had realised that Dan was a psychopathic murderer, and he was planning to kill the two of them. In self defence, they attacked him and left him to die in the wilderness.

But, Dan Carver isn’t dead, and he returns to the farm to seek vengeance on Tom, Joe, their new Irish shepherd Rowdy Cavanagh, and their beloved dogs. The group must fight for their lives to escape the vicious Dan Carver.

“My dreams are never good. In my poaching dreams, I’m always caught. In my dreams about Ma, she’s always on her deathbed. My father always beats me and my trial always ends on a hangman’s rope. Sometimes I dream that the ship bringing me to New South Wales founders and sinks. Sometimes I dream that I’m being flogged.”

Shepherd is about life in the Australian colonies — the dangers, the challenges, and difficulties of navigating the harsh Australian bush. Additionally, the book highlights the racism that these convicts exacted on Indigenous Australians.

The pacing of the novel is one of the biggest strengths, and in fact, the book takes place over only a few short days. We’re moving through the bush with Tom and Rowdy as they first try and evade Dan, and then decide to turn the tables and start formulating a plan to kill Dan.

Tom Clay has had a difficult childhood and upbringing, and doesn’t trust other people easily. He has huge affection for his dogs, and cares for them more than he cares for people. But, over the course of the novel, Tom and Rowdy bond and look out for each other. They even begin to trust in one another.

“Rowdy is so busy talking that he’s blind to where he is. This is a well-used path, heading straight for water, but he doesn’t comment on the musky smells, the droppings, the tracks, the feathers, the footprints, the marked tree trunks. When birds call and flit, he doesn’t pause to watch them in case they’re warning us of something bigger.”

At times, the nature of the plot got a bit tiresome. It’s a fast-paced pursuit in an unforgivable environment, and while this would look fantastic on a film screen, reading it in a book can get a little exhausting. It’s 200 pages of Tom Clay and Dan Carver up against each other, chasing and trapping and tricking and fighting. After a while, I felt like I was losing momentum in the story.

In saying that, I thought this novel was fantastic. The writing style is very lean — pared back. I didn’t feel like there was any overwriting, or excessive word choice. Catherine only wrote what was necessary for the story, and I was completely enthralled by the book. The dialogue is fabulous, the setting and atmosphere captured incredibly well, and the story really inviting for readers.

Recommended for adult readers who are interested in a short read set in the Australian wilderness of the 19th century. Readers must be interested in the Australian colonial setting to warm to this book, I suspect.

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

Shepherd
Catherine Jinks
July 2019
Text Publishing

Six Tudor Queens: Anna of Kleve by Alison Weir

The fourth novel in the highly acclaimed SIX TUDOR QUEENS series by historian and Sunday Times bestselling author, Alison Weir.

Alison Weir, historian and author of KATHERINE OF ARAGON: THE TRUE QUEEN, ANNE BOLEYN: A KING’S OBSESSION and JANE SEYMOUR: THE HAUNTED QUEEN, paints a spellbinding portrait of Anna of Kleve, Henry VIII’s fourth queen.

A GERMAN PRINCESS WITH A GUILTY SECRET.

The King is in love with Anna’s portrait, but she has none of the accomplishments he seeks in a new bride. She prays she will please Henry, for the balance of power in Europe rests on this marriage alliance. But Anna’s past is never far from her thoughts, and the rumours rife at court could be her downfall. Everyone knows the King won’t stand for a problem queen.

ANNA OF KLEVE
THE FOURTH OF HENRY’S QUEENS
HER STORY

Acclaimed, bestselling historian Alison Weir draws on new evidence to conjure a startling image of Anna as you’ve never seen her before. A charming, spirited woman, she was loved by all who knew her – and even, ultimately, by the King who rejected her.

History tells us she was never crowned.
But her story does not end there.

This is one of my favourite book series’ and every year, I look forward to the latest Alison Weir Tudor Queens novel. Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets, the fourth book in this series, was just as fabulous as the books that precede it.

Anna is probably one of the lesser known Queens, perhaps because she was the least scandalous. She travelled from Spain to England to marry the King, but he never fancied her and so the whole marriage ended after just six months together.

Alison illustrates Anna as kind, compassionate and sensible. She is naive and a little too trusting at times, but she is determined and she’s intelligent. When she is very young, she falls in love with her cousin Otho von Wylich and gives birth to a secret child. Otho doesn’t even know about it, and Anna stays away from home in secret to have the child. The boy is then adopted to a loving family.

When King Henry chooses Anna to be his next wife, Anna must work hard to keep her secret.

“Picking up her mirror, she gazed into the burnished silver and appraised her image. Yes, it was pleasing, but beautiful? No. She had a rosy complexion, and a heart-shaped face with a pretty mouth and finely arched brows, but her eyes were too heavy-lidded, her chin too pointed, and her nose too long, too broad at the tip. Yet she was tall and graceful, with a good, slender figure and delicate hands.”

These books read like they’re a fictional story, but they’re based on some truths. Each Queen is portrayed so vividly that you feel like you really understand them and their motives. Very little is known about Anna of Kleve, so there’s a lot of fiction to this book, but that’s what makes it so fabulous.

It’s interesting reading about Henry VIII as the books progress. He’s now 46 years old, he’s overweight, and the sores on his leg are infected and oozing pus, and they’re causing him a great deal of pain. He’s no longer the seductive King he once was! Anna and Henry’s marriage was never consummated and from the sound of it, that was a huge blessing for Anna. Not sure Henry was very desirable at this stage.

“This could not be the man in the portrait she had seen at Calais! He had been in his prime, attractive and smooth-featured. He bore barely any resemblance to the man standing before her now. Why had no one thought to prepare her for the reality? For the King looked far older than a man not yet fifty; his ace was stern, and bore the marks of temper and ill health. And he was huge!”

From reading the author’s note at the end, it’s clear that this book has fictionalised her tale and added more to her story than the other Queens before here. There’s no evidence that Anna had an illegitimate child, or that she was in love with her cousin. But given Anna was Queen for only six months, and she was — as we understand it — the most liked Queen after her divorce and the least scandalous one, I imagine her story wouldn’t be that interesting if there wasn’t embellishments.

I was actually wondering how Alison was going to write this book without making it very short and very boring. I’m glad she embellished — it makes everything much more entertaining! You can always read Alison’s author’s note at the end to find out what is fact and what is fiction — those author’s notes are always really interesting.

“Anna felt a sense of relief seeping through her veins. How humiliating for a man as powerful as the King to suffer impotence. Perhaps he had been dreading this marriage as much as she! And yet, he had been aroused — she had felt it. Was it the sight of her body that had unmanned him?”

I love this series, and this latest instalment. For anyone even remotely interested in Henry VIII’s wives, I recommend you start at the beginning with Katherine and make your way through Alison Weir’s books. They read like fiction, but they’re researched and they’re all fascinating reads.

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

Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets
Alison Weir
May 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

How it Feels to Float by Helena Fox

Biz knows how to float. She has her people, posse, her mum and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn’t be here but is. So Biz doesn’t tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn’t tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface – normal okay regular fine.

How it Feels to Float by Helena Fox is a captivating debut novel about a young teenager who is struggling to cope with the death of her father. The book explores mental illness, grief, family, relationships, and sexual identity.

Biz’s father died 10 years earlier, but she sees him all the time. At school, at home, in her bedroom. He speaks to her and they spend time together, and she blames herself for his death. Both of them share a history of mental health — her father was ill for a long time, and was often absent. Biz is very much like her father, struggling to cope with her undiagnosed mental illness. She often feels like she’s floating, and like she can’t control her life or her decisions.

17-year-old Biz is both strong and fragile. Her mental illness and depression manifests itself in the form of hallucinations, panic attacks and disassociations. She’s an unreliable narrator, because others remember conversations differently to how she told us the conversations went. She suffers from memory loss, or perhaps she’s blocking out her memories because it’s too painful to process what’s happening to her.

“The new guy’s name is Jasper Alessio. He is tall and narrow. He has a strange gait, a limp, like his right leg is too slow to keep up — a stubborn dog not done with its walk. He has longish hair like everyone else. It goes over his eyes.”

Biz is on a journey to better understand herself, but she’s also on a journey to better understand her father. Along with Jasper, her new friend from school, the two pair up to discover — both metaphorically and literally — more about Biz’s dad and where he came from.

The biggest strength of the book is the writing. It’s exquisite — gorgeous sentences crafted to perfection. You can’t help but sit and finish the book, devouring each chapter and paragraph. There’s a poetic rhythm to Helena’s words. They flow so easily, and the writing is so lyrical and beautiful.

“The twins pull on their uniforms and complain about their socks (too tight! too itchy!). Mum assembles a limp salad for lunch and tries to find her car keys. Sylvia calls – I haven’t spoken to her since class ended. She’s rung me and I haven’t replied, but today I see her name on my screen and in a rush of birthday goodwill, finally answer.”

How it Feels to Float also explores sexual identity. At the beginning of the book, Biz has just kissed her best friend Grace, but the feelings are unrequited. Biz isn’t sure of what (or who) she wants, but this isn’t a central focus of the story. She’s not sure of her sexuality, and that’s okay. It’s not something she needs to figure out right now, but when she’s ready.

“A heart is a mystery and not a mystery. It hides under ribs, pumping blood. You can pull it out, hold it in your hand. Squeeze. It wants what it wants. It can be made of gold, glass, stone. It can stop anytime.”

How it Feels to Float is an honest portrayal of life with mental illness. The book will appeal to all readers, young and old. The writing will lure you in, but the characters will keep you enthralled. It’s a gorgeous book — well worth the read.

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

How It Feels To Float
Helena Fox
May 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

A Dream of Italy by Nicky Pellegrino

Here is your chance to buy your own home in southern Italy for less than the price of a cup of coffee. The picturesque mountain town of Montenello is selling off some of its historic buildings for just ONE EURO each. To be considered as a future resident of Montenello contact the town’s mayor, Salvio Valentini.

Many people read Salvio’s advertisement with excitement. Elise is in her twenties and desperate to get on the property ladder. Edward wants to escape a life he finds stifling. Mimi is divorced and starting afresh. And there is one person whose true motivation won’t be clear for some time.

These four people all have a dream of Italy. And it’s going to change their lives. The passionate and gorgeous new novel by Nicky Pellegrino, the bestselling author of A Year at Hotel Gondola.

A Dream of Italy by Nicky Pellegrino is a romance novel about relationships, family, identity and the notion of throwing all your plans into the wind and taking a chance on something that seems utterly bizarre and crazy.

Oh my — this was such a fun novel. I had no idea I was going to love it as much as I did. I absolutely devoured it, and I churned through the chapters within hours of picking it up. The premise is fantastic, the characters are relatable and engaging, and the setting of Italy is captured so perfectly it made me want to book a holiday straight away.

“Mimi had to stop herself calling Salvio straight away. She would let what the architect had said settle in, allow herself to think and dream a little longer before making a commitment. Still, she was so close now and, even though it wasn’t hers yet, she had the urge to buy something for the house.”

All of the characters who’d been given a house in Italy had something in their lives they needed to work through. Whether it was a failed relationship or a failing one, or a life that just wasn’t what it was supposed to be. All of the characters were looking for a new direction, and the house in Italy offered that to them.

Over the course of the novel, the characters become more reassured of their decision. They learn to trust themselves more, to listen to themselves instead of others, and they grow in confidence.

My favourite storyline was Elise, whose been in a relationship with Richard for a number of years and they’ve worked so hard to buy their own property. When the home in Italy comes up, Richard is a complete killjoy. He wants to continue as they are, and Elise feels trapped. She wants to take a chance on something, and so she moves to Italy and buys the property on her own.

“Gino’s back stiffened immediately but nothing else changed. There was no lull in the conversation, the sisters didn’t remark on it, the husbands appeared not to notice. Only Gino’s father seemed to care. Edward met his gaze. The old man didn’t look unhappy, just watchful, as if he was waiting to see what might happen next.”

Just a slight negative about the book — there isn’t much renovating in the story. I thought the plot of the book would be about them getting the house, arriving, and then working on the renovation and making the houses their own. But, most of the book is the lead up to them arriving, and then the pacing starts to quicken. But we never really arrive too much at the ‘fix up’ part. I think perhaps that’s a missed opportunity, but I still enjoyed the book.

This is a fabulous read — fun and carefree, and just really fantastic. If you’re going on a holiday soon and you’re looking for the perfect vacation read, then this is it. If you’re looking for a book that’s light and carefree and will make you feel great, this is it. I highly recommend this.

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

A Dream of Italy
Nicky Pellegrino
April 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

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